Update on the Crisis in Haiti

Our Response to the Haiti Earthquake is Underway

Since last Monday morning, the Water With Blessings Haiti Country Team has trained more than 450 Water Women. That means that nearly 10,000 people in the hardest-hit area of the country are now drinking clean water.
 
Haiti Coordinator Gerry Delaquis and Team Leader Olivier Wilson had been working since the previous week to assess the situation, plan the response, and make arrangements to house and support our team.
 
But our work is only beginning. One of our team members has written:
 
“What we have seen in L’Asile are horrible things. The majority of houses are demolished, so now all the people are forced to move into the streets. Many water pumps are damaged after the earthquake. Residents throughout the area have not yet received any assistance from the Haitian government, or from other national and international organizations.”
Today the team will set out for a new base of operations: Anse-A-Veau.
 
To date, thanks to the generous response from our Community for Mission, we have raised more than $130,000 in cash and in-kind donations. Our great friend Bill McGraw and his company (Quality Home Products of Texas) purchased 1,835 of the 2,500 Sawyer PointONE filters we need for the first phase of our response.
 
That still leaves us more than $50,000 short of our initial goal of $187,500. To help us reach that critical level of support, our Board Members and advocates have been working the phones with donors who in the past have supported our efforts in Haiti. We have also been receiving donations in response to our appeals on social media.
Also, we have been asked to participate in coordinating sessions with the US Southern Command, UN-OCHA, and other non-governmental organizations (NGO)
 
Meanwhile, four of our Haiti Country Team members have lost their homes from damage during the earthquake. We have begun a special fund to help them recover, and several members of our Community for Mission have responded generously. If you would like more information about that, please contact: debbie@waterwithblessings.org
Please share this newsletter with as many people as you can!
Other Things You Can Do To Help

We have created a Call To Action for Haiti checklist for our advocates that you can access by clicking here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1H1SW7DYod9ar-UK6tFXc-ykeNUrCrkYCVY6Y2S9Gv6E/edit?usp=sharing

Also, please listen to this past Friday's Coffee Chat, and pass it along to your friends. Our Haiti Country Coordinator Gerry Delaquis joined Sr. Larraine to provide the latest update on our relief efforts.
Our staff prepared a slide presentation, with more details and pictures about our efforts in Haiti.
We believe every child should be drinking clean water. Are you with us?
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