Haiti, Two Years On

Two years ago, on January 12^th, a powerful earthquake hit Haiti. The quake left approximately 3 million people in need of emergency aid and destroyed or damaged more than 300,000 homes. Americans responded generously to this disaster. So generously, in fact, that one poll reported that half of American households had donated to Haiti relief efforts. - Charity Navigator blog

Please click through to read the rest of this short but important update from Charity Navigator's blog. There are a few links & also a suggestion, which we strongly second, that if you gave in 2010, if you can, please follow up with another.

The art of Haiti continues to inspire. These gorgeous flags by Evelyn Alcide of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. You can see more of her art here & here.

ciao-meow/GGCM

(photographs via Indigo Gallery)

The Heart of Haiti - Art

The long-term recovery continues, one year after the earthquake. Read more about Haitian Metal Art, here. (painting in the Haitian Art Museum via United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti flickr stream)

Faces of January 12

Some very much unfinished 2010 business. It's days before the first anniversary of the earthquake in Haiti. Things are really bad. Everyone can do something. If you can do a little more, there are Haitian artists ready to sell you some fabulous paintings & drawings. (photograph of Patricia Brintle charcoal Faces of January 12 - #2 via MedaliaArt. More Haitian art for sale, here.)

ciao-meow/GG Holiday Central

GG's Spring Break

GG is on spring break.

Please check links on this page, especially for Darfur Peace & Development Organization (DPDO), Enough Project, U.S. Campaign for Burma, Raise Hope for Congo, Theater J's In Darfur production, Ante Up for Africa, World Food Programme, & Haitian relief.

GG is miffed--really miffed--that she was not invited to the White House Easter Egg Roll. It's right down the street from us. She doesn't want to hear about allergies; she has them, too. We're trying to figure out something to make up for it. Wish us luck. Have a lovely week. (GG's editor takes comments on her blog, here.)

ciao-meow/The Management

[photograph: Freedom/Impress on Me, via we heart it]

Made4Aid Monday - Spring Lecture Edition

Update: Monday afternoon: Photographs have disappeared from both of our blogs; we do not know what is going on but we are most irritated. We will try to upload over time. Cheers & we hope the same is not happening on your sites. The Management

Peeps! Please do not tarry--race over to Made4Aid. At least tell them how much you care about their work. Everyone needs a pat now & again. Look here at Rod, another creature by UK-based The Devil Makes Work. You could give him a home.

Also, there is a gorgeous blue, window-paned handmade bag; two beautiful hanks of hand-spun, hand-dyed yarn; & a marvellous selection of photography cards. The cards are not by auction but a set price.

It's so very easy to participate in this. GG's editor hears from nervous Nellies about bidding & paying. Stop yer whinin'. If you're in North America, you can write a check (or cheque, if thou preferest). There's PayPal. Whatever. We know very well that those who have e-mailed buy things on-line nearly every bloody week. Do we sound annoyed? We are. Well, OK, GG is asleep (presently).

Soon, there will be a break at Made4Aid & perhaps it will return in another format. Meanwhile, these items are available through 3 April 2010.

ciao-peevish-meow/GG's editor

[all images via Made4Aid/all rights reserved/used by kind permission]

Made4Aid Week - Bags for Haiti

While GG is busy attending to her ailing editor (lap sitting), we bring good news. Now go away. OK, a little joke. Please visit Made4Aid & see a number of lovely & varied bags for sale to benefit Haiti, via Oxfam, this week. This is a bit of a detour from their Darfur WFP project & a worthy one, of course. There is a very cool stripy laptop bag that beckons. There are also gorgeous photographs available for a set price. Please do visit & perhaps make a bid. It is easier than you can possibly imagine. We can vouch for them completely, having made three transactions last summer & autumn. All these auctions end on Sunday 31st January, 9pm New York time.

ciao-meow/the management

[photographs via Made4Aid & used by kind permission]

GG Wants a Petit Mouton

While we are (still) under the weather, we're still grazing for images. This little lamb is so cute (of course) but the amused facial expression sets it apart from other cute lamb photographs. GG still wants a little lamb following her about...it's not going to happen but she will meet a little lamb later in the spring. There will be photographs.

