What Haiti needs most, one year post-quake.

220,000 dead. Millions without water, food
and shelter. Shocking images of children and
parents struggling to be reunited. Do you
remember where you were one year ago
today when a 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti?
Despite the utter devastation, Haitians --
along with an incredible amount of support
from people around the world, including
Americans who donated more than $1.4
billion to the rebuilding effort (from Charity
Navigator) -- have strived to rebuild their
country with hopes of making it a place of
prosperity, even better than it was before the
earthquake.
As the country continues to face bumps and
hurdles along the long road to recovery, here
are ways that folks are helping meet the
country's greatest needs (along with idea on
how you can still get involved!):
- Education: In an effort to help the grief
stricken region one year after the devastating
earthquake and as part of its commitment to
the Clinton Global Initiative, University of the
People (UoPeople), a non-profit organization,
is currently seeking funds to expand its
presence in Haiti and fulfill its commitment to
reach 250 students. With financial support,
UoPeople will establish additional computer and
resource centers in the coming months and
years. To learn more about donating to
University of the People's Haiti project, please visit
http://www.uopeople.org/groups/haitiproject.
- Medical supplies and support: One year after the
devastating earthquake struck Haiti, Medical
Teams International still has volunteers on the
field. For a complete update of what the global
health organization has accomplished during the
last year, please visit: www.medicalteams.org/
haiti_report.
- Jobs and job training: Beginning this week,
consuming one of the popular Odwalla Mango
Tango Smoothies won't just be nutritious for
your body, it also will help support Haiti's
recovery from the devastating earthquake in
January 2010. As part of its continued support for
the island nation, Odwalla will donate 10 cents
from every Mango Tango purchase, up to
$500,000 per year of the initiative, to the Haiti
Hope Project to help provide training and better
market access to 25,000 mango farmers in Haiti.
The Haiti Hope Project is a large-scale, five-year
initiative from TechnoServe to aid Haiti's recovery
from the devastating earthquake, and to support
its long-term reconstruction.
- Sustainable progress: The InterAction alliance of
U.S.-based international nongovernmental
organizations (NGOs) remains steadfast in its
commitment to support Haiti's ongoing recovery
from last year's earthquake. About half of our
almost 200 members are still actively working in
the country and many will remain there for many
years to come, working alongside the country
and local governments, the UN, local Haitian
NGOs and other international partners to rebuild
Haiti and put it on the path to a more stable future
for all of its citizens. Thanks to the very generous
financial assistance of the American people,
members of our alliance have raised more than
$1.2 billion in private funds to support our work
in Haiti for the long haul. Visit InterAction's
website, www.interaction.org/haiti for more
information.
- Hunger and malnutrition: Partners in Health, led
by Paul Farmer (a leader in sustainable
development and the UN Deputy Special Envoy to
Haiti), is teaming up with the global health care
company Abbott for an ambitious $6.5 million
partnership that aims to (1) Build a new PIH
nutritional production facility in Haiti to produce
Nourimanba, PIH's highly nutritious, peanut-
based therapeutic food used to treat severe
malnutrition; (2) Help combat poverty by
empowering communities – Local workers will
build the facility, and Haitian peanut farmers and
local workers will handle most of the production
of Nourimanba, from start to finish. Abbott
scientists and engineers and PIH staff will share
expertise and conduct training to develop the
skills of local workers; and (3) Shift long-term
focus of initiative from traditional aid to local trade
for sustainability. By combining their unique
expertise and organizational strengths, the PIH-
Abbott partnership is empowering local
communities to find long-term answers to some
of the toughest problems in Haiti.
- Shelter and security: Wyclef Jean recently
teamed up with designer Donna Karan and
fashion photographer Marc Baptiste in New York
City for " The Truth Exhibition"-- an event that
auctioned off several of Baptiste's photos of Haiti,
raising thousands for the country in partnership
with Karan's Urban Zen Foundation, which
provides shelter and survival kits to Haiti. Marc
Baptiste's photos from "The Truth Exhibition" are
still available for purchase via an online auction at
www.charitybuzz.com/TheTruth.
- Electricity: When it comes to deploying
technology in Haiti, power is the number one
barrier. Most of the country is "off grid," and
many schools rely on generators, with costs that
are extremely high. Non-profits including
Inveneo, the EKTA Foundation and NetHope, are
working with Microsoft over the next two years
to equip 40 schools in Haiti with computers and
reach more than 24,000 students (this is a $1.5
million Clinton Global Initiative commitment). To
help save power and help more children learn,
they are using Windows MultiPoint Server, a
Windows product used in classrooms, labs and
libraries that allows multiple students to
simultaneously share one computer. Students
have their own independent computing
experience, using their own monitor, keyboard
and mouse directly connected to the host
computer. Beyond the substantial power savings
(80% compared to standard desktop PCs),
Windows MultiPoint Server increases the number
of students who can access computers, reduces
maintenance since you only need to service one
computer and fosters learning in a collaborative
way. To learn more, check out this video.
- Schools: Students Rebuild is a joint initiative of
Architecture for Humanity, the Bezos Family
Foundation and Global Nomads Group. Students
are invited to start a team and raise funds to build
schools in Haiti. In turn, students in Haiti are
participating in designing schools and connecting
with students around the world. Their funds are
matched dollar for dollar (up to $2,500 per team)
by the Bezos Family Foundation. With the help of
the Clinton Global Initiative, Global Philanthropy
Group, Barefoot Foundation and The Stiller
Foundation, they're also committed to help build
at least ten schools with the goal of raising
$500,000 through Students Rebuild. Visit the
Students Rebuild website for more details.
- Nutritious meals for children: Since the
earthquake last year Convoy of Hope has
expanded its feeding initiatives in Haiti to more
than 25,000 children each school day. The
organization will soon begin construction of a
35,000-square-foot warehouse just outside of
Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Once completed, the
warehouse will have the capacity to hold up to six
million meals. Their goal is to provide a nutritious
daily meal to 40,000 school children this year. To
donate to the ongoing work of Convoy of Hope,
visit their website.
- Finally, Charity Navigator has created a special
section on our site to commemorate the
significant outpouring of generosity from donors
across America. In our exclusive report, you will
find: (1) Updates from more than two dozen
individual charities, including Episcopal Relief &
Development, Free Wheelchair Mission and
Medical Teams International, on their work in the
region; (2) Results of a donor survey which
examined how Charity Navigator's users gave to
Haiti-related causes; and (3) A roundtable
discussion with various nonprofit leaders. For the
full report, visit Charity Navigator's website.

Source: Http://yourlife.usatoday.com/mind-soul/doing-good/kindness/post/2011/01/what-haiti-needs-most-one-year-post-quake/138335/1