Aid delivered 7 days after appeal begins
When the Earthquake hit Haiti on August 14, 2021, we knew we would respond and began to work with our contacts in Haiti to plan a rapid, effective response led by Haitians with deep roots in affected communities. This video is a quick first look at the results.
At Hope for Haitians we take donor stewardship seriously, so before we asked our loyal donors for money we made sure we had an effective plan. We identified which communities we would help, vetted key contacts, clarified what specifically was needed and pulled it together into a clear emergency relief plan.
When began to raise funds a generous donor put forward a dollar-for-dollar donor match for the first $10,000 raised. With this incentive, in four days we raised funds needed for the first stage of the plan.
Because we had everything lined up in advance, within 7 days of the first donation, families in need in Haiti were receiving food, water, shelter and other assistance because of our donors generosity. The map below shows the epicenter (dark red dot) and the locations where our first round of emergency aid was distributed (large red circles).
In Dame Mari distribution to outlying communities was coordinated by Pastor Arisma. Located at the far end of the tip of the lower arm of Haiti large trucks of aid were not able to bring aid directly to it and the surrounding communities. Four wheel drive pickups were enlisted to help move aid to where it was most needed. The first disbursement benefited over 100 families who were profoundly affected. This aid provided a critical lifeline for families who lost almost everything.
Based in Cotes de Fer the location of our first village, Pastor Clermont brought aid to Aquin where the devastation was profound. Because of the great need, his volunteers divided all supplies into smaller parcels. This allowed him to get food to 341 families. Shelter supplies were more limited and were provided to those with greatest need. More aid is needed in this area for certain.
Through our partnership with Food for the Poor we were able to coordinate a truck of food and aid which went from Port au Prince to the Nippes Region where is was disbursed in smaller amounts to multiple community partners. This area along with the area surrounding Aquin was among the hardest hit and will require significant effort to rebuild.
A long way to go
Rebuilding from this disaster will be a long road for communities that were severely impacted. We will walk that road with them. The first challenge for our organization and for any other group that wants to “help” is to listen to them. They know their communities, they know their needs and they know their skills and they know what resources they can bring to rebuilding.
We continue to gather funds to respond to needs as they are identified working closely with our community contacts to ensure all gifts are delivered where they can have the greatest impact.
