Earthquake Rocks Haiti
Posted 2010.01.12
By
Past Shipments:
- 2010.07.07 – Help Send Needed Medicines in Haiti
Giving Children Hope is providing help to Haiti after the earthquake that struck on January 12, 2010.
We have shifted from relief to recovery. Please visit our Haiti development page and see how you can help
To date Giving Children Hope has distributed over $7 million worth of life-saving medicines, medical supplies and other needed items.
Updates & Visuals
Photos:
Video:
Updates:
Beds Ship to Haiti
Continuing long-term relief and development of Haiti, Giving Children Hope shipped out 950 WorldBed mattresses to our partners on the ground.
WorldBed’s Emergency Field Beds are ideal for post-disaster situations. They are waterproof, comfortable and easily portable.
Thank you for continuing to help the people of Haiti. There is still much work to be done there and with your help we can restore hope.
How medicines helped Haiti: Meet FoFo
To date Giving Children Hope has sent approximately $7 million worth of life-saving product to Haiti. Meet one community that was helped. Meet Nurse FoFo:
FoFo has spent the last ten years serving her community in Demlas 31, Port Au Prince, by using skills as a nurse at her own clinic. Upon arrival into her neighborhood, her whole community was living on top of the local garbage dump. So traumatized by the earthquake, no one felt safe living inside any existing housing structure so families decided to move to the only open place in the city they felt safe. Over 300 families gathered sticks and sheets and set up home on a mountainous terrain of garbage.
FoFo was able to safely move her family to Pignon (four hours north of PAP), but she felt very strongly that God wanted her to stay and help the people in Demlas 31. The immediate medical needs were great in Delmas 31 so Giving Children Hope with Bright Hope sprang into action. A $1 million dollar value of medicines donated by a variety of international pharmaceutical companies was sent by Giving Children Hope and flown directly into Haiti. Bright Hope’s staff were stationed at the airport to pick up the package and transported it to FoFo’s clinic in Delmas 31. These medicines treated many people.
FoFo and her staff have continued to dispense these medicines within her community because she is trusted member of this community. Her clinic is often overflowing with patients and the access to the medications provided by Giving Children Hope and Bright Hope has been a tremendous blessing.
The attached photos show FoFo examining children and dispensing medicines.
A Thank You from Recipients in Haiti
Here is a note from recipients of rice and beans in Haiti:
I truly appreciated the type of help that you provided for us. I want you to know that your efforts and dedication is not in vain. Not only we will feed our children in the orphanage and my family with these food, but also, I am helping some people in my community as well. I want you to know that we all are praising the name of our Lord and thank you for all of your help. Mr Erick always gave the the food that you sent for me. I truly appreciated him for his kindness toward us. May God be with you always.
Your brother in Christ,
Yvon Pierre
Haiti Food Distribution Photos & Update
Click here to check out those in Haiti who are benefiting from GCHope’s food shipments!
Here is a note from the recipients:
I have no words to express my gratitude for your kindness. I have
received 30 bags of beans-25lbs and 15 bags of rice-25lbs from Morning
Star Academy as your assistant had mentioned to me in her last email.
The food was given to me with no difficulties. The Elshaddai children
club (75 children in total) have food now for several weeks. It had
been a challenge for us to feed the children as the situation has become
worst in Port-au-Prince after Jan 12th. The Elshaddai church is very
thankful to you as you have contributed to the survival of the children.
God bless you.
Ephraim Lindor
Paramedic Jason Friesen Shares About Saving Baby
Listen to Paramedic Jason Friesen, who went on GCHope’s first Haiti relief trip, share the amazing story of how God worked to save the life of a Haitian baby.
Another Shipment Off to Haiti!
GCHope is sending another shipment of food, hygiene products and some bicycles to Haiti! Click here to check it out!
NFL Players, Students Give Back
NFL players, Evan Moore a tight end for the Cleveland Browns and Trent Edwards a quarterback for the Buffalo Bills, and 50 students from Whittier Christian High School helped Giving Children Hope sort medical supplies for Haiti on Friday.
Whittier Christian High School helped raised more than 6,000 dollars in 10 minutes for the Haiti relief fund. This was up from their original goal of 2,000 dollars. In furthering their relief effort, the students sorted supplies along side Moore and Edwards.
See the short film of how Whittier Christian High School raised the money.
Open Hearts Charity Event Helps Haiti
Boxes of shoes, clothing and art supplies from the Open Hearts Charity Event hosted by Sky Life Media and Children of Life will be shipped to benefit many in Haiti!
GCHope and North America Mission Send Aid to Haiti
GCHope supplied North America Mission with pharmaceuticals and other medical supplies to treat those in Haiti. We are grateful for the partnership that enables more disaster relief items to be shipped to Haiti!
