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Published: February 2011
In January of 2010, Haiti was hit by a catastrophic earthquake that killed hundreds of thousands of people1 and left a million or more suddenly homeless.2 Within days, over $200 million had been donated to the relief effort;3 within a year, the total amount raised or pledged exceeded $5 billion.4 A year later, the relief effort had made a tangible difference, but had also hit major snags including a cholera outbreak, and the situation in Haiti remained dire.5
In the year following the disaster, we reviewed the information put out by the major disaster relief organizations, and rated the clarity and transparency of this information. While we were not able to come to strong views on the quality of services provided in the relief effort, we hope that by donating to more transparent organizations, donors can contribute to incentives for more transparency and clarity in general.
The table below summarizes our findings, with links to more detailed writeups on each organization. More details on how we found, examined and rated organizations are available at our process page for this cause. Based on this examination, we feel that Doctors Without Borders, Partners in Health and Direct Relief International stand out for their above-average transparency.
| Organization | Funds raised (millions USD) | Funds spent (millions USD) | Transparency on disaster relief activities | Transparency on everyday activities |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Red Cross | 479 | 245 | Slightly above average | Average |
| Americares | 16.2 | 4.8 | Slightly above average | Average |
| CARE | 45 | 23.2 | Average | Average |
| Catholic Relief Services | 196 | 62.7 | Average | Average |
| Direct Relief International | 6.3 | 2.6 | Above average | Above average |
| Doctors Without Borders (MSF) | 134.96 | 102.57 | Above average | Above average |
| Feed The Children | 1.2 | 1.2 | Slightly above average | Average |
| Food for the Poor | 20.7 | 20.7 | Average | Average |
| Habitat for Humanity International | 20.5 | 13 | Average | Average |
| Heifer International | 1.9 | 1.0 | Average | Average |
| International Federation of the Red Cross | 1147.98 | 280.39 | Average | Average |
| International Medical Corps | 6.7 | 4.1 | Average | Average |
| International Rescue Committee | 13.1 | 5.1 | Average | Average |
| Islamic Relief USA | 2.5 | 1.7 | Average | Average |
| Mercy Corps | 16.8 | 5.1 | Average | Average |
| Oxfam | 98 | 68 | Average | Average |
| Partners in Health | 81.8 | 25.4 | Above average | Above average |
| PSI | 0.4 | 0.3 | Average | Strong |
| Salvation Army | 48 | 17 | Average | Average |
| Save the Children | 87 | 52.2 | Average | Average |
| UNICEF | 300 | 112 | Average | Average |
| United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) | 43.1 | 3.6 | Average | Average |
| United Way | 3.9 | 0.7 | Average | Average |
| World Food Programme | 461 | Unknown | Average | Above average |
| World Vision | 192 | 60 | Average | Average |
| Yéle | 13.9 | Unknown | Average | Average |
Details of how we define transparency are available at process page for this cause.
We also reviewed the following organizations, but excluded them from the above table - and from our transparency ratings - because they appear to primarily regrant funds to other organizations (more on these organizations at our process page for this cause).
| Organization | Funds raised (millions) | Funds spent (millions) |
|---|---|---|
| American Jewish World Services (AJWS) | 6.5 | 1.4 |
| ChildFund International | 1.5 | 0.6 |
| Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund | 52 | 20 |
| Entertainment Industry Foundation | 66 | 66 |
More information:
- Our overview of disaster relief as a cause
- Complete description of our process for creating the above table
- Our estimates of how much has been given and spent for the relief effort, and what the relief effort has and hasn't accomplished
Sources
- Associated Press. Haiti gives conflicting counts for quake deaths. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35334751/ns/world_news-haiti_earthquake/ (accessed January 11, 2011). Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/5vfoM0dng
- Chronicle of Philanthropy. Donations to Aid Haiti Exceed $210-Million, Chronicle Tally Finds. http://philanthropy.com/article/Donations-to-Aid-Haiti-Exceed/63628/ (accessed January 11, 2011). Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/5vfoLrlfU
- United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Haiti: One year later.http://ochaonline.un.org/OCHAHome/WhereWeWork/Haiti/HaitiEarthquakeResp… (accessed January 11, 2011). Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/5vfDnYdk2.
(accessed January 11, 2011).
- 1
Associated Press 2010, "Haiti gives conflicting counts for quake deaths"
- 2
See the last section of our 2011 blog post on funding for Haiti disaster relief.
- 3
Chronicle of Philanthropy 2010.
- 4
See the our 2011 blog post on funding for Haiti disaster relief.
- 5
See our writeup on the situation in Haiti as of January 2011.
- 6Converted from EUR to USD on 1/11/2011 using Google.
- 7Converted from EUR to USD on 1/11/2011 using Google.
- 8Converted from CHF to USD on 1/11/2011 using Google.
- 9Converted from CHF to USD on 1/11/2011 using Google.