Delegation to leverage expertise in distributing humanitarian aid and local connections to deliver donations to those devastated by Hurricane Matthew.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Rather than ship donations overseas and hope it arrives to those in most need, a Roger Williams University professor and two alumni will soon travel to Haiti to hand-deliver money, medicine and food, using their expertise and local connections to ensure that aid gets to the people devastated by Hurricane Matthew.
The delegation from New Bridges for Haitian Success, Inc. – Bernard Georges ’14, Omar Bah ’14 and RWU Associate Professor of History Autumn Quezada de Tavarez – will bring the cash and donated items directly to some of the hardest-hit areas of Haiti, which saw the destruction of entire villages, thousands of people displaced and estimates of more than 800 dead from the Category 4 hurricane that swept the country on Oct. 8.
The trip comes amid reports that some Haitians and Haitian-Americans are skeptical about whether the American Red Cross can effectively manage the humanitarian efforts in Haiti. That skepticism is fueled by a ProPublica and National Public Radio report that the Red Cross raised nearly half a billion dollars but managed to build just six permanent homes following Haiti’s 2010 earthquake. The Red Cross has said the report’s “misleading headline” fueled “persistent myths” and that the money funded 100 humanitarian aid projects in Haiti.