Donate : Habitat in Haiti

Since the massive earthquake struck Haiti on Jan. 12, 2010, Habitat has committed to helping 50,000 low-income families rebuild and recover from the devastating disaster.

The earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0 struck the Caribbean nation of Haiti just 10 miles west of the capital, Port-au-Prince. The U.N.-sponsored Shelter Cluster estimates that 105,000 houses were destroyed, and more than 208,000 were damaged. Millions of people were affected, and nearly 1.5 million people were left displaced or homeless.

More than one million people now live in temporary shelters in Port-au-Prince, though 600,000 have left the affected areas to seek shelter elsewhere in Haiti. The damages and losses are estimated at nearly US$11.5 billion.

Habitat's response in Haiti
Habitat has implemented immediate relief efforts and is addressing long-term shelter solutions. Reconstruction and development is aimed to initiate projects that address the structural causes that allowed this earthquake to affect the country so much. Habitat's particular focus is on six cities: Cabaret, Léogâne, Jacmel, Carrefour, Port-au-Prince and Croix-des-Bouquets.

3 months after

BRINGING BACK SMILES AND HOPE
Early this morning, a group of approximately 100 gathered at the Whirlpool warehouse in McDonough, Ga., to spend their day preparing additional shelter kits to send to Haiti. Today's volunteers included groups of employees from Habitat partners, as well as individuals and Habitat staff eager to help with the Haiti effort. The American Red Cross, CARE, Delta and Home Depot were among those represented, as well as AmeriCorps and the University of Phoenix. Habitat Haiti national director Claude Jeudy was on hand, pitching in and sharing his experiences and observations with local media. "What I see here today gives energy, motivation, to continue our work and to share with my fellow Haitians, 'You are not alone,'" he said. Speaking to volunteers assembled for a mid-morning break, he spoke about building a new Haiti. "We are here today to bring back smiles and hope to Haitian families," he said. "Because of you, we feel capable. And we are 100 percent certain we will transform this situation. Because where there is willingness, there is the possibility of transformation."

EMERGENCY SHELTER KITS
Even as the third wave of shelter kits was being assembled in McDonough, distribution of the second round of kits was poised to begin in Haiti, with assistance from the United Nations, Save the Children and ADRA. This week's assembly will result in 13,250 more kits being shipped to Haiti, thanks to financial support from the American Red Cross and CARE.

TRANSITIONAL SOLUTIONS
Ten transitional shelters are under construction, and supplies are being gathered to begin building 1,000 T-shelters in Cabaret and Leogane, two smaller towns outside the capital of Port-au-Prince. Full-size replicas of the types of T-shelters Habitat is building are on display at the warehouse in McDonough this week and will be moved next to the Global Village & Discovery Center in Americus so visitors can better understand what is meant by "transitional shelter." In Haiti, Habitat also is helping with another type of transitional shelter solution: assistance for families in areas not directly impacted by the Jan. 12 quake who have temporarily opened their homes to quake-affected families. This assistance, tailored to individual needs, will be offered in areas where Habitat had a presence before the earthquake.

CORE HOUSES, RESOURCE CENTERS AND REPAIRS
A core homes coordinator has been hired in Cabaret and will be oriented into his role to deliver the first 30 to 50 Habitat units on land allocated by the municipality. Meanwhile, Habitat is working with Architecture for Humanity to establish principles for large-scale core home settlements. A new resource center that will be central to carrying out Habitat's recovery work has been established in Cabaret, and an office location for another Habitat Resource Center has been identified in Leogane. Habitat's team also is gearing up for a repairs program being planned using data from damage assessments, which Habitat helped facilitate.

IN PARTNERSHIP
In working to meet its commitment to serve 50,000 families over the next five years, Habitat's efforts in Haiti are being carried out in conjunction with numerous other nongovernmental organizations and with financial assistance from many companies and groups such as Toshiba, Cisco, CEMEX, the German government and Polish Humanitarian Action. Grant requests are pending with additional funders, and new grant applications are being submitted regularly. U.S. affiliates of Habitat for Humanity also continue to contribute generously from funds raised specifically for Haiti in their communities. Five affiliates have sent at least $30,000 each: HFH Westchester; HFH Tulsa; Twin Cities HFH; HFH Broward County; and HFH Henderson County

A Prayer After the Earthquake in Haiti

Lord, at times such as this,
when we realize that the ground beneath our feet
is not as solid as we had imagined,
we plead for your mercy.

As the things we have built crumble about us,
we know too well how small we truly are
on this ever-changing, ever-moving,
fragile planet we call home.
Yet you have promised never to forget us.

Do not forget us now.

Today, so many people are afraid.
They wait in fear of the next tremor.
They hear the cries of the injured amid the rubble.
They roam the streets in shock at what they see.
And they fill the dusty air with wails of grief
and the names of missing dead.

Comfort them, Lord, in this disaster.
Be their rock when the earth refuses to stand still,
and shelter them under your wings when homes no longer exist.

Embrace in your arms those who died so suddenly this day.
Console the hearts of those who mourn,
and ease the pain of bodies on the brink of death.

Pierce, too, our hearts with compassion,
we who watch from afar,
as the poorest on this side of the earth
find only misery upon misery.
Move us to act swiftly this day,
to give generously every day,
to work for justice always,
and to pray unceasingly for those without hope.

And once the shaking has ceased,
the images of destruction have stopped filling the news,
and our thoughts return to life's daily rumblings,
let us not forget that we are all your children
and they, our brothers and sisters.
We are all the work of your hands.

For though the mountains leave their place
and the hills be tossed to the ground,
your love shall never leave us,
and your promise of peace will never be shaken.

Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
Blessed be the name of the Lord,
now and forever. Amen.