Prayers for Haiti

via Green America newsletter:

Our hearts go out to the survivors of the devastating earthquake in Haiti last week. There's both immediate disaster recovery to do, along with longer term rebuilding work.

First, if you haven't already, please consider giving to an organization that is doing recovery work right now in Haiti. Our friends and allies at groups like Mercy Corps and Haiti Partners are working on addressing key issues such as clean water and shelter for children. Our allies at Network for Good put together a list of organizations on the ground doing direct relief work today. With one click, you can donate to one, several or all of them.

Second, we'd like to point you to the resources in our online community investing center for ways you can invest your money to help Haiti rebuild over time. As you know, community investment intitutions are in the business of making loans to low-income and underserved populations. Below we point you toward a number of institutions already doing work in Haiti, where they will be poised to make a huge impact on the rebuilding process.

If you've been thinking of "breaking up with your bank," because you're tired of the business-as-usual mega-banks, consider directing some of your dollars toward financial institutions you know will be using your money to help survivors in Haiti to rebuild their lives. (Click here to see how community investment banks helped survivors of Hurricane Katrina rebuild their lives here in the US.)

P.S. Please post our list -- and all of our community investing resources -- to your blogs, Facebook pages, etc. Remind your networks that after the initial flurry of donations dies down, Haiti will require long-term investment to get back on its feet.

At our online community investing center, you can search for the investment institution that is right for you by sorting criteria like issue area (health care, education, refugees, etc.), organization type (loan fund, housing developer, venture capital fund, etc.), or geographic impact area (any US state, or any nation). Searching for "Haiti" provides the following list of organizations already doing work on the ground in that nation:

1. ACCION International – Microfinance
2. Calvert Social Investment – Loan fund
3. Catholic Relief Services – Microfinance
4. Developing World Markets – Bank
5. Emergency Liquidity Facility – Venture Capital Fund
6. FINCA International – Microfinance
7. Fonkoze – Microfinance
8. Freedom from Hunger – Microfinance
9. Habitat for Humanity International – Housing developer
10. Mennonite Economic Development Associates – Venture Capital Fund
11. Oikocredit – Loan Fund
12. SERRV International – Social Enterprise