Please help Haiti! – Charities (version 2.0)

Though there have been some difficulties in the distribution of aid to earthquake-ravaged Haiti that should not deter you from adding your grain of sand to the relief efforts. Whether you have yet to give or already have it is not too late to assist those in great need on that Caribbean country.

The following is an updated list of organizations you can donate to including some groups we mentioned last week:

• Action Against Hunger
• AmeriCares
• American Jewish World Service
• American Red Cross
• Baptist Haiti Mission
• Beyond Borders
• CARE
• Catholic Relief Services
• Compassion International
• Direct Relief International
• Doctors Without Borders
• Food for the Hungry
• Habitat for Humanity
• Haitian Health Foundation
• Hope for Haiti
• Islamic Relief USA
• Lions Club International
• Medical Teams International
• Mercy Corps
• Operation Blessing International
• Oxfam America
• Pan American Development Foundation
• Partners in Health
• Project HOPE
• Salvation Army
• Samaritan’s Purse
• UNICEF
• United Way
• World Food Program
  

We cannot personally vouch for the authenticity of the above groups and we advise that you please do your research before making any donation. Whether you select one of the aforementioned groups or another charity, have hope that your donation will be greatly appreciated and will hopefully help Haiti rebuild.

(Big thanks to these articles from CBS News and USA TODAY for providing links to some of the above charities).

Image- Sydney Morning Herald (“Earthquake victims wait to receive food aid. Photo: Reuters.”)
Online Sources- Too many to individually mention

Please help Haiti! - Charities

The Caribbean nation of Haiti has been devastated after a series of major earthquakes yesterday. Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive estimated that at least 100,000 people have died, thousands of victims are missing, and the Red Cross estimated that as many as three million people “have been affected.” Haiti's most powerful earthquake in 240 years has hit the most impoverished nation in the Americas at a time when the country had been gradually improving economically.

Numerous countries including throughout the world have mobilized their efforts to help victims of yesterday’s tremors. You too can help with the Haitian relief efforts; here are some charities and other groups that are accepting online donations:

• American Red Cross
• CARE
• Direct Relief International
• Doctors Without Borders
• Food for the Hungry
• Mercy Corps
• Oxfam America
• Partners in Health
• UNICEF
• World Food Program
  

We'll have more info throughout the day on other ways you can help Haiti. If you have any tips please let us know via e-mail at ourlatinamerica@yahoo.com

Image- New Zealand Herald
Online Sources- Too many to list

MCC cuts aid to Honduras

The US Millenium Challenge Corporation (MCC) has announced that it is suspending its aid program to Honduras. According to the AFP coverage, MCC officials declared yesterday that:

"MCC will terminate two planned activities in the transportation sector totaling approximately 11 million (dollars) from its Compact with Honduras" and that the "MCC also will put on hold approximately four million (dollars) of its contribution for work on the CA-5 road project jointly funded with the Central American Bank for Economic Integration."

This marks the second major round of cuts in US aid to Honduras, and the first primarily non strictly military aid cuts. This follows the cancellation of MCC funds in Nicaragua in June as a result of the fraudulent elections there in November 2008. In the case of Honduras, MCC was chided for weeks to make these cuts, but did so only after much deliberation and second and third chances for the country to correct their paths, as they did with Nicaragua. To me, this suggests that MCC means business in Latin America, and given that they have countries' agreements in writing that certain democratic components must be in place for aid continuation, it may take some of the political sting out of the aid cut.

Nonetheless, aid cuts of this magnitude and that undercut the economic viability of an even more struggling Honduran insfrastructure are never good news for anyone, and I'm sure the MCC board made the decision with a heavy heart and realization that the only real losers in this scenario are the people, not the interim government, of Honduras.

HRW: Withhold Security Aid to Mexico

In a letter sent yesterday to Secretary Clinton, Human Rights Watch called on the State Department to withhold tens of millions of dollars in security aid to Mexico unless it agrees to allow recent human rights abuse allegations to be tried in civilian courts.

Human Rights Watch states in the letter a finding from its recent report on Mexican military abuses that, "Mexican military courts-which routinely take over the investigation of military abuses against civilians-have not produced over the past 10 years a single conviction against a member of the military accused of committing a serious human rights violation."

Under the $1.4 billion aid package that is known as the Mérida Initiative, the US must withhold a 15% portion of the funds until the secretary of State reports that Mexico is meeting specific human rights conditions. Those conditions include prosecuting human rights abuses in accordance with Mexican and international law.

