By Hanna Luong
When the last issue of Word & Deed magazine was being produced, many of the details concerning the earthquake in Haiti were still blurry. The numbers of the dead and wounded were educated guesses, and relief efforts were still in the planning stages.
By now, many of the details regarding the earthquake of early 2010 have been confirmed. In March, the official figures from the Haitian Government’s Directorate of Civil Protection estimated that 222,517 were killed in the earthquake, and that another 310,928 were wounded. In a UN update posted on March 4, the number of internally displaced people (IDPs) was estimated at 1.3 million. Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General of the UN, saw 50,000 people huddled under tents and make-shift shelters on the Petionville Golf Club fairways. Without a doubt, one of the most pressing concerns for Haitians is the need for shelter, especially with the rainy season (May through July) bearing down upon them, bringing with it the possibility of flooding, landslides and disease.
Each week families listen to a message from God's Word before the food is distributed.
Nobody needed statistics to know that on January 12, Haiti was suffering, and donors were not slow in responding to the Haitian plight. As a result of the generosity of various churches, schools, and individuals, Word & Deed was able to declare $414,760.33 to the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) for the government fund matching program. All donations that were made to Word & Deed before February 28 were doubled! Although the funds that the government supplied were deposited into the “Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund” to be administered separately, all the donations made directly to Word & Deed are being used at our own discretion. Since the deadline, we have received an additional $112,735.14, and this total continues to rise.
A portion of this funding has been used to respond to the immediate need for food and shelter. In light of recent talks of a merger between Word & Deed and Coram Deo International Aid (CDIA), we have been partnering with this fellow Reformed relief organization in the development of two projects. For 10 weeks (March – May), a Food Distribution project has been providing nutritious food staples to 500 families (approximately 2000 people) in the Cabaret region of Haiti. A weekly cost of $5000 provided each family with rice, corn meal, beans, oil, tomato paste, sardines, spaghetti noodles and Maggi.
Student volunteers levelling the ground for the lean-to, where the temporary classrooms will be built.
Also in partnership with CDIA, Word & Deed has funded the building of a temporary relief station. Adoration Christian Centre will serve as a medical clinic, school building, church building, soup kitchen, water treatment center and residence for the staff of the center. This temporary location is expected to be used until September 2011 when, Lord willing, more permanent facilities will be in place. Aside from acting as a relief station for Haitians, the construction of this shelter has provided an opportunity for local Haitian contractors and workers to become agents in their own recovery, and to begin restoring their dignity as image-bearers of God.
Now that the initial shock is starting to wear off, and Haitians are beginning to adapt to a “new normal,” the focus of Word & Deed is shifting as well. Initial relief efforts are giving way to plans for longer-term infrastructure development. On the weekend of April 22-24, Bernie Pennings and Rick Postma met with representatives of CDIA and mission representatives from the OPC and PCA in Greenville, South Carolina. The objective of the meeting was to review plans for infrastructure development in Haiti, and to review how this development will conform to Biblical principles for aid. It is our hope and prayer that, in partnership with other Reformed relief organizations, Word & Deed will be able to transform your generous contributions into a long-term mission in Haiti that will address both the physical and spiritual needs of the Haitians.
A student receiving food for her family.
Many of the relief agencies in Haiti have a similar vision. Phrases such as “a new Haiti,” “build Haiti back better” and “national renewal” capture the spirit of many of the organizations that are passionate about bringing Haiti new hope. With over $5 billion pledged at the Donors’ Conference for Haiti relief held on March 31 at the UN headquarters in New York, and over 150 countries and international organizations represented, it would seem that there are many reasons to believe that Haiti will at last receive the new beginning that she has desperately needed for such a long time. And perhaps Ban Ki-moon is right to say that renewal, not restoration, should be the goal as we seek to address the problem of Haiti’s crumbling infrastructure. However, it is only the restoration of a broken relationship with God that can give Haitians a hope that will not waver - come earthquakes, or floods, or hurricanes.
Hanna Luong is the Administrative Assistant at Word & Deed Canada.