Several networks will televise the Hope for Haiti Now telethon tomorrow evening. If it takes an MTV dog & pony show to reach some people, so be it. We know well how the interjection of celebrities into disasters can make, frankly, a mess. Don't get us started. But when a recent study asserts that many of your children spend 7+ hours (!!!) a day connected to electronic devices (& we don't mean vacuuming the house), & you seem unwilling or unable to remedy this appalling situation (you know who you are), well then. And anyway, George Clooney (the telethon ringmaster) does walk the walk. You just don't always see him doing so.

Please don't forget Darfur Peace & Development, Made4Aid (they are directing money to Haiti at moment instead of Darfur, updates as they are available), & the various Haiti aid links on GG, bricolage, & other blogs you visit regularly. Many thanks.

ciao-still-cheeky-meow/GGCM

[adorable Yorkshire lamb photograph by Karnaphuli via flickr]

Yéle Haiti - Week's End

Yéle Haiti has announced a partnership among several organizations, including AmeriCares, called Haiti Earthquake Alliance. This is to avoid duplication of effort. Here is text from today's website (Friday, 15 January):

"Yéle Haiti has pulled together a group of like minded organizations and first responders in order to help coordinate the delivery of emergency services and materials needed by victims of the earthquake in Haiti. Each or the organizations will undertake their own fundraising and on-the-ground operations, but have agreed to share resources, collaborate when it makes sense and avoid duplication....Just formed in the last day, the Alliance has already pulled together four airlifts of medical supplies, food and other emergency supplies – along with teams of doctors. These airlifts will go out beginning Saturday. Keep checking back to this website for details."

GG Central asks that you continue to support your favorite organizations. Do not fall prey to scams. Do not open e-mail from sources you do not know. Doctors Without Borders is a good place to start as well; more on them next week. Today they are expanding surgical facilities on-the-ground.

We like to highlight Wyclef Jean's Yéle Haiti because it is very important that Haitian citizens are involved in development & rebuilding--real rebuilding-of their country. There were concrete efforts, planning, & progress being made. Many people do not know this fact. We are already hearing uninformed people criticizing Haiti. Not helpful, people. If you want to be involved for the long haul, please visit the William J. Clinton Foundation.

[GG collage from photographs courtesy of Mia Farrow & Haitian paintings by P. Brantle & Valmidor via American University & MedaliaArt--also raising money for earthquake aid]

Help for Haiti

Here is a release from the White House a few moments ago with regard to Haiti. [Vintage photograph in Haiti, via LIFE Archives. By John Leonard] THURSDAY UPDATE: Thank you to Maria Caterina for a Red Cross e-card:

Ciao
Susanna and Giulia,
I was inspired by your posting and have made a donation for the relief effort. I look forward to seeing you on Sunday!
xoxo

Help Haiti

Many of our friends around the world will awake to news of the major earthquake in Haiti on Tuesday, late afternoon. News is still trickling out & there are few photographs yet. This photo was sent out from the AP, via Twitpic. Please go to World Vision, the Red Cross to see what you might do to help. More organization links as things become more organized. Here is the latest BBC link, & the latest New York Times link. UPDATE: Yéle Haiti Foundation now has a donation page.

Mia Farrow in Haiti & Congo

Hard-working, lovely Mia Farrow is in Congo presently. She's unable to post photographs right now. However, here is a brief post from Thursday, 11 December 2008. Here for her Darfur, Central African Republic (CAR), Haiti, & Chad flickr sets.

These photos are by Mia & yes, that's a toy car made from items found in the garbage. This little Haitian boy has nothing...not enough to eat, no clean water. But he has this. Haiti is our neighbor & we haven't been very neighborly. We lurch from crisis to crisis & that does not work. Go here & see what you might do about it.

Mia makes mixing humanitarian aid/rights work & the pleasures of life positively graceful. Someone asked GG's editor the other day: how can you look at pretty pix one minute, make holiday plans, see a movie, have a drink, & THIS.? (They were just asking, not critical.) People do the best they can to take a breath between moments of crises. By the same token, we haven't a bit of sympathy with "don't bring down the holidays with talk of doom." No one's had the nerve to say that to us, but we've heard it said about others. Give us a [bleeping] break. (Hey cool cats, "bleep" is all the rage now:)

ciao-meow,
GG Central