Dear friends,
We are so grateful for your partnership with the people that we serve in Haiti. I know you’d want to be kept informed of their welfare.
The extent of the earthquake damage continues to unfold in southwest Haiti. Confirmed deaths are now over a thousand and climbing, hospitals (such as they are) are swamped with injuries and fear of more collapses are keeping people out of the homes and churches that are still standing. Though none of our buildings collapsed, we cannot reoccupy them until the aftershocks have stopped and the buildings have been inspected by a qualified engineer. As a result, our students and staff are all sleeping outside in whatever shelter we can provide. With Tropical Storm Grace bearing down on them the situation there is about to get considerably worse. Our team on the ground is working steadily to insure the welfare of those we are responsible for and to position us to help as many more as we can. We are also working with other relief organizations to optimize our impact. Below are some updates:
- Build Health International (BHI) is sending engineers with seismic training to inspect and certify our buildings. We expect to house them in the Cambry Guest House as they work throughout the area. We are hopeful they will arrive today (Monday).
- We are also working with Team Rubicon to assist them in putting a medical team on the ground and have offered to host them at Cambry once we get the children back in their dormitories.
- We will also be supporting a team from Partners in Health (PIH) who has a hospital in the eastern part of the country and is deploying people to Les Cayes and other affected areas. Give Hope Advisor, Dr. Will Caldwell, also serves with PIH and is coordinating our joint efforts with them.
- Give Hope Medical Directors, Dr. Bill Flannery and Dr. Lillian Ferdinands, have reached out to Give Hope medical professionals in the states to determine who will be available to travel to Les Cayes when the time is right for us to send our own team and to begin gathering medical supplies that we can send in advance or take with us when we go.
- Videos that we received yesterday indicated that the Bon Berger church in Les Cayes, where we worship, though still standing would likely have to be torn down and rebuilt. Our high school is on the same site but we have not yet determined the damage to that part of the campus.
- Beyond rescuing people still alive under rubble, the most urgent needs there include tents, food/water, medications and building inspections. We are working on all of those fronts for not only those in our care but for our neighbors as well.
As we have worked through these initiatives over the last couple of days, it has occurred to me over and over how God has positioned your support to be a blessing to these hurting people. He has preserved our Haitian family without serious injury and the investments that together we have made there will provide support to those in need and those who go there to serve them.
You may be wondering, “How can I help?” In the immediate future we need to get funds there to buy food and other supplies and to pay professional security to protect our provisions. Whatever you can do to help us will be greatly appreciated. Go to www.givehopeglobal.org/donate (choose general donations and put “EARTHQUAKE” in the notes section) or mail to Give Hope Global at PO Box 2071 Fort Mill SC 29716.
Thank you to all of you who have already responded so generously.
All the best,
Roger Braswell and Angela Quinn