Whittier Christian High School Raises $6433 for Haiti
Whittier Christian High School exceeded their goal to raise $2000 in ten minutes by raising $6433 for Haiti relief! Giving Children Hope will use the money to send food and medicines to aid those in Haiti. Thanks to all those who supported the cause!
Update from Haiti: First Torrential Rain
Here is an update from the field as the the rainy season has arrived in Haiti:
I know you’ll be hearing from others about this, but just wanted to
let you know that we got our first torrential rain last night and it’s
just the beginning of huge problems for Port-au-Prince. We can see a
bank of clouds heading our way for a possible second downpour later
today or tonight.As far as how it affects the team that’s coming, we had planned on
having some people sleep on the roof because there aren’t enough beds
in the guest house, but Tom and I sleep on the roof in a “waterproof”
tent, and our mattresses were soaked this morning. So we don’t think
it’s feasible to plan for team members to sleep on the roof. When
Bill & Sue return tonight, an alternate plan will have to be made, I
imagine.Many of the MDL Haitian staff, who sleep in the streets or outside
their damaged homes, were drenched last night and they described
rivers of trash and filth soaking their sheets and everything they
own. This is the tip of the iceberg; __as an RN, I know that it’s only
a matter of time before there are outbreaks of cholera and other
waterborne illnesses. Lord have mercy.__Please pray for the situation.
In Christ,
Nancy
Three More Pharmaceutical Shipments to Haiti
GCHope and our partners continue to send relief to Haiti! Three Pharmaceutical shipments were sent over to Haiti this month!
Partners:
Church of the King – shipped 2/10
GAIN – shipped 2/11
Bright Hope – shipped 2/13
Calvary Church Santa Ana Supports Haiti Relief
GCHope is grateful for the generous donation from Calvary Church Santa Ana for Haiti relief! It was helpful to have volunteers from their church come sort supplies that will be shipped to Haiti. All the time and effort is truly appreciated. Thank you!
GCHope Equips Grangou to Help Haiti
GCHope continues to send disaster relief to Haiti. Grangou is one of our many partners we have equipped. www.aidtohaiti.org
A Letter of Encouragement
Our President and CEO, John Ditty, received a letter from a supporter in Florida. We wanted to share this with you and show how you’ve touched people all across the nation and the world with your support of our disaster relief efforts to Haiti:
Dear Friends,
Thank you so much for responding so quickly to Haiti’s nightmare. I have worked in Haiti for eight years and six of those years have been with Grace International. I couldn’t go because I was not a first responder, but you answered the call and ministered to my Haitian family.
There are not enough words in the English language to express the love and gratitude I have in my heart for the whole team and then the videos…. Oh, I have cried seeing the devastation, but oh, to see the tabernacle being used for a clinic, and all the people on the ground. Whew…
Please know that God will repay you for what you did but I am so very thankful for your unselfish acts of courage and wanted to let you know that. You are a blessing! You are true heroes and heroines.
Sincerely,
Deborah White, Principal
Word of Life Christian School
Florida
Update on GCHope's Relief Efforts to Haiti
Giving Children Hope wants to thank the community and their partners for their generous support in the Haiti relief efforts.
This is what has been done as of today:
- Four teams to Haiti were equipped with supplies which included over $100,000 of medical supplies and pharmaceuticals. All supplies were hand-carried into Haiti.
- $4.7 million worth of pharmaceuticals have been sent to Haiti to help stop disease and treat infections.
- 88,000 pounds of medical supplies and humanitarian aid worth over $1 million have been sent into Haiti.
- We have shipped 40,000 lbs of beans and 40,000 lbs of rice and corn
- Another two truckloads of relief are leaving for Haiti this week and next week. The shipments will include medical supplies, food, clothing and personal hygiene worth $500,000.
- Additionally, with our partner, we will be sending $400,000 worth of medical supplies, food, blankets, hygiene kits and pharmaceuticals.
More Pharmaceuticals to Haiti
With the partnership of Medi-Share and Union Rescue Mission, GCHope recently sent a another pharmaceutical shipment to aid those in Haiti! Continue to keep the victims of the disaster in your prayers.
Whitney High School Helps Haiti
Whitney High School helped Giving Children Hope’s Haiti relief efforts by donating relief supplies, efforts initiated by student Vishal Venkitachalam.
