As I told the folks who are a part of the What About Our Daughters Network, I will be engaging in a major infrastructure project in February and will be away from the blog. But don’t worry, you can still discuss the latest and the greatest at the forums on the WAOD Network. I’ll still be updating my progress on the Couch to 5K program- two weeks down, seven more to go. Zenobia is my running buddy. We’re making it day by day. So the blog will be silent, the network will likely be lively as a result. So please do me the courtesy of not emailing me every crisis that arises related to Black women during February, and go ahead an post it yourself over at the network.
Congrats
Congrats to WAOD Network member Adwoa who announced she’s two classes away from completing her Masters in Education. She’s going to pursue Ph.D in English.
Congrats to WAOD Network member Vjk:
My youngest son made second honor roll for the fall semester. He is a junior at a small Catholic high school. His course load includes two AP courses and two Honor courses.
Awesome!
Hope for Haiti
Yes, I will be blogging next week. The Lord is working on me about a post regarding Haiti. After a run in with some disgruntled Tweeple regarding my ABSOLUTELY CORRECT assessment of Wyclef Jean’s Yele Haiti Foundation, I wrote an exquisite post, but I have to let my flesh die a little bit before I edit it to make sure that it is published in the spirit of lovingkindness and not complete and total RAGE at the thought of the rich exploiting the poor- the poorest of the poor.
Tonight there will be a telethon that I will not be donating to called Hope for Haiti. You can watch it on just about every television network. Yes I will make additional donations to the relief efforts in Haiti, but my donations will be aimed at organizations WITHOUT celebrity endorsers. Because the folks who are doing the greatest work on the ground, you’ve likely never heard of and I’m sick of the designer label disaster relief. If you would like a great list of charities who are doing work in Haiti who have been vetted and have appropriate financial controls and charitable PHILOSOPHIES, you can visit Charity Navigator. They also have the following advice.
Avoid Newly-Formed Charities and Give To An Established Charity That Has Worked In Haiti – Establishing a new charity is hard enough, but in a crisis, the odds of succeeding are slim to none. Think of it this way: would you entrust all your savings in a financial firm that just opened, doesn’t even have stationery, and whose employees have no experience in investing money? Doubtful. Find a charity with a proven track record of success in providing disaster relief and one that has worked in Haiti. Start with the list of charities on the right and if a group you are considering supporting isn’t there, then take the time to thoroughly research it before making a gift.
Do Not Give To The Haitian Government – Haiti is known to be a corrupt country. And news reports post earthquake indicate that the government is pretty much not functioning. If that isn’t enough reason not to give directly to the Haiti government, then consider the fact that contributions to foreign governments are not tax deductible.
Designate Your Investment – Generally, it is best to trust your chosen charity to spend your donation as it sees fit. But with disaster related giving, you should specify that you want your donation only used to respond to this particular crisis.
Do Not Send Supplies – Knowing that millions of people are desperately in need of food and water, it is hard not to want to pack up a box of supplies and send it to Haiti. But this type of philanthropy is simply not practical or efficient. Even if mail could get to Haiti, no one is set up to receive these goods, much less organize and distribute them to the victims. Furthermore, charities are often able to partner with companies to acquire large amounts of in-kind donations such as bottled water and new clothing. Instead of boxing up and sending your old clothing, have a garage sale and turn your used goods into cash and donate that to a worthy charity.
Be Careful Of Email Solicitations
- Be Leery Of People That Contact You Online Claiming To Be A Victim – Unless you personally know someone in Haiti, anyone alleging to be in this position is most likely part of a scam. Obviously, people affected by the earthquake are in no position to contact you directly for assistance.
- Delete Unsolicited Emails With Attachments – Never respond to unsolicited emails. Do not open any attachments to these emails even if they claim to contain pictures from Haiti. These attachments are probably viruses.
Seek Out The Charity’s Authorized Website – Refer to ourblog from yesterday as to why this is important.
Is it safe to make a text donation? – So long as you do your homework, yes. Please visit our blog for a longer explanation.
Consider The Nature Of The Charity’s Work – Not every charity is responding in the same way. Some are providing medical assistance, some shelter, some food and water. Others will be more focused on either short term or long term rebuilding efforts. And some are just helping to fundraise for other nonprofits. Think about what it is you want your philanthropic investment to accomplish and then take the time to find the charities doing that work. At Charity Navigator we link to each charity’s website so that you can quickly learn more about their plans to help in Haiti.
