Haiti Earthquake Response

by Global Ministries | published on Oct 10, 2014

We will post updated news on this page as we receive it. You can also find links to all the information that we currently have on the website about the situation in Haiti below, as well as information about making gifts through Week of Compassion, One Great Hour of Sharing or Global Ministries:

June 3, 2010

Revised Reconstruction plans from CONASPEH: http://globalministries.org/lac/projects/conaspeh-recovery-II.html

November 19, 2010

Report from House of Hope can be found here: http://globalministries.org/news/lac/house-of-hope-report.html

August 3, 2010

To read the earthquake recovery update from CONASPEH, click here: http://globalministries.org/news/lac/conaspeh-recovery-update.html
To learn about CONASPEH’s Housing Project and make a gift online, click here: http://globalministries.org/lac/projects/haiti-housing-project.html

July 9, 2010

Urgent Request for Missionaries to Serve in Haiti: http://globalministries.org/news/lac/urgent-request-for.html

July 6, 2010

Announcement Regarding Missionaries in Haiti: http://globalministries.org/news/lac/announcement-haiti.html

May 21, 2010

To see a summary of gifts sent to Global Ministries partners as of May 19, click here: http://globalministries.org/news/lac/haiti-earthquake-response.html

May 6, 2010

To learn about House of Hope’s need for a new building following the earthquake, click here: http://globalministries.org/lac/projects/new-building-house-of-hope.html

April 30, 2010

To see photos of the K-12 school meeting under tents on the CONASPEH property, click here: CONASPEH Re-opens K-12 School

March 10, 2010

To read the update from CONASPEH, with information about the use of funds for earthquake response, click here: http://globalministries.org/news/lac/report-from-conaspeh-0310.html
To learn about House of Hope’s earthquake response and plans for resuming programming: http://globalministries.org/lac/projects/house-of-hope-haiti.html
Pwof Ansanm shares their progress in the weeks since the earthquake. Click here: http://globalministries.org/lac/projects/teachers-together-haiti.html

February 26, 2010

To view a video interview with Kim and Patrick Bentrott done by the Disciples Communication office, click here:
http://www.disciples.org/Video/InterviewwithPatrickandKimBentrott/tabid/713/Default.aspx
To read the latest Haiti Update, click here: Haiti Update News Release – February 25, 2010
Felix Ortiz and Daniel Gourdet traveled to Haiti February 12-16, 2010. They visited the leadership of CONASPEH and House of Hope. To see the PowerPoint that Felix presented during the Haiti Update Webinar, click here: Haiti Update – February 23, 2010
To view a video interview of Felix Ortiz done by the Disciples Communications office, click here: http://www.disciples.org/Video/GlobalMinistriesFelixOrtizsUpdateonHaiti/tabid/708/Default.aspx

A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck the Caribbean island of Haiti Tuesday afternoon, January 12, 2010, leaving widespread devastation. Up to 3 million people have been affected by the quake and buildings throughout the capital of Port-au-Prince have collapsed, including the presidential palace and the headquarters of the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Haiti. Various news sources claim widespread casualties and destruction throughout the island.

The leaders of our two main UCC and Disciples partners in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Patrick and Francoise Viller and Polycarpe Joseph are safe, as well as our missionary family serving in Haiti, Kim and Patrick Bentrott along with their son Solomon. The Bentrott’s returen to the United States on Saturday, January 23. Please visit the Bentrott’s blog for updated information: http://www.kimandpatrick.blogspot.com/

Patrick Villier is a member of the Common Global Ministries Board (CGMB) and the president of the National Spiritual Council of Churches of Haiti (CONASPEH), a grassroots movement of 6,000 plus congregations and our largest partner in Haiti for almost three decades. The six story CONASPEH headquarters building which houses the school, seminary and nursing institute has been flattened by the earthquake. 20 or so of the nursing students were tragically trapped inside.

In an e-mail received on January 18, 2010 at 4:35pm, Patrick Villier says the following: “As you know, Haiti and CONASPEH are in a bad situation as everything seem to be against it or the people, but you are always behind us. We are not afraid neither surprised of your love, concern, solidarity. As a matter of fact, that make us strong. we have churches of God around the world that are praying for us. Despite the problems, we know God is in control of our sadness. For this moment, we are looking to establish contacts with the leaders of churches, parents or the others who need emergency help. Our national commitee’s members are alive. Our second purpose is to rebuild CONASPEH CENTER, as hope for the haitian churches, children, women and the country. Please keep your faith and courage because Haiti needs all of you more than ever.”

Concerning CONASPEH, David Vargas, Co-Executive of Global Ministries said: “CONASPEH is serving grassroots congregations among the poorest of the poor. Many of those congregations will be devastated. Haiti has been a top priority for Global Ministries in our Critical Presence emphasis. At this moment, it is very important that we as Disciples and UCC step up to meet God’s people and creation at the point of deepest need. In all my years in Global Ministries, I can say that this situation is probably the “deepest need” we have experienced as we walk with our partners. Thank you for keeping CONASPEH and the people of Haiti in your prayers.”

CONESPEH is also home to 150 Global Ministries sponsored children. Linda Lawrence, program administrator of the Child Sponsorship Program, said hundreds of the nearly 600 children at the center are still in need of sponsorship following hurricanes in 2008 and this latest disaster.

Polycarpe Joseph is the Director of the House of Hope, a program that benefits children laboring as domestic servants. Polycarpe sent us this e-mail message on January 14 at 11:11am: “For the moment it is impossible to assess the quantity of deaths but there must be between 100 and 250,000. At the moment, our collaborators are trying to find out the situation of each of our beneficiaries. The situation is critical. Our facilities have been damaged. People are scared, hungry and thirsty, people have no more homes and live in the streets. We need a lot of prayers and support.”

We encourage Disciples and UCC to make gifts through our two denominations’ primary emergency relief funds: One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) and Week of Compassion (WOC). Funds from OGHS and WOC already have been channeled through the Global Ministries Latin America and Caribbean Office to our denominational partners, CONASPEH and House of Hope, and this will continue. OGHS and WOC also are sending funds through our ecumenical partners, such as Church World Service (four Global Ministries staff are on the CWS board) and Action by Churches Together (ACT) International, the largest global alliance of Christian humanitarian agencies in the world. Global Ministries also is sending funds to CONASPEH and House of Hope from donations that we have received directly.

Please follow the links below to give for Haiti:

UCC
OGHS Haiti Earthquake Appeal
OGHS Haiti Earthquake Updates

Disciples
WoC Haiti Earthquake Appeal
WoC Haiti Earthquake Updates

Global Ministries Special GivingKids to Kids Special Project
Info on Haiti Assistance Tax Relief Act or to give to Haiti Critical Presence 2010

Another way to help is to assemble and send emergency kits — there is an URGENT need for more CWS hygiene and baby kits — our ecumenical warehouse in New Windsor, MD has been emptied already — please go to Church World Service Kits for a list of items needed for the kits – We know how often people want to do something “hands on” in a time like this – this is a GREAT and truly helpful way to do so.

– Haiti’s Babies gives children information about putting together and sending Baby Kits to Church World Service: www.kids2kidsmissions.org Kids to Kids is a program designed to involve elementary age children in the mission work of the church. It was started 15 years ago by the Disciples of Christ and is now a program for children in both UCC and Disciples denominations. The fact that the new interactive Kids to Kids web page is still under construction is not stopping us from giving our children a way to respond to the earthquake disaster in Haiti.