Ways to help Haiti
The devastation is Haiti is unprecedented and humanitarian aid is desperately needed. The problem of course is making sure that the aid gets to those who really need it. Haiti has always been a politically corrupt nation and now, in the aftermath of the earth quake, a lawless one. Â Over the years we have represented Haitians with their immigration and visa applications and have been shocked by their stories of hardship there. Like other corrupt, developing countries, foreign aid, while a noble endeavor often falls in the wrong hands. Warlords, politicians and their friends get the loot while the starving public waits in vain.
But if you feel, like I do, that doing your part in the hope that it makes even a little difference is worth it, the following are some agencies to consider in offering your support.
Canadian Red Cross
www.redcross.ca/helpnow
1-800-418-1111 or at any Red Cross office
The Salvation Army
www.salvationarmy.ca
1-800-SAL-ARMY (725-2769)
The Humanitarian Coalition (CARE Canada, Oxfam Canada, Oxfam-Quebec, Save the Children)
www.humanitariancoalition.ca
Médecins Sans Frontières
www.msf.ca
1-800-982-7903 or 416-964-0619
CBC Haiti Relief site
http://www.cbc.ca/haitirelief/
President & CEO
Michael Niren
Mr. Niren is CEO of VisaPlace LLC and the President and Managing Partner of VisaPlace Legal Canada, an immigration law firm based in Toronto, and VisaPlace Legal US a law firm registered in The District of Columbia, USA. Mr. Niren is a graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada, the Canadian Bar Association’s Citizenship and Immigration Section, American Lawyers Association, and an Associate Member of the American Bar Association.