Be Inspired By Social Media, But Still Do Your Homework – Social networking tools like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and blogs are delivering heart-wrenching images and information about Haiti to our computers and phones. Many of them include pleas to donate. While these tools can be a powerful tool to inspire your desire to help, you should not blindly give via these vehicles. You must take the time to investigate the groups behind such pleas for help to ensure that it comes from a legitimate nonprofit. For example, you can donate $10 to the American Red Cross by texting “Haiti” to 90999. As of today, this tool has raised $3 million for the Haiti earthquake relief efforts.
Avoid Telemarketers – As always, hang up the phone do your homework and give directly to a charity.
Do Not Expect Immediate Results, But Do Keep Tabs On What Your Donation Accomplishes- It takes time for charities to mobilize, to assess the problems that need to be addressed and to develop effective solutions. Donors need to be patient so charities will not feel pressured to plunge in and offer ineffective aid, simply to placate impatient donors. That doesn’t mean donors shouldn’t hold the charities accountable for delivering on their promises! Be sure to follow up with the charity in a few months to find out (a) how your donation was put to use and (b) if the organization needs additional support to complete the recovery effort.
Have a great weekend.
PPS if you Wycelf trolls post over here, you’ll receive the same treatment you received on Twitter, total and complete annihilation- I can’t say your celebrity worship will land you in the fiery flames of hell, but I have a sneaking suspicion you’re headed in that direction when your top priority is celebrity protection versus starving injured people crushed under rubble.
23 comments ↓
Gina you just trying to keep a man down LOL.
Yeah but something told be to hold up and not get caught in emotion of texting donations. You may text $5 but that processing fee for some phone companies maybe double that.
The telethon also benefits some other more established organizations than Clefs
blkchik…LOL at your first comment!! I’ve donated to the Red Cross and I’m going to donate to Doctors Without Borders. Those are two charities that I know of that are well established and produce results. I’m not watching the celebrity telethon tonight. I’m watching wrestling instead. I’m not remotely interested in seeing a bunch of self-congratulatory and self-serving famous people celebrate themselves and their “good” works ad naseum.
I’ve always had my suspicions about Wyclef Jean. I remember seeing him a few years ago on MTV’s “Cribs” and watching him show off one of his customized H2 Hummers with a fish tank that took up the entire back of the truck!!! Even then I knew something about him wasn’t right. Not surprised at all about the Yele Haiti revelations.
I would also add that this disaster is going to be around for a long time (i.e., forever). You can give in 6 months…next year.
Sis, thanks so very much for this today! I was trying to tell some folks about Wyclef’s “funny” politics (some members of his family, his uncle, Raymond Joseph, etc. are tied to the elites), his previous anti-Aristide, anti Lavalas positions, etc., but they wouldn’t hear it, got to protect a “brother.”
Thanks for reminding me I’m not crazy after all!
Hmmm..
“anti-Aristide, anti Lavalas positions,”
Didn’t know about that.
As I am a fan of Aistide in the sense he was overwhelmingly elected by the Haitian people and should have been allowed to govern accordingly (there are accusations of corruption, but I don’t know if that’s just more fuel on the anti-Aristide fire by die hard capitalists and Haitian elites) – I find that interesting and disconcerting.
The Haitian people are very similar to the Vietnamese in that consistently been denied self rule – there were always outside sources interfering in their national politics.
I would hope after this crisis they would be allowed to govern themselves – with the heads of state they choose – but I doubt that will happen.
Great post! Thank you for the info. I won’t go there about Wyclef’s organization because my anger will make me “go there.” However there are some great organizations that have been doing work in Haiti for years. Personally I highly recommend two organizations which are Doctors Without Borders and Partners in Health. Partners in Health have been doing work in Haiti for YEARS. They have been working in Haiti when the rest of the world was ignoring the disenfranchised country. On another note I really wish people would do their homework before they financially support any organization or cause. Everyone is jumping on the Haiti bandwagon because it’s the cool thing to do but where were these people before the publicity? Do these say celebrities or organizations care about other people suffering traumatic circumstances? Penny for your thoughts.
I would also suggest checking out INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence..They sent me a great email the other day..outlining various ways to help Haiti..particularly its women..as women are more likely to suffer during natural disasters (as do the elderly, the disabled, and children)…
INCITE! was responsible for starting a health care clinic for poor women of color after Hurricane Katrina
Hello..to be fair an investigation was done of Wyclef’s organization and nothing was find to be improper..
