In light of the recent earthquake devastation in Haiti, we are witnessing an incredible flow of relief efforts by countless charities and individuals from around the world. Contrary to a political culture that dictates that government aid is the default source of support during natural disasters, libertarian students are already organizing to raise money and collect supplies on their campuses that will be delivered to Haiti through private charities. By getting involved, students can prove to their universities that the spirit of libertarianism is about individuals freely choosing to help one another instead of forcefully taking money from others for relief efforts via the government.

To help out, student liberty groups can take action and make a difference in Haiti by energizing their campus to help out and to teach their peers a bit about the importance of private charity and free markets while they’re at it! If you are a student liberty organization and want to help, here are some ideas for you to consider in the next few days!

Take Action on Your Campus Today!

1)      Research local private charities in your area that are accepting donations for relief in Haiti (but be aware of scams!). Table on campus for a few days or a week to collect money or relief supplies. Flyer your campus widely with your club slogan and information about your charity drive. Have donation boxes set up in strategic areas of campus with your organization’s name on the side. Use other venues of marketing on campus including chalking, posting on online school calendars, electronic bulletin boards, etc. Submit press releases about your drive to your school paper.

2)      Have pro-liberty students in your organization write Op-Eds and letters to the editor of your school paper consistently in the next few issues to discuss the importance of private charity and the role of libertarianism in aiding Haiti.

3)      Once you have collected donations, consider doing an activism tabling event or inviting a speaker in the next few weeks to discuss the future role of government aid and the rebuilding of Haiti. Use creative slogans to create a banner to draw attention to your cause (examples: “Free Trade, not Free Aid,” “Free Markets for Charity,” “Capitalism to the Rescue,” “Community Service with Markets,” etc).

4)      Co-sponsor with other organizations on campus that may be reaching out to provide relief through private charity. This spreads your organization’s name more widely on campus, which helps generate a dialogue on the role of libertarianism and private charity among more students.

5)      Hold a debate night or a round table discussion with a liberty-minded professor and students on campus to discuss the role of foreign aid in Haiti.

6)      Create three-fold pamphlets on Frederick Bastiat’s “What is Seen and what is Unseen” and distribute them to students who donate with explanations of how this work is pertinent in today’s scenario (for instance, to provide opposition to the argument that the U.S government must provide foreign aid to Haiti to help rebuild it, you might point out the things that could have been created with that capital in the private sector, or the jobs that could have been created via increased entrepreneurialism, etc.). A link to excerpts of “What is Seen and what is Unseen” is here: http://www.thefreemanonline.org/featured/what-is-seen-and-what-is-not-seen-2/

7)      Not sure where to donate? Some of the major organizations accepting aid include:red-cross

  1. The Red Cross: http://www.redcross.org/
  2. Doctors Without Borders: http://doctorswithoutborders.org/donate/
  3. The What If? Foundation: http://whatiffoundation.org/donate/
  4. United Way Worldwide Disaster Fund: https://volunteer.united-e-way.org/uwwwdisaster/donate/
  5. World Vision: http://www.worldvision.org/

 Want more ideas to share with your group and to enhance your arguments on campus? Here are some great articles concerning private charity and disaster relief.

  1. “The Shortcomings of Government Charity: Private Charities Offer the Best Cure for Chronic Poverty” by Jude Blanchette; May 2007,  http://www.thefreemanonline.org/featured/the-shortcomings-of-government-charity/
  2. “Why Not Private Charity?” by Robert Awenius; November 1984, http://www.thefreemanonline.org/columns/why-not-private-charity/
  3. “Government and Disaster Relief” by Lawrence Reed; September 1997, http://www.thefreemanonline.org/columns/government-and-disaster-relief/
  4. “Private Solutions to Public Disasters: Self-Reliance and Social Resilience” by Peter Boettke and Daniel Smith; Working Paper, Mercatus Center, July 2009. http://mercatus.org/sites/default/files/publication/Private_Solutions_to_Public_Disasters.pdf

If your group has done an event or charity drive to help the victims in Haiti, contact us at SFL (info@studentsforliberty.org) and we will showcase your efforts on our website!