Here is an e-mail that our staff received from Vishal:
Hello Everybody,
Let me first thank you all very much for allowing me to help Haiti earthquake victims by collecting donations at my school. Without all your help I could never have been able to host a ‘Help Haiti’ drive at my school. I have always liked to volunteer and so, I have been involved with Giving Children Hope for the past few years. I enjoy helping people and mainly children in whatever way I can. When I heard about the Haiti earthquake, I felt very sad and wanted to help Haiti victims in whatever way I could. I saw on your website that many people are getting involved to help Haiti victims. So I asked my mother to talk to you. After getting permission from you, I organized the ‘Help Haiti’ supplies drive in my school. I would like to share with you how I organized the ‘Help Haiti’ drive.
First, I got permission from our Principal and the Key Club in my school to host the ‘Help Haiti’ drive and then I chaired this event. My friend Sagar Miglani co chaired with me in this event. We set the ‘Box of Hope’ donation boxes in each of the fifty five homerooms, put a Help Haiti sign and attached a list of donations. We sent out emails to the students and requested them to donate whatever supplies they wanted to donate. I mentioned the name of ‘Giving Children Hope’ and gave them your website address. I also requested students to get involved, and many of them became homeroom representatives for the project and helped collect donations. I kept reminding everyone to donate for a great cause. The ‘Help Haiti’ drive ran for two weeks. The Principal, Vice Principal, teachers and students of Whitney High were very supportive and donated many supplies. It was a great success. I am very happy that our school could do something for helping the earthquake victims of Haiti.
I will continue to volunteer with my favorite organization Giving Children Hope and would organize more events and drives for helping the community.
Thank you very much.
Sincerely,
Vishal Venkitachalam
Three Pharmaceutical Shipments to Haiti
This Friday, GCHope will send three shipments of pharmaceuticals to Haiti. Our partners for this project include Bright Hope, GAIN, and Church of the King.
Container of Supplies Shipped
With the partnership of World Emergency Relief, a container full of medical supplies, pharmaceuticals, blankets, food and hygiene products was recently shipped to aid those in Haiti.
Family In Haiti Dedicated To Relief Efforts
Many of Lena’s family members live in Port-au-Prince. Here she shares with us what the situation is currently like in Haiti and what the family is doing to bring relief to the victims.
Paramedic Shares About Relief Efforts in Haiti
Paul Maxwell talks about his recent trip to Haiti with the Giving Children Hope disaster relief team and shares about how he brought relief to those in need.
Second Relief Team Returns from Haiti
Here is footage from the second team’s trip to Haiti. There, they distributed more aid and determined what the greatest need was on the ground.
One of our partners on NBC News
One of the main partners on the ground for Giving Children Hope is Mission of Hope in Haiti. Since the earthquake they were featured on NBC Nightly News. Watch the story and see aid being distributed.
Radio Recount of Haiti Trip
Norm and Cher Nelson from Compassion Radio were a part of the first team that Giving Children Hope sent to oversee the aid distribution. You can hear their account here
Medicines and Supplies To Haiti
A container of medical supplies and RX medicines from GCHope was airfreighted to World Emergency Relief (WER) in Haiti on 01/28/10.
Thanks to Calvary Church for Support
The work GCHope is doing in Haiti would not be possible without the support of volunteers and donors. We are thankful to partner with Calvary Church to help bring relief to all the victims of the disaster in Haiti!
Here is a note from Calvary Church to GCHope:
January 25, 2010
Giving Children Hope,
I am thrilled to hear of the work that Giving Children Hope is doing to respond to the great needs in Haiti both before and after the earthquake. I am grateful that Calvary Church is able to partner with Giving Children Hope in this small way to help bring physical and spiritual healing to the children of Haiti. Our hope and desire is for this money to not only be about providing containers of medical supplies, but for us to potentially build relationships for future ministry.
We would love for the people of Calvary Church to help with any efforts taking place locally to load containers, work in the warehouse or if there is a way for us to begin programs now for us to be able to respond with greater speed for future disasters around the world.
Both Senior Pastor David Mitchell and I are looking forward to seeing how Giving Children Hope and Calvary Church can impact the world for Jesus Christ together in the future. Thanks so much for connecting us with their ministry.
May the Lord continue to bless you and your ministry.
Eric Wakeling
Executive Pastor of Ministry
Calvary Church of Santa Ana
Cottonwood Church Supports Haiti Relief Efforts
Our longtime partner Cottonwood Church gave a generous donation to Giving Children Hope in support of the Haiti relief efforts. We are grateful for their partnership in helping us bring relief to many victims of the devastating disaster.
Another Relief Team Off To Haiti!
Giving Children Hope’s president John Ditty and three other members left for Haiti last night to bring more disaster relief items to those in need. They brought with them pharmaceuticals, medical supplies and many other disaster relief items. Keep them and the victims of the disaster in your prayers! Stay tuned for more updates from their trip.
