By: Nick DeMoss

As UA students are working to give what they can to the earthquake-stricken residents of Haiti, one UA School of Law student knows better than most the true effects of the magnitude 7 quake that struck the island nation last week.

Born just outside Port-au-Prince and raised in the city, 35-year-old Diony Monestime said after spending several long days and nights watching news reports from Port-au-Prince, he only learned recently that his three sisters were safe.

“It’s just now I’m getting relief,” he said. “I know my sisters are off the streets. I know they’re not fighting for food and water. I have that relief now.”

Monestime said while he is glad for the outpouring of immediate support, he hopes aid groups recognize that cleaning up the nation is a long-term project.

“Right now we’re taking the dead bodies out of the debris. Next we have to clean the debris.Then we have to rebuild on that debris,” he said. “You have no presidential palace, no parliament, few churches. The police headquarters — all that collapsed. People need help right now to deal with short-term stuff, but the long-term stuff is what we’re really worried about.”

However, short-term problems continue in many districts. With resources limited, Haitians are doing what they must to survive, Monestime said.

“After a week now, everybody’s hungry. If you have kids and you haven’t eaten for a week, you have the right to get food however you can,” he said. “Those people are going to take matters into their own hands.”

The president of the UA chapter of the Red Cross Student Organization, Taylor Mills, said the best approach for students, staff and faculty to help is to donate money rather than supplies.

“The Red Cross people have told me there are a lot of planes and ships going in and out. Sure, it’ll make us feel good if we get a bunch of food and water, but it will take months to get there. In all truth it’s not the best route to take right now. Money can be wired in seconds,” Mills said.

For Monestime, donating to money to his Haitian friends and family is not necessarily the best option, he said.

“Sure, I could send money to my sister in Port-au-Prince, but how would she get it?” he said. “Think about a little town with no stores open. they give you money, but what are you going to do with it? There are people who have money in the bank, but can’t get to it because the banks are destroyed.”

When asked if he was frustrated by the slow pace of the aid, he said speed was not the problem. The biggest problem with the relief efforts is that all the resources are being focused in Port-au-Prince.

“The aid was there in six hours. Couldn’t have been any quicker. But it concentrates too much on Port-au-Prince. Places in the south aren’t receiving aid. There are four or five major cities equally affected, and a lot of people are frustrated,” he said.

Monestime said he plans to return to Haiti this summer to see his family and is seriously considering a presidential bid in the 2015 election, after he has obtained his law degree.

“Ultimately, I’ve always planned on going back after school to get involved in politics. Now I have even more reason,” he said.

Students who want to donate their time or money can to contact Taylor Mills, president of the Red Cross Student Organization ([email protected]). The Haiti Fundraising Program will take place at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 26 in the Holcombe Hall Living Room. The meeting will consist of an information session about Haiti as a country by one of the two Haitian students at the UA, a presentation by Mills and the Red Cross and a fundraising session. Food will be sold by the Caribbean Students Association with all profits going to help Haiti.

As part of the American Red Cross campaign, the public can text “HAITI” to “90999” to make a $10 donation.  As of Sunday evening, the text “HAITI” campaign had raised nearly $20 million, according to the American Red Cross Web site.

Mills said students can expect to see an advertising campaign with more information about the UA chapter of the Red Cross in coming weeks.

“It’s a little more lengthy than I’d like it to be, because we’re coordinating with multiple organizations,” he said. “It really is at the pace of the UA and how fast they can do the paperwork.”

Holcombe Hall representatives, the International Students and Scholars organization and the interest group of Gamma Sigma Sigma sorority are collaborating with the Mills and the Red Cross on the project.