HAITI EARTHQUAKE
Emergency Alert - Updated July 8, 2010
You can help
our local partners
provide needed assistance.
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Background:
On January 12, 2010, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck the small island nation of Haiti. According to official estimates, 222,570 people were killed, 300,000 injured, 1.3 million displaced, 97,294 houses destroyed and 188,383 homes were damaged in the Port-au-Prince area and in much of southern Haiti. In the wake of the disaster, nearly 600,000 earthquake survivors migrated to surrounding rural communities, placing a strain on already fragile local economies and food supplies. With over 14 years experience and expertise in rural Haiti, LWR is at the forefront of the rural response and has committed $6 million to relief and recovery efforts.
Thanks to the generous outpouring of support from LWR supporters, LWR has committed $6 million to immediate and long-term relief in Haiti.
To help ease the stress on rural communities, LWR has been working with two partners in Haiti to provide immediate relief; LWR and our partners are now shifting to focus on long-term recovery. With local Haitian organization Partenariat pour le Développement Local (PLD), LWR is working with communities north of Port-au-Prince, where most survivors have migrated. And LWR is working with long-time partner, World Neighbors, to help Haitians grow food, restore local economies, rebuild infrastructure, get people back to work and provide necessary health and sanitation measures in those regions.
LWR is also working with the Actions by Churches Together (ACT) global aid alliance to ensure people have immediate access to food, water, and shelter in and around Port-au-Prince. LWR has committed more than $750,000 to providing temporary shelter, food and access to water and sanitation services, and plans to also support ACT Alliance rehabilitation efforts. Since the earthquake, LWR has also sent thousands of health kits, layettes, and quilts to partners Christian Aid, Church World Service, and International Relief and Development. These items are being distributed to people badly affected by the earthquake and LWR is mobilizing more resources for future shipments to Haiti.
Thank you for your help! Thanks to the generous support of our donors, Lutheran World Relief has raised enough funds to commit $6 million to immediate and long-term recovery work in Haiti following January’s devastating earthquake. Yet many communities around the world continue to suffer the effects of poverty every day.
Help keep the work of LWR going. Your unrestricted gift to LWR helps us respond swiftly to emergencies and continue working alongside rural communities to build better lives. To contribute online, click the link below. Your gift will be used where the need is greatest.
During regular business hours, Monday through Friday, you may also call 800.597.5972, or mail a check or money order to:
Lutheran World Relief
P.O. Box 17061
Baltimore, MD 21298-9832
USA
Lutheran World Relief is a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS), individuals and parish groups in international relief, development, advocacy and social responsibility. LWR is a member of Action by Churches Together.