I also read a great commentary about the sudden “suspicious’ of Wyclef’s organization…it makes you rethink the sudden media attack on him…(and trust me I am not a Wyclef fan…but just trying to be fair)
More Insight as to why Wyclef’s charity was attacked
by zizi2:
Wyclef Jean just learned a big lesson about the hypocrisies entrenched in the big club of the lucrative world of American and global humanitarian industry. I know, my spouse works for the United Nations, and tells me I would not believe that the organization and the donors just see this new tragedy like all the previous ones – a business opportunity from which money is to be made and circulated, the usual suspects fat-salaried, missions extended over long-periods. The problems on the ground are not intended to be solved in ways that empower the indigenous people. “Aid” is intended to create a dependency syndrome that ensures the prolonged footprint of the humanitarian industry in the disaster zone. Cold and cynical, but that is what I learned.
The kneecapping being done on Wyclef is not so much because of the eye-popping amounts of money he is raising, although that too is a factor. It is because he is challenging the paradigm of the humanitarian industry. He is seeking to EMPOWER the victims. He wants to move the victims to safe locations where they can begin to rebuild communities with the assistance of global donors. He wants the victims taking charge. His face being front and center is jarring to the default image we usually see of outstretched black and brown hands during disasters around the world being handed charity from Western and European hands. The status quo cannot have anyone challenge their paradigm of creating permanent dependency. Can’t. Have. That!
So here we are. Instead of Yele Haiti getting on with the work of saving lives and sowing the seeds to rebuild the lives of Wyclef Jean’s Haitian compatriots, Wyclef now has to appear in the court of trumped up suspicions to answer questions about the technicalities of running a non-profit organization. I can assure you that these are technical problems that can be found with just about every single small-scale non-profit organizations. Heck the Red Cross itself ran into problems as well as a PR nightmare about excessive executive compensation barely a few years ago. But they don’t get tarnished in one fell swoop.
To Wyclef Jean’s accusers, it is not the FACTS of the issue that matter to them it is about sowing seeds of suspicion. Wyclef is Haitian? he must be corrupt? Can you trust him with your hard earned dollars? It was enough to get Yele Haiti knocked off the list that initially appeared in all the MSM about where people could send their money. This gotcha means the White House and State Department cannot be seen to work with Yele Haiti. Now we have only the Red Cross and Unicef being trumpeted. The fix is in. Sad to watch really. An old but good book on the humanitarian industry’s shenanigans is Barbara Harrell-Bond’s _Imposing Aid: Emergency Assistance to Refugees_ (1986), as well as her more recent _Rights in Exile: Janus-Faced Humanitarianism_ (2005, with Guglielmo Verdirame).
Remember Tiger donated 3 MILLION to Wyclef’s charity; Wyclef raised ONE MILLION IN ONE DAY through $5 cellphone texts….
follow the dots, folks.
As Trumystique says, it’s a “Development Industrial Complex”, and Wyclef dared to challenge it in the name of Black self-determination.
@TJ actually there was not investigation. Second Mr. Locke, the person who LEADS the organization ADMITTED during that train wreck of a press conference that they had financial transactions that they would not have entered into again. Second, we’re talking about a CHARITY. His mentality means far more than illegality.
I highly advise you to move along and not post you propaganda on my blog. there would be no KNEECAPPING if Wyclef had not acted in such a fashion so as to expose his knees and hand his critic a bat.
Again TJ, you care far more for protecting Wyclef than making sure that the people of Haiti receive aid and that makes you a very bad person in my eyes. You prize an ethically challenged man over starving women and children.
SO take that “trying to keep a brother down” mess somewhere else. At this blog women and children come FIRST, you can’t say the same for Yele Haiti.
In addition there was no SUDDEN SUSPICION go over to Gawker and read INTERNAL YELE EMAILS. You can’t benefit from a surge of attention and then suddenly whine about a surge of attention. I assume people aren’t this dumb so this contortion of the fact must be intentional.
Like I said, I was working through my post on Yele, but I see these koolaid drinking celebrity protectors want to rumble.
Trust me I’m the las person that buys into the “keeping a brother down” rhetoric..as I stated I don’t even care that much for Wyclef…and trust I am about women and children of Haiti..that is why I posted about INCITE! and the work they are doing to help the Haitian women…I just thought the commentary I posted was interesting..and provided a different take on the sudden investigation of Wyclef’s organization by mainstream media…particularly since really it’s been that the “approved” charities like American Red Cross have just as shady financial handling (like what happened to those $100 of millions of dollars contributed after Hurricane Katrina)
Last week I was asked by a co-worker about possible charities to donate to that might help the Haitian earthquake victims. I mentioned Yele Haiti to her. A couple days later the “scandal” broke. I was disappointed and embarrassed.
