For those of you who don’t know, my step-mom knows Margaret Trost, founder of the What If? Foundation and I told her about our efforts, hoping she would let Margaret know that there are people trying to help (it seemed a little pompous to brag directly to Margaret, and I know from the Foundation’s facebook page and I know Margaret has been more than a little harried since the quake). My step-mom passed on the following:
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Oh that is so terrific, Rachel!!! I’m sure that this news will lift Margaret’s spirits…it’s such a challenge for her to keep the logistical nightmare of getting aid there from overwhelming her.
What If? was the first relief aid to get into the St Clare’s neighborhood. Thank heavens that What If? Foundation has a local connection there so that they can work through the local people and their own networks. That’s what sets them apart from other foreign agencies.
As you can tell by the Foundation’s latest newsletter update (sign up through their website http://www.whatiffoundation.org), Margaret is so frustrated and enraged at all the media reports of the violence. It’s simply not the norm, and when Haiti is portrayed like that, Americans tend to dismiss them as lawless heathens. It’s just not the case.
Your dad has a cool article he found about that too. Anyway…great job! And I’m honored to pass this on to Margaret.
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The article my dad sent me she refers to can be found here:
http://reason.com/blog/2010/01/21/cnns-plea-from-haiti-send-cops
Peace,
LCHaiti 