Following the earthquake in Haiti, dozens, if not hundreds, of relief agencies rushed to the rescue. We all want to help, but how do we know who will use our donations most effectively, who will get to the places of greatest need?

Jacob Remes, a Duke University doctoral student of the history of disasters, says “the best way to distribute relief is to use the formal organizations and informal communications that existed before the disaster.” In an op-ed article in the Raleigh News and Observer (Jan 15), Remes said “The history of disaster relief is replete with examples of outside experts going into a stricken city, region or county and attempting to show the locals how best to reorganize their society.” He suggests that “Individual donors should give their money to organizations run by and employing Haitians, groups that worked in and knew Haiti before the earthquake and will continue to work there in the years to come.”

This is what it would look like to apply the Africa Rising model to Haiti earthquake relief. Africa Rising is founded on the belief that Africans know best the needs of their communities, and they are best able to deliver resources and build capacities in ways that are culturally appropriate and rooted in local institutions that will ensure longevity.

If you want to contribute to the rebuilding of Haiti by supporting Haitians who have been at the job for a while, two organizations to consider are Fonkoze (www.fonkoze.org) and the Lambi Fund (www.lambifund.org).

Again, Jacob Remes: “The aid we give should support those [local] people in their work. Haiti desperately needs money, it needs outside investment in its infrastructure and it needs basics like food, water, and medicine. But it needs that help to be given in ways that strengthen the networks of civil society that already exist. Aid agencies and their donors must remain humble and remember that Haitians know better than anyone else what it means to survive this disaster.”