“How can I help? I don’t just want to donate my money. I want to get in the dirt and help firsthand.”

When a tragedy like the Haitian earthquake hits, it’s common to want to jump on a plane, roll up our sleeves and start digging people out of the rubble.

Unfortunately, by the time tragedy strikes, our best intentions are often too late for most first-response volunteer opportunities. According to USAID.gov, “Volunteer opportunities in disaster settings are extremely rare, and are usually limited to people with prior disaster experience and technical skills.” These rare volunteer opportunities are generally limited to medical professionals and volunteers from search and rescue tasks forces and first-response teams. Well-intentioned but untrained volunteers risk adding further confusion and danger to an already chaotic situation.

So what can you do? You can fight distant problems locally. You can plan for long-term relief. And you can begin preparing now for the next disaster.

Fighting From Home

Although disaster relief needs vary from situation to situation, Haiti’s needs in the days immediately following the earthquake are supplies—not people. If you want to get your hands dirty, contact your local Red Cross office about helping to gather and prepare shipments of food, water and other necessities. With all of the supply shipment arriving in Haiti, partnering with a large organization like the Red Cross will ensure that your shipment will not get lost in the madness.

Thinking Long Term

Six months from now, when the TV crews have pulled away and we have collectively moved on to different things—midterm elections, the “Lost” finale, summer vacations—Haitians will still be sweeping away the rubble and struggling to get back on their feet. This is the time that they’ll need you, your friends, your church or whomever you can bring to get on a plane and help them heal Haiti. Start planning now for ways continue providing aid in the difficult months to come.

Preparing for the Next Disaster

Although it is too late for to be a first-response volunteer for the Haitian earthquake, now is the time to make your plan so that you’ll be called upon for emergency relief the next time disaster.

Most first-response volunteer opportunities require certain skills or training based, but many do not. Here are a number of organizations that are looking for emergency relief volunteers:

American Red Cross

• Website: www.redcross.org
• Type of Volunteers: Varies – skilled and unskilled
• Type of Relief: Domestic and international
• How to Get Involved: Contact your local Red Cross office or search for volunteer opportunities using www.volunteermatch.org.

FEMA

• Website: www.firstrespondertraining.gov and www.fema.gov/emergency
• Type of Volunteers: All, but mostly skilled professionals will to undergo lengthy emergency training
• Type of Relief: Domestic and international
• How to Get Involved: FEMA trains volunteers for first-response opportunities and search and rescue task forces. Find our more at www.firstrespondertraining.gov (first response) or www.fema.gov/emergency (research and rescue).

Volunteers for Prosperity

• Website: www.volunteersforprosperity.gov
• Type of Volunteers: Trained professionals – doctors, nurses, teachers, engineers, economists, computer specialists and more
• Type of Relief: International
• How to Get Involved: Visit www.volunteersforprosperity.gov to search for opportunities.

Samaritan’s Purse International Relief

• Website: www.spvolunteernetwork.org
• Type of Volunteers: All
• Type of Relief: Christians-based domestic and international
• How to Get Involved: Visit www.spvolunteernetwork.org for a list of opportunities.

Doctors Without Borders

• Website: www.doctorswithoutborders.org
• Type of Volunteers: Medical professionals
• Type of Relief: International; minimum commitment of 6 continuous months
• How to Get Involved: Visit www.doctorswithoutborders.org.

USAID

• Website: www.usaid.gov
• Type of Volunteers: Experienced
• Type of Relief: International
• How to Get Involved: Register with the Center for International Disaster Information.

Further Volunteer Resources

• ReliefWeb – International humanitarian and relief information and resources – www.reliefweb.int
• Serve.gov – U.S. government volunteerism initiative – www.serve.gov
• World Volunteer Web – Volunteer resources – www.worldvolunteerweb.org

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