Part 4: GCHope Relief Team Trip
Part 4: Take a peek inside the tents of the Haitian refugees and hear from clinicians about what the situation is like in Haiti even weeks after the devastating quake.
Part 3: GCHope Relief Team Trip
Part 3: Hear from the refugees and those witnessing the heartbreaking things that are happening to the children in Haiti.
Part 2: GCHope Relief Team in Haiti
The GCHope team was able to deliver many disaster relief items to victims of the disaster in Haiti. See what the medical clinics are doing to help and what the living situation is like for the refugees. You don’t want to miss watching Part 3 and 4 of their trip also!
Part 1: GCHope Relief Team Returns
The GCHope Relief team returned from Haiti last night. The team personally delivered 600 pounds of medical supplies in addition to over-seeing shipments sent via air freight into Port-Au-Prince. While GCHope is delivering aid to numerous field partners in Haiti, most of the team camped out at a 17,000+ person refugee tent camp. You can view the first of several videos that will be shown from this community.
Your gifts are still needed to get aid into the hands of the people. Food, shelter, medicines and medical supplies are urgently needed.
Haiti Earthquake: the Toll, the Effect, the Children
CNN reports the staggering effects that the earthquake in Haiti has had on its people. It is estimated that 150,000 are dead and one million people are displaced.
High School Raises Over $6000 For Haiti
Pacifica High School in Garden Grove put together a fundraiser for Haiti relief with the goal to raise $2000 in two minutes. If the goal was reached, the ASB girls could dress up their assistant principal Mr. Ma for a week. Each classroom had an envelope where students could put in their donations. When “Go!” was announced through the intercom, a representative from each class had to run out to drop the envelope off at the courtyard. The school was able to raise over $6000! The money will be able to provide beans and rice for an orphanage in Haiti. Thanks to Pacifica High School for joining Giving Children Hope in bringing relief to Haiti!
Update from Our Partners: Disease Surveillance is Ongoing
Here is an update from our field partners, GAIN, who are currently in Haiti conducting disaster relief:
Bill and the team were able to open up a medical clinic yesterday with the team from Trinidad and treat 176 patients as well as distribute 21,600 meals. Bill said there was a little bit of violence and that they needed armed police there as the people are simply desperate to survive. They did learn that as GAiN is registered with the UN as a humanitarian op, they were able to go to the UN and get any emds they were missing and that they’re actually able to get access to these medications from the UN every morning.
Bill and Aaron are currently travelling back to Canada and I know our entire team is thankful for their safety during their time in Haiti. Brian Skrodolis is now in Haiti and will be acting as our GAiN Canada liaison on the ground over the next month. Brian will continue to work closely with Esperandieu and our other in-country partners to ensure that our aid distribution plans remain on track and effective. Bill and Aaron worked with Brian before they left as well as the other partners on the ground to put together a coordinated excel spreadsheet that will be used for the tracking on what’s happening and to ensure regular reporting will continue.
Reading through the latest transcripts and news articles online, the sheer trauma suffered byt he Haitian people is heartbreaking. Both Bill and Brian have mentioned stories of people being traumatized and thrown into a sheer panic when small aftershocks or even the rumbling of a truck going by occurs. CNN released a report stating the aftershocks could continue for months or even years , more than anything we need to be praying for these people as they begin the slow process of healing and rebuilding their lives and their nations.
A story from Brian today (Jan 22nd):
“We were at a church today and what happened was that this area had never been helped with any kind of aid. So we had some people with horrendous and infected wounds with maggots and everything. It was really graphic. It was hard to take. This was suggested to us at the last minute and we went there with no idea what to expect. We were so moved by the need that we have decided to get a security team together to go distribute aid as in this area for many of the people it has been over a week, since the earthquake, that they have eaten. They are starving and in dire need. God has offered us a wonderful opportunity that we would have never had on our own. That is one thing that we did today that was really beautiful…. Today, we are just getting things organized. We have done a lot things today that we did not plan for. We have not been able to do what we had planned to do. But God has blessed us with what we have been able to do.
“It is good to see that aid is starting to reach the victims,” said Riccardo Conti, head of the ICRC delegation in Haiti. “Aid organizations are becoming more visible in many neighbourhoods and water is available at many water points throughout the city. The efforts of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, including those of the ICRC, are making a difference. However, the humanitarian situation remains very difficult if not critical. Hundreds of thousands of people who live in the streets of Port-au-Prince still do not have access to such basic necessities as shelter and sanitation.
“Praise the Lord the port is open! I was honestly so excited to read that the port in Port-au-Prince is open and active. The port is functional although not operating at the same capacity as prior to the earthquake. It’s currently able to receive 250 containers per day and as of Jan 25th this is expected to increase to 350 containers.
