Haiti Earthquake Relief Efforts

Seeing all of these pictures on the web, and video on the news of these people suffering in Haiti - their homes ravaged, friends and family dead or severely wounded - it is just so sad.

I'm still jobless since taking my leave of absence last year to do some backpacking, and maybe the freedom of this makes me just crazy enough to look into going to Haiti and helping out myself.

So I deeply considered flights to Haiti despite my significantly limited monetary resources. Flights to Port Au Prince, and anywhere else in Haiti are suspended. So instead, relief workers are landing in the neighbouring Dominican Republic (DR).

Through Orbitz.com I found flights to Peurto Plata, DR: USD$200 total for a one-way, or USD$383 total for a return ticket - both with Continental Airlines, and both leaving from Pearson Airport in Toronto (YYZ).

At that point though I am learning about various logistical issues even getting to the Haitian border from DR (audio report - Washington Post). And if you are not part of a relief organization, and just there to help out, what then? Will they actually let you in the country?

Another problem is that I can't survive much longer without a job, as I need to pay off this travel debt, combined with auto-debit payments for my student loan, before these creditors start sending hired goons to knock down my front door.

Yes, I suppose I could start immediately selling all my camera stuff, TV, monitor and any other extraneous things I don't absolutely need, to raise money for a ticket or two. But my second more rational thought is that these aid organizations would be calling for relief workers if that is actually what they needed.

They don't. They have aid workers. What they need is money.

It would make me feel immensely more useful actually being there to assist in some way, but on the other hand there is the law of diminishing returns too - sometimes it's just worse, the more untrained people there are around. More people to explain what to do, more people that could really just get in the way, unless they have a specific set of tasks they can accomplish without supervision.

If I was a doctor, paramedic, nurse - then sure, I could be of use. But another guy to carry boxes of bottled water, tell people where to go, or just stand there to watch the action unfold? They have enough of these people.

I regretfully dismiss myself then - for now anyway - and instead look to gain meaningful employment, so I can have the available resources to put to these causes, which would make more of an impact.