In light of Tuesdays disaster in Haiti, many people are asking how they can volunteer in Haiti. The Red Cross and Salvation Army alone have received thousands of phone calls in the past 48 hours regarding volunteering in Haiti.
Unfortunately if everyone who wanted to volunteer in Haiti simply packed up their bags and flew to that country, more chaos would ensue and very little actual help would be administered. After the initial weeks of International disaster relief have taken place there will likely be opportunities for various groups to volunteer in Haiti, but for now prospective volunteers are being asked to refrain from making travel plans unless they are medical personnel trained in disaster relief.
The Center for International Disaster Information has issued the following guidelines to which those wanting to volunteer in Haiti must adhere; and the guidelines involve volunteering with a renown organization.
“Volunteers without prior disaster relief experience are generally not selected for relief assignments. Candidates with the greatest chance of being selected have fluency in the language of the disaster-stricken area, prior disaster relief experience, and expertise in technical fields such as medicine, communications logistics, water/sanitation engineering. In many cases, these professionals are already available in-country. Most agencies will require at least ten years of experience, as well as several years of experience working overseas.”
For now, those wishing to volunteer in Haiti would serve the country best by making a donation to the Red Cross or other relief aid organization.