“All vessels considering transit to Haiti should confirm that the facility they intend to visit can safely accommodate their arrival. The port at Gonaives is operational and has lifting capacity. Saint-Marc is also operational but has no lifting capacity. Miragoane and Jacmel ports can accept some cargo but the road to Port-au-Prince from both ports is likely to be blocked. Cap Haitien is fully functioning, but there is limited or no fuel available at the port. Port de Paix and Labadie ports are operational with minimal to no damage.”
“Some 150 aircraft are landing at the PAP airport daily as coordination to receive flights and clear supplies off the runway to allow for more planes has improved. At this point the roads from the DR are still said to be the best option for transport of cargo. The US is also working at a smaller airport in the DR (San Isidro) to provide an alternates site for the PAP airport.
“Fuel is also continuing to be shipped in and distributed, approx 12,000 gallons every 2nd day.
Banks in PAP also opened today as people are starting to get access to their money and be able to buy food as small food stands are beginning to pop-up. The security situation in PAP has continued to remain stable although there are still isolated cases of violence and looting. Military escorts are still needed for supply convoys and at distribution centers.
“Disease surveillance is ongoing and an early warning system is being established. Population displacement and overcrowding could increase the risk of transmission of communicable diseases. Damaged medical and sanitation systems, and a lack of safe drinking water, could lead to hygiene related and food borne diseases. Untreated trauma wounds and infection of wounds are major health concerns that need priority attention.
“Health and medical access continues to be an overwhelming problem for the Haitian people. But, more and more medical personnel and supplies are landing and the provision of medical treatment is expanding. But infection and therefore amputations are still high. It was interesting though as we talked to Bill and he explained how although we’d think maggots in the wounds are horrid, they actually are eating the infected flesh and releasing a substance that fights the infection. Bill pointed out that in the middle of all of this God is the great physician.
“I had also read a report stating that it was crucial for agriculture to continue and that the spring planting deadline is not passed as this is a major source of food for the Haitian people. “The priority must be to provide farmers with seeds, fertilizers, livestock feed, animal vaccines and agricultural tools ahead of the cereal planting season, which kicks off in March and accounts for 60 per cent of Haiti’s agricultural production, said Jacques Diouf, Director-General of the Food and Agricultural Organization.
“In response to this an Agriculture Cluster was formed and met for the first time yesterday. Included in UN flash appeal was a call for support of the agricultural industry. In light of this the FAO has planned for “immediate procurement of quality seeds and essential agriculture inputs for distribution in rural areas by March, in time for planting season.”
Medicines Leave for Haiti
Giving Children Hope, in partnership with Union Rescue Mission, has sent two medicines packages that will treat thousands of people in Haiti who survived the tragic earthquake. These medicines will fight infection and help prevent diseases from spreading, which officials are fearing.
Thank you to all of our donors who are making aid to Haiti possible!
Latest Updates from GCHope Relief Team
Giving Children Hope’s disaster relief team is on their way to Haiti! Keep up with what’s going on as GCHope staff member Jenise Steverding takes us along the journey with her! Check out this video of the latest update from their trip.
Volunteers Sorting Supplies for Haiti
A group of volunteers from United Health Group came to Giving Children Hope to help sort medical supplies that will be shipped to Haiti. The help is truly needed and appreciated!
Volunteers Spend Time Helping
Volunteers are pretty awesome. We are grateful for all the volunteers that came to Giving Children Hope to help sort and load supplies that will be sent to Haiti!
Update from GCHope Relief Team
Here is the first update from Jenise Steverding, GCHope staff member:
First off, I am so thankful for the team who volunteered to come on next to no notice.
Second, wow Virgin America! I cannot even believe what an amazing airline they are. Last I heard they transported 25,000 pounds of aid for us – amazing! They gave us special treatment yesterday, escorting us through securtiy, getting us to the VIP lounge, boarding us first, giving us food vouchers and annoucing our trip over the loud speaker. They flew in someone from headquareters to LA special for all of our cargo and that gentleman can to see us. They were so happy to play a part in these efforts and I am so grateful to everyone at the airline!
We arrived at 5:10 AM Florida time. We stored the 12 bags of medicines and supplies and rented 3 hotel rooms. The whole team rested today so they should be good to go for tomorrow. I rested briefly and began trying to try and find people to help me with the plan. After lots of talking an arrangements our team is scheduled to be at the airport in the morning at 7:30 for a 10:45 flight into Haiti. We have added one team member, Luke, who is from Grace and will be accompanying us. When we get to Haiti we will be transported to the compound either via helicopter or ground, not sure. But I am assured we are in good hands.
