Presbyterian Disaster Assistance partners meeting basic needs in Haiti

Gifts from Presbyterians supporting immediate and long-term response in earthquake-impacted nation

by Rich Copley | Presbyterian News Service

A home damaged in the Aug. 14 earthquake in Haiti. (Photo by David Guervil)

LEXINGTON, Kentucky — Two-and-a-half weeks after a 7.2- magnitude earthquake struck Haiti, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) partners in the country are working to meet basic needs and looking to the future, supported by gifts from Presbyterians across the country.

PDA has made initial solidarity grants to longtime partners Fondasyon Men Lan Men Ayiti  (FONDAMA) and Appui au Developpement Local en Haiti (ADLH), and is ready to respond to additional requests from partners. David Guervil, who is on the ground and works as project monitor for Presbyterian Disaster Assistance in Haiti, has been helping coordinate the response.

“FONDAMA and ADLH were starting this week with the response phase in their area with the funds from PDA, providing food, blankets, water, sanitary kits and hygiene kits and tarps for the families affected in their area,” said Rev. Edwin González-Castillo, PDA Associate for Disaster Response in Latin America and the Caribbean.

“Transportation is difficult because of the lack of security and gangs in the area. There’s a lot of gangs taking people hostage or just robbing the trucks. So our partners have been in contact with the police so they can provide escorts to the trucks as they deliver the food and the materials safely.”

Click here to see a map of where PDA partners are responding in Haiti.

González-Castillo pointed out that at this point the Aug. 14 earthquake, which killed more than 2,200, wasn’t even the latest challenge faced by the historically marginalized nation. Haiti took a hit from Tropical Storm Grace after the earthquake, and prior to that, suffered the assassination of its president earlier this summer. Between those challenges, continued recovery from the 2010 earthquake, Hurricane Matthew in 2016, and the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic, Haiti faces a long road to recovery. PDA is ready to be part of that rebuilding effort, González-Castillo said.

Volunteers prepare bags loaded with supplies to distribute to people impacted by the earthquake in Haiti. (Photo by David Guervil)

“We know that the need in Haiti and the impacted areas must require a monumental response from the Haitian government, local organizations, and siblings from all over the world,” González-Castillo said in a PDA video posted over the weekend. “The coming weeks, months and years will require the development of short-, medium- and long-term response projects for the reconstruction and assistance of affected families. Based on the assessment and knowledge of our local partners, PDA will be providing support to projects that respond to the needs of our siblings in Haiti, as we have done in the past, where PDA responded to the pandemic, Hurricane Matthew, the 2010 earthquake, and other disasters.”

There are multiple ways to give to PDA’s Haiti response:

• Gifts can be made online at ly/PDAHaiti.
• Text PDAHAITI to 41444
• Call 1-800-872-3283
• Mail a check to Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), P.O. Box 643700, Pittsburgh, PA 15264-3700 and put OG100000-Haiti in the memo line.

Give to One Great Hour of Sharing to enable Presbyterian Disaster Assistance to respond quickly to catastrophic events.

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance is one of the Compassion, Peace & Justice ministries of the Presbyterian Mission Agency.