Online sources-Los Angeles Times, Human Rights Watch

Image-MSNBC

US cancels remaining MCC funds to Nicaragua

Updating an ongoing story, the US has announced that it will cut the remaining $60+ million in aid through the Millennium Challenge (MCC) grant to Nicaragua, based on the prior suspension of this aid after the disputed municipal elections this past November.

"Given the lack of meaningful reforms or progress in these areas by the government of Nicaragua, the board has agreed to terminate these projects," said MCC CEO Rodney Bent, yesterday.

Written before the decision was made, a thoughtful CSM article was written by Tim Rogers earlier this week analyzing the politics at play and the Nicaraguan poor who are affected most.

On Tuesday, the International Budget Support Group (GAP) concluded weeks-long discussions with the Ortega government in Nicaragua, agreeing to temporarily continue aid but with no concrete time frames, amounts, or agreed-upon electoral reform measures for the Nicaraguan government to undertake. They claim that the US decision will be highly anticipated but play no direct role in their decisions to continue or halt aid programs to Nicaragua.

As implied in Rogers' piece, the US decision is likely to heighten tension between the rural poor, indigenous groups and the Sandinista government, tension in part already raised by the imbroglio in Peru with and ongoing in the Miskito region of Nicaragua.

Budget-wise, Nicaragua is in serious trouble. While the Ortega administration continues to flout the necessity of aid from traditional donor countries, the sustainability of Venezuelan aid continues to be questioned and Russian and Iran aid continue to be small fries, by comparison.

Sources: NY Times, AP, La Prensa, Tico Times, CSM, IPS

Peru: Problems continue with earthquake relief

Monday will be the two-month anniversary of the deadly Peruvian earthquakes which officially killed over 500 people and left tens of thousands homeless. Despite the best intentions of celebrities and charities problems remain with relief efforts and assisting survivors.

Last week, the head of Peru’s civil defense organization admitted that only a quarter of earthquake debris had been cleared partly due to a lack of heavy machinery. Meanwhile, aid groups in Peru have finished the “emergency phase” though some survivors were getting impatient with the achingly slow clean-up and lack of government support:

Nationally, Garcia's approval rating jumped almost 10 points after the quake. The president rushed to Pisco and spent days on national television directing the initial disaster response.

People in Pisco are bewildered by such polls.

"He's not doing anything. He just came down here, worried that dust wouldn't fall on his shoes," said retired cotton farmer Vidal Melgar, whose walls were severely cracked.

Despite the problems we continue to call on you to please donate to charitable groups that are assisting earthquake survivors. Here are three links you can check out if you want to help:

• American Red Cross
• CARE
• Oxfam America

Image- BBC News

Sources- The Latin Americanist, Living In Peru, American Red Cross, CARE, Oxfam America, International Herald Tribune

Princess Di photo to be auctioned for Peru

Problems have mounted in providing aid to survivors of Peru’s deadly August 15^th earthquakes; thousands are living in squalor conditions as relief groups have run out of tents and blankets. A spokesman for Doctors Without Borders said that the situation is so dire that “it's like one day after the quake.” Complaints have grown against President Alan Garcia who has yet to deliver on a promised $1900 per homeowner.

In the midst of all those troubles Peruvian photographer Mario Testino said that he will raise money by auctioning an autographed photo of Princess Diana (image). The photo- which appeared in a 1997 issue of Vanity Fair- is appropriate to raise funds for Peru according to Testino:

“I have decided to auction an image of Diana to help the people in Peru because, for me, Diana went out of her way to help people.”

The auction will be held in London on November 20^th.

In the meantime, we continue to ask that you please contribute to the Peruvian aid efforts despite the problems mentioned above. Click here to find out how to donate to charities like CARE and the American Red Cross.

Sources- International Herald Tribune, The Latin Americanist, Reuters, BBC News

Image- CBC

Peru: Debate over tuna and liquor snafu

In the aftermath of the deadly August 15^th earthquakes in Peru two unusual stories have emerged:

* The Peruvian and Venezuelan governments quarreled over the handing out of tuna cans with the faces of Hugo Chavez and Peruvian opposition leader Ollanta Humala (image). Peruvian president Alan Garcia deemed the aid as “electoral propaganda” though the Venezuelan ambassador to Peru denied that “party politics” were involved in earthquake assistance from Venezuela.

* In the meantime, the Peruvian government has backtracked from a promotion of the country’s most popular liquor- Pisco. The drink’s label was changed to “Pisco 7.9” (the magnitude of the quake) and was meant as gratitude for international aid. Yet the initiative was stopped after a flurry of public and media criticism, particularly from the city of Pisco which suffered more than 300 deaths and major damage after the tremors.

Image- Living in Peru

Sources- Guardian UK, Seattle Times, UPI, BBC News, The Latin Americanist