…I am running on adreneline but truly exhausted.
I am so happy to report that I cried when I saw all of the boxes this afternoon from our offices in Buena Park on the tarmac. Really, I never see them on the other end and seeing the amazing journey that they are taking well, everything that we do is worth it. Of course, since they couldn’t ship on the pallets as they normally do, they didn’t look as nice as when Marius packs them when they leave. But they looked good. Thanks to Help the Children and Canning Hunger as some of their donations to us were what I saw.
When we dropped off the 12 bags tonight we get there just as one of the aid planes was leaving. I have actual video of it for you. A lot of our product that I saw earlier was gone and had been loaded on that plane. Again, tears. Thanks to all of the volunteers for their hard work these past days. Your sorted product is all on its journey saving lives. And to our donors, thank you, thank you.
Specifically, you can pray for any fears we have as we board the plane tomorrow, for logistics, especially in country, to be smooth, for peace and unity and flexibility with the team, for stamina and personally for me, I need energy. I did not rest all day like the others…I am tired.
You should know that our medical items are going to Grace and I am told this is maybe the only hosptial in Haiti. So good work team.
Also, I will work to find a way for logistics on the ground to help all of the orphanages. Please tell them that. Please tell them I will do everything in my power to see how we can get some of our product specifically for them. Pray for that too.
Ummmm I can’t think of anything else. It’s late. I must go. Love to all of my family – blood and GCHope. Pray for my heart too – I dont know what I am about to experience…
Jenise
More Aid Ships to Haiti
This morning, another shipment of aid has left for Haiti, with the help of Virgin America. We thank Virgin America for their dedication to supporting GCHope’s disaster relief efforts to Haiti.
GCHope Team Leaving for Haiti
Tonight, Giving Children Hope is sending a disaster relief team to Haiti. The team is mostly volunteers who will be traveling with staff member Jenise Steverding. They will arrive in Haiti with one of the many shipments of aid. They will also be hand carrying suitcases filled with emergency relief and medicines. They will be visiting at least one of the distribution sites on their trip. Please keep them in your prayers!
Keep updated at www.aidtohait.org
Helping Those In Haiti
Check out how people are helping bring relief to those in Haiti in every way!
Sorting Supplies For Haiti!
Giving Children Hope is sending a team to Haiti to bring relief, and the volunteers here are helping pack vitamins that will be taken to victims of the disaster.
More Help On Its Way to Haiti
Registered nurse Stephanie Huband will be heading to Haiti on Jan. 20 with a team of seven that includes two physicians and one retired optometrist. Everyone on the team has been to Haiti before and has experience working in medical clinics. They will be partnering with members of several organizations in Haiti and will most likely be based at Haiti Children’s Rescue Mission orphanage in Port au Prince/Petionville. Giving Children Hope helped provide various medical supplies for their trip. We are pleased that more people are on their way to bring relief to those in Haiti!
Volunteers Help Sort Supplies for Haiti
A group of volunteers from AmeriCorps came to Giving Children Hope to help sort medical supplies that will be sent to Haiti. We are grateful for all the help that enables us to bring relief to the victims of the disaster!
Aid On Its Way to Haiti
Volunteers at Giving Children Hope are packing up supplies to aid the victims in Haiti! A container of pharmaceuticals, medical supplies, water, food and other disaster relief items were sent on Jan. 17.
Cargo Plane of Aid Leaving for Haiti Tomorrow
Giving Children Hope has secured a cargo plane that will be leaving to Haiti tomorrow with our supplies. The plane will be filled with food, gloves, wound care kits, masks, bandages, gauze, water purification tab, and medicines.
The relief will be arriving at secure facility just outside of Port-au-Prince, where the aid will be distributed to smaller organizations already on the ground. The organizations are currently in desperate need of supplies that are running low or have already run out.
Bringing Relief to Haiti
Children of Grace is heading over to Haiti to provide medical aid to the victims in Haiti, and GCHope is helping provide pharmaceuticals to enable them to treat those in need!
Volunteers Helping GCHope Bring Relief
Volunteers from Project Pueblo from the La Sierra University chapter were at GCHope to help sort medical supplies that will soon be sent to Haiti. Their mission is to transform apathy into activism and to address basic needs, environmental justice, quality education, economic development and health needs through partnerships with institutions and individuals in affected communities. We are thankful that they were here join us in helping others!
There Are Many Ways to Help
See how people are contributing to bring relief to the victims in Haiti!
Supplies and Medicines Leave for Haiti
On Thursday, January 14, 2010 Giving Children Hope equipped a team from International Hope and Rescue with a one way ticket into Haiti. That team will stay as long as they can to serve those in need. They left with basic life-saving supplies from GCHope headquarters before boarding a plane this evening.
