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A message from Joe Frey, Assistant Director of Community Engagement in the Office of Leadership and Service-Learning:

First, we want to make sure that your projects are efforts that will truly help those affected by the earthquake. This means understanding that what is needed most at this time is money. Cash donations allow international disaster relief agencies to purchase exactly what is needed, and fund efforts related to the health, engineering, and humanitarian expertise that is needed following a disaster of this proportion. Donations of clothing and canned goods, while representative of your compassion and good intentions, pose great problems for disaster relief agencies. Many such donations during past relief efforts have actually never made it to those they were intended to help.

Second, an important part of our efforts should be that of educating ourselves and the UNCG community about Haiti – its history, people, culture, and pre-earthquake problems faced by this country – including widespread poverty. Gaining such perspective will help us understand both the needs of Haiti and the possibilities for Haiti’s future.

Finally, like previous disasters, this one will fade from the headlines. It’s important that we understand that Haiti will have ongoing need for years to come and thus, our efforts shouldn’t be limited to short-term projects. As the relief efforts progress, new types of assistance may be required, so it’s important to do research to understand what is needed and what is feasible at that particular time.