From the Episcopal Church Haiti Response page:
Over two weeks since the 7.0-magnitude earthquake hit Haiti on January 12, the scope of the death and destruction is staggering. The most recent estimates indicate that roughly 200,000 deaths and 194,000 injuries have occurred. At least one million people have been left homeless and in need of temporary shelter.
While the number of deaths and injuries has grown substantially since the quake, so has the number of people the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti and Episcopal Relief & Development are helping: over 25,000 survivors in 23 camps.“It is because of the incredible network already in place in the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti that such a large response to this crisis is possible,” said Katie Mears, Episcopal Relief & Development’s Program Manager for USA Disaster Preparedness and Response, who has been working on the ground in affected areas.
With support from Episcopal Relief & Development, the Diocese of Haiti is reaching more and more people each day. Prior to the earthquake, there was an ongoing training program run by the Diocese in partnership with Episcopal Relief & Development. The Diocesan Development Officer and 28 development agents for Haiti, who participated in this training, are currently working to conduct needs assessments and set priorities for ongoing relief and recovery efforts.
“It is very fortunate that our existing partnership with the Diocese of Haiti included the development of a network of agents familiar with local communities and also with disaster-response techniques,” said Matt St. John, Episcopal Relief & Development’s Program Officer for Latin American and the Caribbean. “The presence of these development agents has been crucial to the effective delivery of aid.”
Some good news of a concert scheduled for Friday:
Pere David Cesar wrote today telling of the Diocese of Haiti’s dream to rebuild its beloved Music School at Ste. Trinite. The lack of a building, the loss of so many instruments and music hasn’t stopped the music, however.
Dear friends:
The musicians from Sainte Trinite are preparing a concert for this Friday, February 5, at 4 p.m. at the Kay Nou center in Bel-Air. Kay Nou is a culture-sports center built by Viva Rio, a Brazilian NGO, and now it is hosting tents with thousands of displaced people. The musicians were able to rescue some instruments from the school’s rubble, and the idea behind the concert is to bring hope to the displaced people living there and to re-launch OAS’s orchestra program for youths at risk. The concert is going to feature the string orchestra, the brass ensemble, and the Petit Chanteurs. President Preval and Minister Delatour are expected to attend, also Yele Haiti people.
The House of Hope Orphanage has suffered little damage, Lt. Cmdr. Tim LaBenz writes:
Attached are some pictures of the House of Hope orphanage, Alice and the children … The photos were taken by a photographer from the Newport News (VA) Daily Press. Distribute freely to the contacts with whom you’ve been corresponding. As I stated in an earlier email, overall the orphanage is in pretty good shape, all things considered.
Read more at Lauren Stanley’s blog. Much is still needed: food, shelter, water, medical treatment, trauma counselors.
You can support the people of Haiti through Episcopal Relief and Development. Click here to donate. Aid goes directly to relief and recovery.
A video from Mission Aviation Fellowship shows the devastation but does not show images of wounds or the dead.