When a natural disaster strikes of the magnitude we have witnessed in Thailand, Japan, Haiti, and now Nepal the cold hard fact is children become the most exposed victims. When the horrific 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti in 2010 it killed an estimated 300,000 people, left 1.5 million homeless and almost doubled the amount of orphans in that country.
In the wake of such disasters it is our innate response to want to do something…anything…for the most vulnerable and precious in their darkest hour. We want to reach the children.
According to USAID, the best thing we can do immediately following such devastation, is to make a monetary donation to a reputable humanitarian organization working in the disaster zone. We must put our hope and faith in these organizations whose combined priorities are to restore the basic needs of food, shelter, clothing, clean water, and medical aid when needed as well as reunite families separated during such devastating life altering loss.
The good news is that immediately following natural disasters like the quake in Nepal in 2015 the humanitarian world jumped into action. Organizations (see list below provided by USAID) began bringing the flow of clean water back to the people of Nepal, within hours initiated airlifts of critical medical help to Katmandu, and without hesitation collectively wrapped a protective and caring embrace around the children directly affected by the earthquake.
RainbowKids Ways to Help supports organizations working to bring hope, health, and healing to others who are deeply in need. We encourage you to be an informed donor by contacting an organization directly before making a donation. In short, educate yourself. To identify reputable, established organizations that make the most of monetary or material donations, go to InterAction, a coalition of non-profit humanitarian organizations, and GlobalGiving, which lists disaster-recovery projects worldwide, including those on the ground in Nepal today.
“Watchdog” organizations that offer information on responding organizations include The Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance, The American Institute of Philanthropy, GuideStar, and Charity Navigator.
The following is a list of USAID recommended organizations:
Action Against Hunger
ADRA
AmeriCares
American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee
American Red Cross
Ananda Marga Universal Relief Team (AMURT)
CARE USA
Concern Worldwide
Catholic Relief Services (CRS)
Convoy of Hope
Direct Relief
Doctors of the World
Doctors Without Borders
GOAL Global
Global Giving
Habitat for Humanity
Heart to Heart International
Handicap International
Heifer International
HelpAge USA
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)
International Medical Corps (IMC)
Islamic Relief USA
Lutheran World Relief
Medair
Mercy Corps
Mennonite Central Committee
OXFAM America
Plan USA
Plan International
ReSurge International
Samaritan’s Purse
Save The Children
UN World Food Program
UNICEF
World Concern
World Food Programme USA (WFP)
World Neighbors
World Vision
Author bio: Julie Barclay’s life has been dedicated to children. A former public school teacher and summer camp counselor-in-training director from the Pacific Northwest, Julie has worked with varied populations of children, always advocating for those most vulnerable. After having a biological daughter and son, Julie and her husband welcomed home an infant son from Korea in 2002.
Just over a year later, the Barclay’s family grew again. After seeing the photolisting of a 6-year-old boy with a heart condition in China, the family welcomed home their third son. In 2008 the Barclay clan welcomed their 5th child and 4th son, a 6-year-old from Ethiopia.
In 2013 Julie’s life was touched by adoption one more time. Through a genetic testing service, a cousin had found her and reached out with a Facebook message, “I believe we are cousins, would you like to connect via email?” The sender? Martha Osborne, founder of RainbowKids.com
Since that day, Martha (adoptee and mom to 5 through Intercountry adoption) and Julie have created a seamless blend between their families. Together, they have joined their passion to advocate for vulnerable children and have expanded RainbowKids from an adoption advocacy website, to a dedicated child and family welfare website.
Feature Photo Credit: *saipal via StockPholio.com
