busyWhat Haitians Want From Americans (and What They Don't)
Beverly Bell, Truthout: "We asked Haitians in civil society organizations, on the streets, in buses, "What do you want from the US? What help can Americans give Haiti?" Here are some of their answers."
Some highlights of what they want on a social level:
* Respect for their history and traditions. They don't want to be pitied or overwritten.
* Independence. They will not be subjugated. They beat Napoleon, so they aren't kidding about this.
* Grassroots projects rather than huge charities or governments. Haitians would like to work on a more personal level with helpful foreigners, because their experiences with large organizations tend to suck. Grassroots International has some good articles.
* Support in discouraging foreign governments from adding to their suck pile of Haiti policies. American readers can contact their representatives and encourage them to behave decently. Ask them to remove the soldiers; the Haitians aren't happy about the heavy military presence or the soldiers' behavior.
What they need on a practical level includes:
* Bulldozers and other assistance to clear the rubble so they can build new structures.
* Planners, builders, and equipment for fixing the infrastructure -- roads, schools, hospitals, etc. were mentioned.
* Experts including teachers, engineers, psychologists, doctors, and geologists. They are especially keen on teachers because they want young Haitians trained to meet the country's needs, not rely on foreigners forever. Ning has a network for this.
* Help building rural agriculture to decentralize production so that leveling one city doesn't level the country again. Haitians would like organic seeds -- I would recommend open-pollinated varieties -- and tools. They might also like some new pigs, since theirs were killed off some years ago. They would like to work on reforestation so that supplies can be produced locally, too. Heifer International has some partners in Haiti.
* Experts and equipment for irrigation and securing a supply of safe drinking water.
* Investment to create employment in Haiti. Kiva is a good microfinance site, with a recent post about Haiti. Fonkoze is Haiti's Alternative Bank for the Organized Poor.
As a wordsmith, I'm primarily useful on the social end of things. If you see more articles like this -- especially if any of them have links to practical projects -- send them my way and I'll boost the signal. However, I also have experience with writing and editing class materials. If you run across a Haitian aid project that needs a writer/editor/distance teacher, please let me know.
If you are into cyberfunded creativity, remember to keep an eye on
flutterbychild's "Art for Haiti Relief" project over on 
therebirthofme. Art heals, and money helps. 