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In this difficult time for Haiti I want to share with you why I am fully supporting Partners in Health: it is because I want to Give Well and not just give Dead Aid. With all the heartbreaking images from Haiti the compulsion overwhelms to help. And yet, with recent discussions surrounding aid, I was especially weary about giving; even reconsidered other ways I could contribute because I either wanted to be extremely conscientious or not give money at all.

You see, I have witnessed the repercussions of drought relief in Ethiopia and experienced the the naive excitement of organizing a hugely successful fundraiser for drought relief only to be met with disheartening news later in life that my efforts and intentions while organizing the event weren’t enough. If you have been following up on the cycle of drought and aid dependency in Ethiopia you will understand what I mean.

I would much rather that my good intentions not to help build aid dependency in communities, or contribute toward immense administrative/overhead costs. Recent events like Katrina have taught us that agencies like the Red Cross have hefty administrative costs eatting up hefty amounts of the budget. So, I wanted to share my thoughts, research and reasoning for why I decided to and think you should also consider giving to PIH for Haiti Relief [Partners in Health Official Siteand crisis-specific site: twitter @pih_org]

It May Be Largest Healthcare Provider Still Standing In Haiti

PIH, established within Haiti by a medical doctor more than two decades ago, has grown to become the large dedicated provider of rural health care in Haiti. (read more about the history here). According to NYT Op-ED published the day of the earthquake it is probably the largest health care provider still standing in Haiti (they have functional hospitals ready for people outside of Port au Prince while most other relief agencies headquartered in the capital have facilities in the rubbles - Read the last three paragraphs of this NYT Op-ED article for more information about the situation on the ground).

International Development Experts Supporting PIH

Givewell, a charity-evaluation agency says that while aid is problematic in general, ’emergency aid’ is a probably one of the most problematic kinds. More reason for us to be cautious where to give so the funds can contribute toward the long-term benefit and recovery of Haiti.

After the earthquake, highly reputable entities within the international development field well aware of the problems with aid are trusting and recommending PIH (TED.com’s Chris Anderson, Acumen Fund’s Jacqueline Novograz, Good.is, Charity Water – you can click on the links for their descriptions about why they recommend PIH).

From my personal experience with opinions within the international development and public health fields; PIH is one of the most respected and reputable NGOs for it’s impact, high cost-effectiveness and its sensitivity to community culture and involvement in healthcare. In many ways, it serves as a pioneer of an exemplary model for many other organizations in these fields. (It has a focus on preventive care and AIDS, has hospitals in Haiti and Boston and has now expanded efforts to Sub-Saharan Africa)

Minimum Overhead & Community-Based Healthcare

PIH spends minimum amounts of its funds on overhead and administrative costs (unlike organizations like the Red Cross). It is grassroots-oriented with a good majority of the health workers within Haiti being Haitians working within a community-based model. The organization has innovated and operates with this model that aims to provide health care to the impoverished. (read more about the model here). It’s model is highly integrated with the culture and communities on the ground in a world where most other organizations attempt to apply ‘one-size-fits-all’ solutions to problems in very different communities.

Many in the public health field see PIH as an organization that implements a new medical-anthropologist perspective in medical care-giving where care is given with attention to longterm impact and the nuances of the society. This type of adaptive care-giving interacts and changes to best serve the community.

“Health programs should involve community members at all levels of assessment, design, implementation, and evaluation. Community health workers may be family members, friends, or even patients who provide health education, refer people who are ill to a clinic, or deliver medicines and social support to patients in their homes. Community health workers do not supplant the work of doctors or nurses; rather, they are a vital interface between the clinic and the community. In recognition of the critical role they play, they should be compensated for their work. PIH doesn’t tell the communities we serve what they need—they tell us.” ~ PIH Website

One of Top 3 Places to give for ‘Saving Lives’, Pulitzer winner wrote a book about PIH

The founder of PIH, Paul Farmer, seen as a legend amongst those in the health field, has received many accolades from a variety of institutions (He is scheduled to interview with CNN on Larry King and other programs in days following the earthquakes in Haiti). Pulitzer winner Tracy Kidder’s book “Mountains Beyond Mountains: Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World”, details PIH’s work.

In 2007, Givewell, a charity-evaluation organization chose PIH as one of top 3 places to give for ‘Saving Lives’. Givewell stated: ”We have relatively little ability to quantify its impact on life outcomes, but our best estimates suggest it may be saving lives for somewhere around $3500 each, not including many general-health benefits it provides beyond saving lives.”

PIH is a place to invest in Haiti Long-term

I know many of us are weary about giving because of the problems within the international development ‘industry’ if you will, and with Dead Aid [(c) Dambisa Moyo and Bill Easterly]. But PIH in Haiti brings a great opportunity to support an organization with long-term interests in the general public health system of the country with a model aiming to better work with the public sector and improve the economic livelihoods of the people (read more about the model).

By giving to Partners in Health, not only will we be giving toward ‘emergency aid’ which is problematic, but also contributing toward the long-term development of the country’s health care system and the growth of an organization that has deeply-rooted interest in the long term rebuilding of the system/infrastructure in Haiti.

“Fighting disease in impoverished settings also means fighting the poverty at the root of poor health. PIH works to improve access to food, shelter, clean water, sanitation, education, and economic opportunities.While nongovernmental organizations have a valuable role to play in developing new approaches to treating disease, successful models must be implemented and expanded through the public sector to assure universal and sustained access. Rather than establish parallel systems, PIH works to strengthen and complement existing public health infrastructure.” ~  PIH Website

Donate by going to www.PIH.org and follow developments/the work of PIH as they unfold on this page.

If you are a Canadian resident with a Rogers cell phone, you can text HELP to 1291 gives $5 to PIH

Please spread the word about this amazing organization and help others give well and not give dead aid.

This blog submission was written by Tsega Taddessa.  The views of guest bloggers are not the views of Ethiopian-Americans for Change.  Guest bloggers represent the broad dissection of views and outlooks within our community.