Haiti earthquake

OBJECTIVE: The Haitian Bible Society will work with relief organizations to provide water resources, as well as spiritual assistance through Scripture distribution
TARGET: £440,000

  • An estimated 3 million people have been affected.
  • As many as 217,000 are dead, with 300,000 injured.
  • Hundreds of thousands of people are homeless.
  • Many buildings, including the presidential palace and headquarters of the United Nations, schools, hospitals and hillside shanties have been damaged or destroyed.
  • Damage to the city's medical facilities has disrupted the country's ability to respond with adequate medical assistance; healthcare facilities are overwhelmed.
  • As relief work continues there is desperate need for food, water and medicine.
  • Many relief organizations and a number of nations are providing much-needed aid and assistance.

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NEWS UPDATES

SBS, 30/03/2010
“1 million people still living in extremely precarious conditions” (Oxfam)

“Total losses equal 120% of 2009 gross domestic product” (UN-OCHA)

“60% of families have lost access to their pre-January livelihood” (World Vision)

“What these people thirsted most for was faith and hope in God” (Christian volunteer)

News from Haiti BS, 04/02/2010
Magda Victor, General Secretary of the Haitian Bible Society, wrote on 02 February 2010:
After the disaster we were in shock. Now that we have settled down, somehow we are beginning to see the extent to which the Haitian Bible Society has been affected. More important than anything else, we've lost many great friends, people who supported us over the years with their encouragement, their hard-earned income and their prayers. We've lost many of our old neighbours -- those young ladies, who became our friends over the years, settling under the supposed protection of our old headquarters in the downtown area to sell their trinkets. They all died when the building gave way and collapsed. Many members of our staff had their houses destroyed when the earthquake struck; the luckier ones had their houses only damaged; yet others have seen family members perish. But one overriding fact is that God was with us and with our staff on that day, for on that day not one of them died. We are the lucky ones. We are the faces of testimonies to come, those heart-wrenching stories of men and women, young and old, struggling for two or three days to try and pull their loved ones out from under the rubble. I'm sure you have heard many such stories or seen them on TV. Over the last couple of weeks, these have been our stories. In a week or so we will send you more detailed information, with an evaluation of some of the losses endured by members of our staff. Our response to the catastrophe is continuing. So far we have successfully distributed some Bibles along with the Proclaimers [audio Bibles] supplied us with. We want to thank you for all your help to our staff. It is much appreciated and, on behalf of all our employees and their families, we want to express our sincere gratitude. Thank you very much and God bless you! Magda

News from Haiti BS, 25/01/2010
On January 21, the first shipment of humanitarian aid from the United Bible Societies arrived in Haiti. Thanks to all the Bible Societies in the Americas region that made this effort a reality. The truck was loaded by staff of the Dominican Republic Bible Society (DRBS). Having overcome difficulties in crossing the border, they were met in Port-au-Prince by staff of the Haitian Bible Society (HBS), whose eyes brightened with joy when they saw what their brothers and sisters in the Bible Society fellowship had sent: rice, canned food and medicines, which were unloaded at the damaged Bible House building. "I would like to thank all the Bible Societies for all the wonderful help we have received," wrote HBS General Secretary Magdor Victor. "Today at 11 am, our Dominican brothers brought us the gifts sent by the Americas Area Centre on behalf of the Bible Society fellowship. While we were unloading the truck we had another earthquake. Our Dominican friends were amazed. It was then that I realised how much trouble they had gone through to get here. After a long and difficult and journey, they reached the border of Haiti at 7am and left soon after delivering the gifts. "We thank you all for joining in prayer. We thank Carmen Checo, DRBS General Secretary, for making her staff available to buy and pack food and medicines. And we thank all the Bible Societies in the Americas who, through their spontaneous donations, made this shipment possible. However, the need is still great. The Haitian Bible Society will not be able to generate the income needed to pay staff, who will be responsible for delivering the Word of God to the suffering people." Please continue to pray and to seek ways for people to donate to this project, which will be a blessing to people who are desperate and distressed.

News from Haiti BS, 19/01/2010
Dear friends, Thank you for your prayers and expressions of sympathy. We are doing fairly well at the moment but I am still very traumatised. I have not woken up from the nightmare yet. This morning I toured the capital; our country is totally devastated. Haiti will now have to be completely rebuilt. As a Christian, I am praying in particular for the spiritual rebuilding of my country. I am asking God to give me the strength to participate in that task. Mass evacuations are taking place, people are going abroad, those who cannot do so are heading to the countryside. As for me, I must remain where I am called to work”. Magda Victor, General Secretary, Haiti Bible Society, Port-au-Prince, 18 January 2010.

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