Please Help Partners in Health Help Haiti

The devastation in Haiti is off the front page.  But the hard work is only beginning....

It will be many years before Haiti can get back even to the precarious state in which she found herself prior to the devastating earthquake of early 2010.  Predictably, our interest will wane, our empathy for her suffering diminish.  Please do not let it!

We at Blue Marble are not wealthy.  Our bike trips take us down many wonderful roads, but none lead to riches.  Still, we are (all) immeasureably better off than the poor people of Haiti, whose suffering now knows few bounds. 

We have already given what we can to this cause, via Partners in Health.  If you would like to see why PIH, look at the editorial, below.  With your help, we would like to give more.  Here is how.


What You Do

(1) Sign up for any of our organized cycle trips or Regional Train Tours, lasting at least 4 nights..

(2) When you send in your trip deposit (or full payment), include an overpayment of any amount up to $100 (or the equivalent in the currency of your payment).
To avoid confusion, please specifically tell us the amount of your overpayment.  As in, “I am sending $50 more than is currently due, to be contributed to Partners in Health in my name.”

(3) Include a note with your application, requesting that we “refund any overpayment” to Partners in Health “Stand With Haiti” campaign, in your name. 
All contributions will be made in US dollars, and receipts for same will also be in $US.


What We Will Do

We will apply a discount to your trip, corresponding to your overpayment. This discount will appear on your statement.  We will then send double the amount of the discount (your contribution, plus your trip rebate in an equal amount up to $100 US) to Partners in Health.  The donation will be made in your name, and with a request that you be sent the receipt. 

The more-devious-but-not-less-generous among you will understand the purpose of this odd routing:  the legitimate tax deduction will go to someone who, ahem, is in a tax bracket that allows them to benifit from it.  If this is not of concern to you, you may simply send your contribution directly to Partners in Health's Stand With Haiti appeal, and send us a copy of your donation confirmation.  We will then send a Blue Marble donation, matching the amount you contribute up to $100 US (or the equivalent in your currency), and forward a copy of the confirmation we receive to you.


No amount is too small, and together, we will help those who need it most.



Editorial
We in no way mean to be sanctimonious through our campaign, and will think no less of you if you don't participate.  We all have our causes, we all have our budgets, and yours are absolutely your affair.  Moreover, you could legitimately wonder why your European Cycle Tour outfitter feels it has an inside track on medical services in Haiti.

But we are (all) often frustrated by the lack of efficiency in charitable giving, especially in natural disaster situations.  With the best will in the world, emergency responders must learn their environments before they even start to help.  That is expensive, and a lot of mistakes are made.

Boston-based Partners in Health has a 20-year history of service in Haiti, where it has run an ever-expanding rural clinic, the only meaningful health care provider for Haiti's poor (who made up 95% of the population by western standards, even before the quake).  Here is the Partners in Health Wiki article.  If you are looking for your next read, get a copy of “Mountains Beyond Mountains,” a wonderful (Pulitzer Prize winning) book, by Tracy Kidder.  It will probably do more to help you understand what has just happened in Haiti then would a degree in seismology.

Since the earthquake, Partners in Health has by default become the primary health care provider “on the ground” in Haiti, an unfortunate observation given all of the money that has been poured in via the Red Cross.  But perhaps not a surprising one:  PIH had the distinct advantage of an in-place infrastructure based outside of hard-hit Port au Prince.  So, for once, we feel we can be sure that the money we give will efficiently serve to help the people who need it.  And, boy, do they need it!


Fine Print

• Should you cancel your trip for any reason not covered by a cancellation waiver, the full amount of your donation (your contribution and ours, made at your request) will be deducted from any refund due.
• We are not tax experts, and can neither assist you in the preparation of your tax returns, nor counsel you in any way in their preparation.  If your donation is routed through us, we will make it at your request, and in your name, and the receipt from PIH will be in your name exclusively.  Neither Blue Marble, nor any of her agents or affiliates,will claim any tax deduction or other benefit of any sort linked to your donation.  Nonetheless, if you have any doubts, you should consult the authorities in your jurisdiction to ensure the legality of any tax deduction linked to your contribution.
• All contributions will be made in US dollars, and receipts received from PIH will also be in US dollars.
• You may, of course, give anything you can afford, and amounts greater than $100 are gratefully received!  However, we can only match the first $100 of your gift.
• This offer applies to any traveller on any of our trips, registering to participate after February 14th, 2010, and until further notice.  It may be discontinued at any time, without notice. 
• This offer does not retroactively apply to people already registered to travel with us.