If You Want Something Done Right...Just Thought You Should Know 7/1/16

Dumervil decided to take matters into his own hands (Photo: TMZ.com)

LB Elvis Dumervil, Baltimore Ravens Gives Back

Athletes giving to charity in the face of tragedy is nothing new, but when it comes to his ancestral island of Haiti, Ravens Linebacker Elvis Dumervil isn't taking any chances.  The NFL star partnered with New Story Charity to personally oversee the construction of 58 new homes in Bercy, Haiti, a small rural village 14 miles north of the capital, Port-au-

Prince

.  Dumervil's presence isn't a publicity stunt or a photo-op either.  After a massive earthquake devastated the already impoverished nation in January 2010, Dumervil was among the first to call for donations only to see that money either squandered or stolen by charities like Wyclef Jean's Yele Haiti, The Red Cross, and US Government agencies like USAID.  Less than half of the estimated $13 billion dollars donated to the relief effort actually reached the people who needed it the most and that wasn't a mistake Dumervil wanted to repeat. 

"I don't know how much was actually given to those people, but not all of it," Dumervil said. "Now I'm in a position with my own capital resources to negotiate with certain people and make sure that I can put action to my words and start doing things from my standpoint before asking people for money and help for the cause." -- Jason Hensley, Elvis Dumervil, Ravens' No. 58, building 58 homes for Haiti earthquake victims, ESPN.com

 He and New Story completed 24 of the 58 homes this weekend and hope to build at least 250.  The Baltimore Sun also reports that Dumervil is encouraging his teammates and colleagues from across the NFL to join the cause.  Haiti can use all the help it can get.  Amnesty international estimates that 85,000 people are still homeless as a result of the 2010 earthquake.  The National Palace, one of the most beautiful buildings in the country and a symbol of national pride since 1920, was destroyed by the earthquake and its ruins sat for more than 3 years before it was finally demolished in the fall of 2012.  The Earthquake was just one of the many disasters to have hit the country this century.  In 2004 Hurricane Jeanne swept over Hispanola.  While the more prosperous (and therefore more prepared) Dominican Republic suffered relatively light damage, the storm overwhelmed Haiti's infrastructure, causing massive flooding and mudslides.  Over 3,000 people were killed and more than 250,000 were left homeless.  In the immediate aftermath of the 2010 earthquake, the worst cholera outbreak in recent memory ran through the makeshift relief shelters and soon spread nation wide.  Even worse, the U.N., the people most responsible for helping Haiti get back on its feet, may have actually been the ones to unwittingly infect the populace.

Help make Haiti Great Again

Why does it matter?

Clearly, not everyone has the capital to push forward projects like this nor does everyone have the inclination to revisit their roots of poverty and struggle but when moments like this happen and a vehicle is created to help those who need it the most, it must be acknowledged and supported by people like you and me for it to do the most good.  People who gave their hard earned money to the charities I mentioned above will obviously be skeptical but New Story and Mission Hope Church have been doing this without publicity and fanfare for years with a proven track record of accomplishment. The addition of an advocate like Dumervil can only mean good things for organizations who have been already doing so much with relatively little support. 

What Can I Do About it?

You don't have to be an expatriate Haitian or a 1st generation born abroad to have compassion for Haiti.  I'm not Haitian nor do I have any ties to its diaspora but I am a West Indian and a member of the larger African diaspora and watching how much this country has been disrespected, abused, and ridiculed despite the fact that they were the first country to cast off the yoke of colonialism and slavery I almost feel obligated to give back.  I realize some people will see that as a reason not to give but they aren't who this appeal is for.  Elvis has opened a door.  It's up to us to walk through.

You can contact, donate, and/or read about Mission of Hope and New Story Charity through the links below.

https://www.newstorycharity.org/

http://www.mohhaiti.org/

...Til Next Week!