Update from the field in Haiti
On Wednesday evening Giving Children Hope received an email from our friends at Mission Viejo Christian Church on the ground in Haiti. They took a small amount of product from GCHope headquarters on Friday, January 8, 2010.
Here is what the emails stated:
Damages to the houses was extensive but they are livable. The boy’s home turned into a 24 hour emergency clinic within minutes of the quake. We don’t know when we will get out for sure.
It has been incredible to see the response of volunteers that have come forward, the respose of all of the MdL family, the friends from Port au Prince Fellowship and the community. It has been overwhelming to see the devastation, damage, and injuries. Supplies for the clinic have depleted and been replenished over and over again. Its almost like the loaves and fish. Multiple trained professionals have showed up and volunteered many, many hours. The children have been awesome workers. God has enabled the team to make a major impact.
We are very grateful that God allowed us to be here to be of service and to see Him work.
Please pray and fast if the Lord is leading you to do so. Please pray that more doctors and nurses will come. Please pray that the Lord would multiply food and clean drinking water. Please pray for the Lord to heal.
More to come. We want to make sure that we get this out while we still have a connection.
ABC Channel 7 News Coverage of Haiti Earthquake
If you missed the news coverage of Giving Children Hope responding to the Haiti earthquake, you can view it on-line at the ABC website.
Giving Children Hope is a grassroots organization. Relief efforts happen when individuals get involved to serve others.
GCHope Responds to Disaster in Haiti
Giving Children Hope responds to the disaster in Haiti by sending pharmaceuticals, water purifiers and other medical supplies to bring relief to the victims. Here is the full interview with ABC News.
CEO Interview: GCHope's Reponse to Haiti
See how Giving Children Hope and our partners are responding to the earthquake in Haiti by shipping medical supplies and pharmaceuticals to help the victims of the disaster.
News from the field
Here is a news report from our partners from Mission Viejo Christian Church who are in Haiti:
The sun is about to come up. The aftershocks continue. Some more noticeable than others. There is no way to even begin to share the things we’ve heard and seen since 5pm yesterday. To do so would take hours that we don’t have to give right now. Some of them feel wrong to tell. Like only God should know these personal horrible tragedies.
The few things we can confirm – yes the four story Caribbean Market building is completely demolished. Yes it was open. Yes the National Palace collapsed. Yes Gov’t buildings nearby the Palace collapsed. Yes St Josephs Boys home is completely collapsed. Yes countless countless – countless other houses, churches, hospitals, schools, and businesses have collapsed. There are buildings that suffered almost no damage. Right next door will be a pile of rubble.
Thousands of people are currently trapped. To guess at a number would be like guessing at raindrops in the ocean. Precious lives hang in the balance. When pulled from the rubble there is no place to take them for care Haiti has an almost non existent medical care system for her people.
I cannot imagine what the next few weeks and months will be like. I am afraid for everyone. Never in my life have I seen people stronger than Haitian people. But I am afraid for them. For us.
When the quake hit it took many seconds to even process what was happening. The house was rocking back and forth in a way that I cannot even begin to describe. It felt fake. It felt like a movie. Things were crashing all over the house. It felt like the world was ending. I do not know why my house stands and my children all lie sleeping in their beds right now. It defies logic and my babies were spared while thousands of others were not.
There are friends and co-workers that are missing. People whom no-one can account for. People we work with and love. There are more than I can name, but in particular we wait on one single friend who lived near the Hotel Montana – which has reportedly collapsed.
The horror has only just begun and I beg you to get on your knees – I truly mean ON YOUR KNEES and pray for the people of this country. The news might forget in a few days – but people will still be trapped alive and suffering. Pray. Pray. Pray. After that – PLEASE PRAY.
United Nations Statement on Haiti
New York, 12 January 2010 – Briefing by Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Alain Le Roy, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Edmond Mulet, and Susana Malcorra, Under-Secretary-General for Field Support [unofficial transcript of English segment]
http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp
Q: Can you tell us about the casualties. I’m sorry but we need to start with that. Do you have any figures?
Le Roy: We don’t have any figures for the time being. But we know clearly it is a tragedy for Haiti, and a tragedy for the UN, and especially for the UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti – the MINUSTAH. The only figures we have are the figures of MINUSTAH. All together, we are more than 9,000 uniformed personnel, 490 international civilian personnel, and 1,200 local civilian staff, and 200 United Nations Volunteers. And I didn’t mention, among the troops are 7,000 troops and 2,000 policemen. That is the total figure of MINUSTAH.
