Beyond its ongoing work in the Central
Plateau, Columbia is also responding to this devastating crisis.
Continuing its partnership with World Vision, Columbia is sending
relief to the shaken country.
The 7.0-magnitude earthquake hit Haiti near
the capital of Port-au-Prince, shaking the foundations of World Vision
Haiti’s main office in the suburbs. Although the office building
remained standing and all staff accounted for, the damage to buildings
throughout Port-au-Prince and the country is extensive and the number
of injured or dead is estimated to be in the tens, if not hundreds, of thousands.
World Vision staff are on the ground now, working to provide access to food, clean water,
basic sanitation and hygiene supplies, child friendly spaces and
shelter to survivors of the disaster. The logistics are not easy with the lack of sufficient space for large-scale displacement camps, the population density inherent to an urban setting and the proliferation of survivors with devastating injuries.
Even with these challenges, the supplies are coming and relief is being felt. Signs of recovery are being seen in the devastated area such as:
Tap-taps (bus or truck taxis) and street vendors are once again visible.
Lines of cars waiting for fuel at gas stations have decreased markedly and some banks have reopened.
Delivery of assistance is increasingly moving into areas outside of Port-au-Prince.
In February, World Vision will distribute food to approximately 400,000 people as part of a partnership with other U.S. aid groups to reach 1.6 million people -- some who have had little access to food until now. Through food distribution and other efforts, World Vision is helping meet immediate survival needs, reaching people that are still hungry, still thirsty, still without shelter.
World Vision has worked in Haiti for 30 years
and has some 370 staff in country. They currently run 20 long-term development programs across five regions, ranging from coordinating
sponsorships of more than 51,000 children to grassroots community
development projects involving clean water, food production and
improved education. Last year, World Vision responded to dozens of emergencies worldwide, including floods that hit Haiti during hurricane season. Read more about World Vision's work in Haiti on their World Vision Haiti page.
Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere – a place where, even before the catastrophic earthquake, nearly 80 percent of the population lived on less than $2 per day.
In response to Haiti’s plight, Columbia’s Pastor for Missions Greg Loewer said:
"Our hearts ache for the people of Haiti.
We pray for the relief of their suffering, and we pledge to act. We
will give sacrificially to provide assistance, in the name of Christ,
to Haiti in this critical time and beyond. Obviously, the relief,
rebuilding, and restoration will need to continue well beyond this
initial outpouring of sympathy.
Haiti's long-term problems are certainly
exacerbated by this catastrophic earthquake (and the hurricanes of
recent years). Gratefully, our loving Lord hears our prayers and
provides mercy and grace to help in such a time of dire need. And His
people, in the love and compassion of His Holy Spirit, will reach out
with real help in Jesus' name."
Join Columbia’s short-term efforts to provide relief to Haiti by donating today. All funds will go directly to helping these hurting people who
are already acutely vulnerable because of poor infrastructure and
extreme poverty. Many are hungry every day but today, hunger has a new
meaning.
Your gift will help distribute life-saving
relief supplies – including food, clean water, blankets and tents – to
children and families devastated by the earthquake and aftershocks in
Haiti. To get an idea how your money can make a difference:
• $40 can provide a family with a hygiene kit, which includes items such as soap, washcloths, toothbrushes, toothpaste, feminine hygiene items and toilet paper.
• $300 can provide one collapsible water container.
• $500 can provide aqua tabs to purify water and provide clean water.
• $1,000 can provide kitchen sets to families in need.
You can donate directly to World Vision through Columbia by:
1. Sending an offering through Columbia, designating the funds as “Earthquake” on your check or offering envelope.
2. Giving online, selecting “Emergency Relief Fund” from the drop-down menu.
More importantly, continue to pray for the
people of Haiti including the issues of:
1. Food and water
2. Injury recovery and health
3. Homelessness
4. Families’ livelihoods
5. Children’s voices being heard in recovery
6. Comfort and healing
7. Safety and protection of children
About Columbia's Enduring Relief Work in Haiti
The Central Plateau has not sustained nearly as much damage as Port-au-Prince. The work Columbia has committed to in Savanne Plate will not stop, although it may pause for a brief time as World Vision Haiti collectively responds to the crisis in Port-au-Prince. Thankfully, World Vision has not had any reports of children and families in its communities being directly affected.
You can continue to give to Columbia's World Hunger Fund, which ensures that hungry, hurting people in Haiti as well as Falls Church, Southwest Virginia and India receive physical and spiritual food throughout the year. Learn more about our long-term efforts by going to Giving Online.
For more information about Columbia’s work in Haiti or how you can get involved in their short- or long-term relief efforts, contact Greg Loewer, Pastor for Missions, at 703.534.5700 x262.
Note: In July 2009, four Columbians and two staff from World Vision set out on
a vision trip to learn more about Haiti and how our church can
alleviate world hunger in that corner of that world. Read below to
learn more about the trip and the experience of
visiting Haiti.
Touching Hunger in
Haiti
by Amy M. King
I met hunger in Haiti and didn’t know we’d been introduced.
She didn’t look like my mind’s pictures. Bloated bellies on naked
children and the destitute searching through trash heaps were nowhere to be
found in crowded Port-au-Prince, nor in the land-locked regional capital of
Hinche.
In the central Trois-Roches
village, walking past tall African-descendent women balancing wash and grain on
slender necks, I met hunger just outside an American-funded well. Wrapped in
red gingham, teeth clenched around a roasted corncob, the child looked into my
white face with uncertainty while her brothers pumped water into a bucket.
“What does hunger in Haiti look like?” I asked, touching her
head, then loading into a four-wheel drive, snorkeled truck.
Touching Hunger in
Haiti