Disaster Accountability Project Calls for More Transparency in Haiti

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Ben Smilowitz is known for being a watchdog for transparency in the social change space. Most recently, Ben and his team at Disaster Accountability Project (DAP) released a report that aims to hold relief organizations responding to the 2010 Haiti Earthquake more accountable to the public.

Nearly 200 organizations responded to the devastating earthquake—which left over 300,000 people killed and over a million homeless—by soliciting donations for relief efforts. Six months after the earthquake, a shocking 128 organizations have yet to provide “factual situation reports” on their website.

As of this month, $1.3 billion USD was donated to relief organizations. Ben Smilowitz (founder of DAP and 2008 Echoing Green Fellow) declares, “Shouldn’t we expect more from groups that are raising hundreds of millions of dollars from a public asked to generously donate, immediately after the earthquake?”

DAP improves disaster management systems through public accountability, citizen oversight and empowerment, whistle-blower engagement, and policy research. Check out the report entitled “The Transparency of Relief Organizations Responding to the 2010 Haiti Earthquake”.

Interested in monitoring disaster accountability? You can find more information on how to get involved at: http://www.disasteraccountability.org/

** "The Transparency of Relief Organizations Responding to the 2010 Haiti Earthquake" was also mentioned by:

• The New York Times
• National Public Radio
• The Christian Science Monitor
• The Huffington Post
• The Chronicle of Philanthropy
• Amy Goodman
• The Staunton News Leader