Responding to Haiti's earthquake tragedy
We are beginning our response to the catastrophe in Haiti, where a 7.2 earthquake struck early Saturday morning. As of this writing, the official death toll is more than 1,300 people. Unfortunately, we know that number will increase, substantially, as the hours and days go by.
Water-borne disease prevention
One preventable reason the numbers will increase is the lack of clean water. As we have said before, the number of people who die in refugee areas from water-borne disease is always greater than those who died in the original disaster.
Our first priority will be a mission to Les Cayes, a commune (township) in the middle of the hardest-hit region. Over the next few days we will be bringing you more information about our efforts there.
Our teams tested like never before
As you know, we have a great team in place in Haiti, but they will be put to the test as never before. Fortunately, with the success of the Village by Village Project, there are thousands of Sawyer PointONE filters in the hands of Water Women in that area. But we know that some will likely have been destroyed, and more will be needed for a population in crisis. We hope others will have been protected by the water socks so many of you have crafted.Our Haiti Team is already coordinating with Sr. Larraine and our staff and our response is just beginning. Because the earthquake arrived on the weekend, we were limited in reaching out to our corporate and other partners. But we are devoting all of our energies this week to build a strong effort to help those in need.
Want to get involved?
We ask for your continued prayers, and for your financial assistance, for those whose lives once again have been turned upside down. We will keep you up-to-date as we know more. As always, may God bless you for your generosity.