As the death count after Hurricane Matthew approaches 900 and reports of deadly cholera outbreaks begin to surface, Haitians have sent out desperate pleas for help.
Government officials estimate at least 350,000 people needed assistance after the devastating storm.
Yet accompanying many requests for aid comes a warning – do not give your money to the American Red Cross (ARC).
Trust in the ARC, and in foreign aid more widely, has been badly shaken by a 2015 report that found donations had been squandered.
Despite collecting nearly half a billion dollars to provide relief after the 2010 Haiti earthquake and pledging to build 700 permanent homes, the ARC has been accused of only building six.
“In the coming days, many of you are going to write and ask me how you can ‘help Haiti’,” one woman said on Twitter after the hurricane, “Do not give to the American Red Cross.”
She asked people to give instead to Haitian organizations and requested people not send goods that could be sourced locally.
The joint investigation by ProPublica and NPR found rampant mismanagement at the heart of the ARC and charged it with consistent misrepresentation of the success of its projects, particularly in housing.
The group has also been implored to hire more Haitians in its highest ranks.
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