As far as we know, the main building that was the Headquarters building called the Hotel Christopher has collapsed. As far as we speak, some of our troops – mostly Brazilian troops – are surrounding the building and trying to rescue the people from the main headquarters. As we speak, no-one has been rescued from this main headquarters, but we don’t know how many people were in the building when the collapse happened. It happened a little after five o’clock, and we don’t know how many people were in the building at the time, so we don’t have any number of casualties for the time being.
I am here, of course, with Susanna Malcorra, Head of Field Support, and Edmond Mulet, who is, as you all know, the former SRSG for Haiti.
Q: Any word on Mr. [Hédi] Annabi [current Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Haiti]?
Le Roy: No, we haven’t heard from Mr. Annabi. We just know that he was in the building, as were many others. But we don’t know how many others at the time of the collapse.
Q: You know he was in the building at the time?
Le Roy: Yes.
Q: Do you have any casualties on the UN side confirmed for now?
Le Roy: No. We don’t have figures of casualties. We know there will be casualties. But we cannot give figures for the time being.
Q: Could you describe the building? How tall?
Mulet: This is a building that was built in the early 60s. It is five storeys tall; concrete; reinforced concrete building; very solid. The headquarters of MINUSTAH has been there for the last four years. The Force Commander’s office is there. The Police Commissioner’s office is there. All the political section officers are there. MINUSTAH has two headquarters. This one in this building, and down near the airport in [inaudible], which is the logistical base. That one was also damaged, but not seriously. Next to that logistical base is the Argentinian hospital Level II – that was also damaged but not severely and is operating now and functioning with no problem, and receiving victims of the earthquake right now.
Q: How many people work in that main building, would you say?
Mulet: Normally around 200 to 250 during working hours. But we have to be reminded that this earthquake happened after 5pm, so we don’t know how many people had already left the building at five o’clock. We don’t know that.
Q: The location of building that’s not next to the base, close to the airport, it’s in the middle of the city?
Mulet: It’s in a completely different neighbourhood, up on the hills of the city, on the road from Port au Prince proper on the road to Petion-ville.
Q: And it is called the Hotel Christophe, is that what you said?
Mulet: The Christopher Hotel. That’s the original name of the building.
Malcorra: I think one of the points to stress is that communications are very, very, very sketchy at this point. All the communications in Port au Prince are down, and we are only being able to reach the people who have been in contact with us through satellite communications. So this is not only sketchy, but also the few satellite phones are being used for operational purposes on the ground, so we need to be mindful of that. Sometimes we just cannot get through because they are using the telephones for other purposes on the ground, so that is part of the reason why it is hard to have a full picture of the situation, plus the fact that it is of course night there. It is in the same time zone we are in, so that makes things a little bit more difficult.
Q: Can you talk about the response that you are planning? Are you planning to send someone, maybe the SG, or yourself? What’s the plan?
Le Roy: I don’t know if the decision has been made yet. We will have a meeting very early tomorrow morning with the SG. So far, the people on the ground, it is very important that the chain of command of the troops is effective. The Deputy Force Commander is on the spot. The Force Commander was out of the country, but the Deputy Force Commander is in command. We are in contact of course with him. We are in contact with the Chief Mission Support – with various people in the mission. And they are trying their best. Of course, the urgent thing is to rescue the people in the main building.
Q: Do they have any security concerns about looting or things like that?
Le Roy: We have asked that question. So far, there are of course many people in the street, but as far as our building is concerned, again our troops are there. There is no security problem in our headquarters. But we don’t know about the rest of the city so far.
Q: What do you know of the general situation in Port au Prince? What kind of situation has been reported by the soldiers there?
Mulet: Well, the soldiers have been concentrating their efforts around our headquarters and trying to rescue our colleagues there. So, as Suzanna said, the communications are not very constant so we haven’t had a really clear picture of the situation there. The Brazilian battalion commander, who was on the phone with us a few minutes ago, confirmed that the situation in the streets is that there are many people in the streets, a lot of traffic, and people moving around, but he expected that, coming midnight, this is going to calm down and of course we will wait until tomorrow morning when there is sunlight.
Malcorra: One other thing that is not yet confirmed is whether the airport is fully operational, which is also another important consideration. That is going to be assessed tomorrow morning, because the implications on the airfield are not yet established.
Q: Is anyone preparing for a major relief operation?
Le Roy: Yes, of course. OCHA [Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs] is completely on top of this issue. You can ask John Holmes. Again, all that will be decided in the coming hours.
Comments
Upcoming
Shipments
2010.07.29 – Uganda funded
2010.07.29 – Sudan funded
2010.07.29 – Zimbabwe funded
2010.07.30 – United States of America ($9,750) /$10k
2010.08.11 – Mexico funded
Events
