Rebuilding Shaky After Haiti Earthquake

NADIA GOV
MOLLY MENDOZA
Staff Writer

After the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the American Red Cross promised to help rebuild the Haitian community, but investigations by ProPublica and the National Public Radio (NPR) in 2015 stated that, in spite of its promises, Red Cross has only built six permanent houses.

Requesting donations from the public to fund the efforts of its relief program, the organization was able to obtain contributions totaling $488 million. The mission of the program was said to provide healthy, habitable, and secure living conditions.

According to ProPublica, the discrepancies between the donations and visible recovery projects are the result of the Red Cross’s mismanagement of funds. The organization’s choice to give donations to partner groups such as the Fuller Center for Housing and the American Refugee Committee to do the work increased the funds spent on paying the individuals managing projects, according to CNN. CNN also found that the organization’s tax filings between July 2010 and June 2014 did not reveal detailed payments for its many relief programs, including the one in Haiti.

Some students note that although the donations’ large sum of money may not seem apparent in the number of houses that have been constructed, Red Cross likely distributed the funds among a variety of forms of aid.

“Aside from shelter construction, there are a myriad of other causes that the donations may be used toward [such as] the Measles and Rubella Initiative, the Red Hand Project and the International Humanitarian Law Campaign, all of which my members and I have participated in,” Alhambra High School Red Cross president Ivy Kwok said.

Amidst the accusations, Red Cross claims that the charges against its relief program are myths. Asserting that the reports by NPR and ProPublica were inaccurate, the charity stated that it has provided over 132,000 Haitians with durable housing. When red Cross has not been able to build actual houses due to various reasons including delayed land title acquisitions, it has provided aid by helping to repair damaged houses and teaching Haitians how to rebuild their own. In addition, Red Cross claimed 91 cents of every dollar donated has been allotted to these types of relief programs.

“The American Red Cross has tried to provide adequate relief to the people of Haiti, however, the whole process of providing aid has become largely political. I believe that the American Red Cross did as much as possible without getting into politics,” said Senior general Red Cross member Andy Giang.