On August 14, Haiti was rocked by an earthquake magnitude 7.2, more powerful than the earthquake in 2010 that killed 220,000 people and displaced 1.5 million.
The earthquake struck in Jeremie and Les Cayes, the hometowns of my father and mother, respectively. The image of a home that you see on this page was my grandparents’ home in Aux Cayes. We visited the home a couple of years ago and ate mangos and fried plantains on the doorsteps. Now that home is destroyed. Many of the homes of our volunteers and the people that we have served on our medical visits are also lost in the rubble. Even if homes are still intact, people are choosing to live on the streets as aftershocks still impact the area.
The current death tool is around 2000 people with 10,000 injured persons, and tens of thousands displaced. Haiti was facing food shortages prior to the earthquake, and now this issue is only exacerbated as roads are blocked and and supplies scarce.
There is a growing fatigue to assist Haiti after years of prevailing disasters and political turmoil, but we cannot give up. We are requesting financial donations to meet immediate needs on the ground including food, water and medical supplies. We are also in the works of planning another relief trip to support the rebuild efforts, so please do stay tuned.
Thank you always for your continued support, and we look forward to updating you on our work to Move Haiti Forward.