Haiti

Over a week later, I still have a hard time watching coverage of the earthquake in Haiti without crying. In my last position one of the research clinics I worked with was in Port-au-Prince, and the team there managed one amazing operation considering the conditions in that country. I remember many times trying to import lab equipment from centrifuges to -80 degree freezers into that country and it would take many, many months to get everything through local customs. I was told that bribes were usually necessary to get anything done, but unfortunately that is not an allowable expense on NIH grants. So I can't say that I'm surprised by how slow the response has been to get humanitarian aid to them. The government did not have the infrastructure to support the population's basic needs. A government with most of its buildings collapsed and many officials missing or dead is not going to perform any better.

If you are looking for a place to donate, may I suggest giving to the GHESKIO clinic which is the one I have worked with in the past. Since the earthquake, the clinic has been transformed into a refuge camp and hospital. I know these doctors, nurses, and staff and it is not stretch to say that they are all amazing and this money would not go to waste.