Peace Corps Connectpowered by the National Peace Corps Association

• Haiti Disaster Relief Discussion Forum- A place for the Peace Corps Community to discuss the situation in Haiti.

• As part of our ongoing Member Group Capacity Building Webinar Series, NPCA held a webinar on January 26, 2010 on "Supporting Haiti: Going Beyond Fundraisers". Here are some links from that dialogue:
• PowerPoint Presentation
• Discussion Summary

• National Peace Corps Association Hosts Webinar on Haiti Disaster Response- January 22, 2009

• National Peace Corps Association Sets Up Online Resources for Haiti Recovery Efforts - January 19, 2009

NPCA Member Groups

• RPCVs of Washington, DC Raise $1,000 for Haiti - NPCA Polyglot blog (January 15, 2010)

• New Mexico Peace Corps Association will donate $400 toward the disaster in Haiti. The donation will be shared between: American Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, Mercy Corps, Partners in Health "Stand with Haiti" Fund, and Save The Children.

• Connecticut Returned Peace Corps Volunteers donated $2,000 to Haiti. $1,000 was donated to the Haitian Ministries for the Diocese of Norwich and $1,000 was awarded to Save the Children.

• RPCVs of New Jersey have donated $400 to the American Red Cross.

• Rhode Island Returned Peace Corps Volunteers has sent $1,000 to Haiti relief efforts. $500 went to Doctors Without Borders and $500 went to UNICEF.

Peace Corps and Peace Corps Response (formerly Crisis Corps)

• Statement from Director Aaron S. Williams on the Earthquake in Haiti

• Additional Information from Director Aaron S. Williams on Haiti

• Returned Peace Corps Volunteers: Apply to Peace Corps Response as they prepare for future work in Haiti

• Peace Corps Response Haiti Interest Group - Facebook group for RPCVs interested in volunteering with Peace Corps Response

RPCVs and Haiti - News

• Andrew Wyllie (RPCV Mauritania, 1993-95) lost his wife Laurence and two boys, Evan and Baptiste, in the earthquake. Andrew was the UN Coordinator for Humanitarian Assistance in Haiti. Haiti Disaster Hits Home - WCAX.com Vermont (January 12, 2010)

• Haiti Innovation - Haiti Innovation an all-volunteer, non profit consultancy created by former Peace Corps Volunteers. In the crisis, the blog is being updated frequently by RPCV Bryan Schaaf.

• Former NPCA Staffer on the Ground in Haiti for Red Cross - NPCA Polyglot blog post (January 14, 2010)

• Body of Missing RPCV, Brendan Beck, Found in Haiti - WFAA-TV Dallas/Fort Worth (February 16, 2010)

Advocacy

• Oxfam America petition urges debt cancellation for Haiti (January 22, 2010)

• Congress approves expedited tax benefits for Haiti relief. Read more (January 21, 2010)

• Amnesty International action on Temporary Protected Status and interdiction at sea (January 15, 2010)

• Obama Administration Announces Temporary Protected Status for Haitian nationals in the United States (January 15, 2010)

• RPCV Senator Dodd urges credit card companies to waive service fees for Haiti donations (January 14, 2010)

Donating

• Fund shelters and field hospitals in Haiti

As many people continue to leave Port-au-Prince to find relief in different regions of the country, Haiti RPCV, Lenny Teh cautions anyone interested in making donations to target hospitals and Health NGOs in these regions where the large influx of patients is stretching resources dangerously thin. Lenny recommends:

• Haitian Health Foundation in Grand'Anse region

• Albert Schweitzer Hospital in the Artibonite region

• Partners in Health in the Central Plateau region

For anyone who is grappling with the question of which organization to give to, try using Charity Navigator, a renowned independent charity evaluator that ranks the efficacy of charities. They have already compiled a list of Charities for the crisis in Haiti.

Other Volunteer Opportunities

• Technology volunteers and creole speakers needed. CrisisCommons brings together domain experts, developers, and first responders around improving technology and practice for humanitarian crisis management and disaster relief. One such project can be found here.

• The father of Haiti RPCV Rob Barger, Rick Barger founded Haitian Timoun Foundation which has been in Jacmel for years and has been working hard since the quake. The organization already has several students from HELP volunteering with them but is still in need of Guides and Translators.

Events

• On February 9th Oxfam America and Foreign Policy are hosting "In the Wake of Haiti, How Can We Improve Aid to Developing Countries?"- a discussion with leading development experts on promoting recipient country ownership and building more effective institutions. It will be held at the Newseum in D.C. but space is limited. RSVP to oxfamrsvp@gpgdc.com, space is limited.

Education

• Helping Haiti from the Classroom - A resource page that includes links to lesson plans, articles, and other information on teaching about Haiti and ways to get students involved in relief efforts

Download Excel list of Relief-related Donation, Volunteer, and Job Opportunities