Many people wonder what they can do to help. Royal Caribbean has stepped up to use its ships to deliver much needed food and supplies with cruise ships visiting the island.
As you may know, for years Royal Caribbean has provided approximately 500 jobs in the tourist industry for Haitians at their private island of Labadee. RCCL has met with some controversy about continuing to visit the private island with such massive devastation a few miles away, but RCCL recognizes they can do more good by continuing to employ those Haitians. They also are contributing over a million dollars in food and supplies to Haiti being distributed by their long time humanitarian partner, Food for the Poor.
Knowing the efficiency of Royal Caribbean operations, it should come as no surprise that Food for the Poor is one of the best organizations for getting maximum impact out of donated dollars, with 97% of contibutions going directly to helping the people.
By comparison to the United Nations, which Haitians joke about as being "tourists" because of their tendency to show up for photo ops but do nothing, Royal Caribbean has helped by investing in Haiti and employing Haitians for years.
What can you do? The Red Cross needs blood, which is something we can all give regardless of our financial situations, and you'll even get a free cookie and juice!
At the risk of pounding a drum too loudly, Food for the Poor is also a very efficient charity that gets your contributions to the people who need them rather than wasting money on bureaucrats and corruption.
In the long run, one of the best things you can do for third world countries personally is to take a cruise, which provides jobs that support families in third world countries long term through free enterprise. Visiting pristine beaches and rain forests also creates financial incentives for those foreign lands to save them for future generations.
Here is an article with more information about Royal Caribbean's efforts:
Royal Caribbean Cruises, one of Haiti's largest foreign investors for almost 30 years, today announced its plans to provide at least $1 million in humanitarian relief to Haiti in response to the catastrophic earthquake in Port-Au-Prince. Royal Caribbean will be partnering with charitable organizations - such as Food for the Poor, Pan American Development Foundation, and the Solano Foundation, the company's foundation in Haiti - to provide additional assistance to the people of Haiti. Royal Caribbean will also be delivering much needed goods and supplies to Haiti via their cruise ships.
"The effect of the earthquake on Haiti has been catastrophic, leaving the country in need of not only immediate support, but assistance in their long-term recovery," said Richard D. Fain, chairman and chief executive officer, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. "Royal Caribbean wants to do its part to help out not only the general response, but also our hundreds of Haitian employees and their families through this disaster."
"In addition to our financial contribution, Royal Caribbean will continue to provide economic support through the continuous business we bring to Labadee," Fain added.
Leslie Voltaire, Special Envoy of the government of Haiti to the United Nations said, "Given the terrible economic and social challenges we now face in Haiti, we welcome the continuation of the positive economic benefits that the cruise ship calls to Labadee contribute to our country."
The benefits start with Royal Caribbean International's Independence of the Seas' call today to Labadee, Haiti, which includes much needed supplies for the country.
The supplies were loaded on the ship during its call in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and include items such as rice, dried beans, powdered milk, water and canned goods. In addition, 100 percent of the company's net revenue from the destination will be contributed to the relief effort.
In the next two weeks, the following ships are scheduled to call on Labadee with additional supplies: Navigator of the Seas on Monday, January 18; Liberty of the Seas on Tuesday, January 19; and Celebrity Solstice on Friday, January 22. When the supplies arrive in Labadee, they will be transported to an offsite location to be distributed by Food for the Poor, a long time partner of Royal Caribbean in Haiti.
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