I don’t get people, such as Wyclef Jean, who earn way more than the average person. They set up a charity then use donations from that charity to pay THEMSELVES for performances. I have no problem with paying a salary to someone who sits in the office of some organization all day every day and actually runs it. I have a huge problem with a celebrity using his/her charity as another stream of income.
Finally, I just found that before the earthquake Yele Haiti’s mission was “to build global awareness for Haiti and help drive transformation through education, sports, the arts and environment.” Now it seems that this organization was newly founded to assist with the earthquake victims. I’m not sure how Yele has suddenly developed the expertise to help relocate people or rebuild Haiti’s infrastructure. Too bad I didn’t do my homework before I opened my mouth. Luckily neither me nor my coworker donated to Yele.
I’m also incensed when I hear reporters refer to the displaced and homeless Haitians as REFUGEES.
They did the same thing with Black Hurricane Katrina victims.
Oh wow I just read the Gawker article. I hope its not true but wouldn’t be surprised if it was. 100,000 fee in 2010 w/o Lauryn and Pras standing next to him.
Even if things like this are common place for charity organizations, Yele seems to be a very young organization, so they are going to be going through a learning process while they are helping the earthquake victims. The thing is do you want to donate to a organization that already has established protocol for handling money and providing services or are you willing to help Yele which might be operating on a learning curve. I think Wyclef knows to be careful now b/c he is being watched.
I totally understand what TJ is saying, black organizations that show self determination are often targeted by the press and the gov’t. Non profits aren’t really “non profit”
But Wyclefs organization doesn’t even look like it has enough staffing, this story was floating around for a couple of days and his cousin pops up on MSNBC (the lowest rated cable news station) to refute the claims. Where was the PR person? I don’t think he even has proper staffing at this point. Is Yele providing emergency aid at this point? Is Yele focused on emergency aid or are they focused on rebuilding the country?
I am so fearful that unnecessary amputations are being done in Haiti. I’ll do more research on the matter.
When selecting my charities I immediately dismissed Yele because they have no experience in disaster assistance. I have witnessed both a volcano explosion in my father’s home country and I was aslo an eye witness to 9/11.
Believe me when I say that when people are dying under rubble, there is NO TIME to figure out what you are doing, how to logistically get there, make connections for air traffic control, movement of bulldozers, etc.
Even after the immediate needs are addressed, we are talking nation building, city planning, financial restructuring here… which is NOT something I would trust to someone who has spent most of his adult life rapping and making cool beats.
I’ll wait for more evidence to come in before I form an opinion on whether or not Yele is a fantastic organization or a Mickey Mouse operation, but for now I’ll send to organizations based in the Carribbean who have responded to other catastrophies.
which is NOT something I would trust to someone who has spent most of his adult life rapping and making cool beats.
That’s unnecessarily harsh – as what someone does for living doesn’t necessarily dictate whether have useful skills they’ve developed alongside their “moneymaking” skill set.
Brad Pitt and his architecture/green building firm seems to be ready proof of that.
I’ll wait for more evidence to come in before I form an opinion on whether or not Yele is a fantastic organization or a Mickey Mouse operation, but for now I’ll send to organizations based in the Carribbean who have responded to other catastrophies.
I’m not really on the Yele is the devil train jsut yet either. Red Cross, OxFam and other NGO’s have been notorious over the years for their misappropriation of funds.
The huge Unicef scandal some years back pretty much killed any hope of me donating to them again – ever.
Doctors without borders seems like a good place to start….
Whew! First, Wyclef’s press conference? Both he and Chris Brown should put their attorneys and p.r. staff at the front of the unemployment line.
When you respond to accusations such as those, you hit hard, fast and then you STHU. When didn’t he say, “accusation 1, 2 and 3 are all false, here’s my proof; we made x,y and z mistakes, we will make all necessary changes, WE WILL HIRE NEW ATTORNEYS, P.R. STAFF AND NON-PROFIT MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTS, ETC., and from now on we’ll do things better”, etc. I’m sorry, Wyclef made himself look guilty; the best he had to offer to defend himself, “I’m Haitian . . . I love the country . . . I’m been digging up bodies . . ., etc.” WTH?
