Help us help our Lucian friends
December 29, 2010 6:37 AM Subscribe
How can we help the hurricane recovery effort in St. Lucia?
Mrs. Godric and I are heartbroken by the suffering of people in St. Lucia following Hurricane Tomas (October 30 or so), particularly the wonderful people we met in Fond St. Jacques and Soufriere last spring. It seems the mess in St. Lucia was overshadowed by what has been happening in Haiti this year, but having made friends in the area we really want to help.
Could anyone recommend a charity or other relief effort that will aid the rebuilding of this area, particularly the village of Fond St. Jacques? We're in the US if it matters, and have no issues giving to religious organizations if they're doing critical work. Rebuilding of water systems, agriculture, and tourist infrastructure (biggest employer in the area) are up our alley.
Mrs. Godric and I are heartbroken by the suffering of people in St. Lucia following Hurricane Tomas (October 30 or so), particularly the wonderful people we met in Fond St. Jacques and Soufriere last spring. It seems the mess in St. Lucia was overshadowed by what has been happening in Haiti this year, but having made friends in the area we really want to help.
Could anyone recommend a charity or other relief effort that will aid the rebuilding of this area, particularly the village of Fond St. Jacques? We're in the US if it matters, and have no issues giving to religious organizations if they're doing critical work. Rebuilding of water systems, agriculture, and tourist infrastructure (biggest employer in the area) are up our alley.
Response by poster: Obviously I've googled vigorously on this topic. I found (as with the two links above) that there were several relief efforts immediately following the storm but that haven't updated their status in a month and a half or so. Also, I'm wary of aid that might be controlled by the government, as I've found numerous reports that it's not being distributed equitably.
So, charities? It seems like many of the usual suspects aren't there because they didn't have a presence previously (UNICEF, Partners in Health, Direct Relief, CARE). Looks like Caritas/Catholic Relief Services were there at one point, but I don't know if that was just early on. Maybe there's just not a good way to do this.
posted by GodricVT at 9:10 AM on December 29, 2010
So, charities? It seems like many of the usual suspects aren't there because they didn't have a presence previously (UNICEF, Partners in Health, Direct Relief, CARE). Looks like Caritas/Catholic Relief Services were there at one point, but I don't know if that was just early on. Maybe there's just not a good way to do this.
posted by GodricVT at 9:10 AM on December 29, 2010
Best answer: Rotary Club of St Lucia
Lions club St Lucia
Here are some phone numbers.
posted by adamvasco at 9:56 AM on December 29, 2010
Lions club St Lucia
Here are some phone numbers.
posted by adamvasco at 9:56 AM on December 29, 2010
There have been Peace Corps Volunteers in St Lucia for many years. If you can connect with a current or former volunteer from the island, they would be in a much better position to assess the various agencies that are involved in the relief effort.
posted by Forktine at 5:04 PM on December 29, 2010
posted by Forktine at 5:04 PM on December 29, 2010
Best answer: Interaction is one of the largest groupings of international NGOs, and I believe that the NGOs are checked for transparency and responsibility. If you go to their member directory, you can sort by country. (I had to use the box on the right; couldn't be fussed with the map.) I personally like Winrock and MSH, of the seven listed. I'm sure that if you contacted them regarding work they're doing, they would be happy to respond.
As mentioned above, the Peace Corps has been in St. Lucia for a long time. You can donate to the Eastern Caribbean country fund (St. Lucia is part of EC) here. There's also probably information to be had from ReliefWeb.
Also, USAID funds disaster relief projects in St. Lucia, and it looks like the American Red Cross is doing specific readiness programs. I've also found some stuff from the International Federation of Red Cross/Red Crescent and Global Medic (Canadian).
posted by quadrilaterals at 5:38 PM on December 29, 2010
As mentioned above, the Peace Corps has been in St. Lucia for a long time. You can donate to the Eastern Caribbean country fund (St. Lucia is part of EC) here. There's also probably information to be had from ReliefWeb.
Also, USAID funds disaster relief projects in St. Lucia, and it looks like the American Red Cross is doing specific readiness programs. I've also found some stuff from the International Federation of Red Cross/Red Crescent and Global Medic (Canadian).
posted by quadrilaterals at 5:38 PM on December 29, 2010
Best answer: There may be other associations, but here is one group of returned Peace Corps Volunteers for the Eastern Caribbean. I'm not suggesting donating to them (I'm not sure you even could) -- I'm suggesting that this might be your easiest way to find out first-hand who is doing good work on the ground, right now, and find ways to channel your help to whomever that is.
posted by Forktine at 6:54 PM on December 29, 2010
posted by Forktine at 6:54 PM on December 29, 2010
Response by poster: Very cool, thanks folks. I like the Rotary idea- there are some active Rotary International people here in my town who might have some opinions. Seems like Interaction is a great resource.
posted by GodricVT at 7:55 AM on December 30, 2010
posted by GodricVT at 7:55 AM on December 30, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
I would let Google be your friend here. Search for the terms "St. Lucia hurricane recovery" or some similar string of terms.
posted by dfriedman at 8:02 AM on December 29, 2010