Don’t Give Dead Aid, Give Well: Best Way to Help Haiti - Partners in Health

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. Even the numbers put Haiti in perspective; the death-toll after the Sumatran Tsunami +225,000, Hurricane Katrina +1,800, estimates from Haiti so far well over +100,000. And yet, with recent discussions surrounding aid, I was especially weary about giving. I even reconsidered other ways I could contribute because I either wanted to be extremely conscientious about making sure the funds get to the people or not give monetarily at all, which was unthinkable given many say that is the best way to give at this time.

You see, I have witnessed the repercussions of drought relief in Ethiopia and experienced 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 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 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. I am not really trying to pick sides here in the aid discussion, I just want to let you know to think critically and research before you give so the people can best benefit from your help. So, here are my thoughts, research and reasoning why I decided to and think you should also give to PIH for Haiti Earthquake Relief [Partners in Health Official Siteand crisis-specific site: twitter @pih_org]. For me it was really a no-brainer and after noticing PIH wasn’t appearing on many donation lists, enough to compel me to write this article and work in any way I can to spread the news about PIH. The must watch video below of MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow discussing PIH with Tracy Kidder show him describing many of the reasons I elaborate on below. Please watch it!

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 largest 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 9 locations with functional hospitals and facilities up and operating, none damaged 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).

Charity-Evaluation Agencies Support PIH, One of Top 3 Places to give for ‘Saving Lives’, Pulitzer winner authored book on PIH

After the earthquake various charity-evaluation agencies have shared their recommendations. In a Business Week article discussing the success of text donations where doubts were expressed about the clarity of outcomes and impact, the Center for High Impact Philanthropy stated “People see those pictures on TV and want to do something. But you want to support charities that have experience in disaster relief and in Haiti because this is a difficult environment.” The center recommends established organizations like PIH.

Givewell, a charity-evaluation organization which does rigorous research on charities, recommends just nine of the nearly 400 groups it has looked at, points to Partners in Health as its top selection. Givewell says that while aid is problematic in general, ’emergency aid’ is probably one of the most problematic kinds. More reason for us to be cautious about where we give so the funds can contribute toward the long-term benefit and recovery of Haiti. Meanwhile the president of Charity Navigator, another evaluation agency, stated his support for PIH as his top pick in an interview with Fox.

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 also Deputy United Nations Special Envoy to Haiti, appointed by President Bill Clinton; as well as the Presley Professor and Chair at Harvard Medical School’s Department of Global Health and Social Medicine. 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. This book is number 72 on Amazon and many people state that it’s a book that details work that has changed their perspectives of the world and outlooks on life.

In 2007, GiveWell, 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.”

International Development Experts Recommending PIH

After the earthquake, highly reputable entities within the international development field well aware of the pitfalls of 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). The Darthmoth College president and co-founder of PIH, Kim, recently described PIH as “a very comprehensive approach to community development that just happens to be built on a backbone of healthcare.”

From my experience with opinions within the international development and public health fields; PIH is one of the most respected and reputable NGOs for it’s focus on sustainability, 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 and “is almost entirely a Haitian-operation though supported by people in the US. Only a handful of people working in Haiti being from the US”. A majority of the Haitian health workers serve within a community-based model which the organization has innovated and operates to best provide health care to the impoverished. (read more about the model here). It’s model is highly integrated with the culture and communities 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 to 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

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 Haiti 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.

Hope & Light!

Tsega