Yes, the Non-Profit Industrial Complex is sometimes as notorious and ruthless as the CRIC, MIC, etc; perhaps Wyclef and his crew are learning that now. Personally, I wouldn’t trust the American Red Cross to rescue my dog, but at the same time, just because the ARC or any other large charity does something wrong, that DOES NOT mean Wyclef should be able to do the same thing or something similar and expect to get away with it. Why would you want to? Is anybody here defending the actions of having a charity and the charity pays rent for space in a building where you are part owner? And for more on the NPIC, please read “The Revolution Will Not Be Funded: Beyond the Non-Profit Industrial Complex” edited by INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence.
I definitely agree with Sis. Gina, I’m more concerned with Wyclef’s mentality towards this work; his politics are foul, backward and just plain reactionary. For more on this, there’s a good piece at http://www.blackagendareport.com written by Bruce Dixon.
Charity helps to take care of immediate needs, and that’s all good, but charity is not justice. As a matter of fact, if there was justice, would we really need charity? And if Wyclef and last night’s celebrity, high fashion telethon really cared about the people of Haiti, why then don’t they demand that from now on, the U.S. government treats Haiti (and all countries) fairly? Why don’t they demand that fairly-elected-by-his-citizens, former Pres. Aristide, be allowed to return? Why don’t they demand that former president Bush (who plotted the coup/kidnapping of Pres. Aristide in 2004) and former president Slick Willie Clinton(who sought to make Haiti ideal for sweatshop labor) step down as leaders of the U.S. Haiti relief effort and put some Haitian Americans and/or some sisters and brother born in the Caribbean to head up this effort? Naw, that’s too much like right, too much like self-empowerment, right?
Sorry to hear about Wyclef and the Yele situation – have always admired him.
Haven’t donated yet, as I am saving $$$ to give one big donation through my church’s charity, which is active in Haiti.
As you move on in other directions, may God bless you, Gem!! I have really loved this blog and will read whatever you write in the future.
I gave money to Doctors Without Borders. I don’t really trust the Red Cross at this point, as they seem far to interested in building their non-profit industrial complex but at the same time I also don’t trust entertainers/celebrities to run a charity. They can run their own charity that they fund with their money but I’m not giving them any. Be they Brad, Wyclef or whomever, no money for you. I *hate* how they use a tragedy to increase their profiles with telethons and such. Turns my stomach.
I’m not aware of Oxfam having discrepancies and I’ve been satisfied with their efforts. Charities and NGOs do have different operational agendas and people should research accordingly to find out what they want to support. When the Red Cross had problems a few years ago it was because they took the money donated and spread it across all their relief efforts not the specific disaster at that time. That was a failure at communication versus a total misuse of funds that has occurred with Yele. Inexperience, willful ignorance and calculated malfeasance are not the same thing. I’d like to see a real push to get the IMF off Haiti’s back and Aristide’s return to power. The rest of the infrastructure building is going to take a long time and seems to be at odds with the political agenda of the United States. Or perhaps some are still thinking having a black president means equality and fairness for Haiti now?
@ Faith, if former president Jean Bertrand Aristide were allowed to return and run for president again (if the Haitian constitution allows it) that would be good and the masses of the people supported him and his party; at the time former president George Bush and the rest of the cabal of criminals (France, Canada) staged the coup/kidnapping, Aristide advocated a minimum wage hike from approx. $1.75 to $5.00. The U.S. and the Haitian elites were not having that. He and Famni Lavalas also had other great ideas for development, health care, education, job training, etc.
What the media also forgets to tell us is that with Aristide/Famni Lavalas, the country was about to have the largest number of women in elected government office and related positions, heads of ministries, etc. The Haitian elites were not having that either, especially as it meant the Haitian courts were beginning to feel heat from grassroots women’s organizations regarding domestic violence, rape, trafficking of children, international adoptions, etc. Please google sisters Myriam Merlet and the other two sisters, powerful leading feminist organizers, who died in the earthquake. Combined the three had campaigns to name streets after women, safe houses for abused, raped women and girls, lawyers for women who are abused or raped, packing courtrooms with women when a man in on trial for domestic violence, etc. I almost cried when I saw the pictures three to four days after the earthquake struck, but on Wed. Jan. 20 when I read about Myriam Merlet and the other two sisters, I really cried, cause the were so beautiful and so powerful and worked/organized so hard for the good of women and girls, the marginalized, etc.