Earthquake Response

If you would like to support relief efforts in Haiti, please consider one of the following organizations. They are less commonly publicized than some NGOs but are all making significant contributions to relief efforts. All have non-profit status in the U.S. Click on the names of the first three for donation information. I have included donation information for the fourth.

Partners In Health (known as Zanmi Lasante in Haitian Creole) has set the global standard for delivering health care to the world’s poor. PIH has operated permanently in Haiti for over 20 years. PIH workers, including many Haitian doctors and nurses, are currently on the ground in Port-au-Prince delivering medical care to thousands of those in need.

Haiti Medical Mission of Wisconsin sends teams of medical workers to Thiotte, a village in the mountains of southeast Haiti. The organization is currently making alternate plans to send physicians and nurses to Port-au-Prince. My dad is among those hoping to travel there within the next week. The medical workers pay all of their own expenses. All donations are used to purchase supplies and support Haitian medical workers.

Matthew 25 House, located in Port-au-Prince, serves as a guesthouse for service groups traveling to Haiti. I have stayed at the house many times. The house suffered some damage from the earthquake but is still standing. The three permanent staff members, as well as a small team of doctors, have been working around the clock to treat those injured by the earthquake. Patients have flooded the courtyard and a neighboring soccer field. Matthew 25 House is in desperate need of additional supplies and support to continue this work.

Eben-Ezer Mission was my primary home in Haiti. Located in Gonaives, Eben-Ezer Mission is now caring for patients from Port-au-Prince at its hospital. In addition, the mission is taking in orphans from the capital city and setting up scholarships for students from Port-au-Prince to attend schools in Gonaives. Donations to Eben-Ezer Mission are tax-deductible and may be sent to: 345 Nahum Road, Moravian Falls, NC 28654.

I will write further updates soon. For now, please keep my dear friend, Mireille Jean-Charles, and her step-son, Mikeson Jean-Charles, in your thoughts and prayers. The two live in Port-au-Prince and have not yet been located. Update: Mireille’s husband, Michelet, received a call from Mireille yesterday evening. She and Mikeson survived the earthquake. Like all of the other residents of Port-au-Prince, they are living on the streets, but they are alive.