Konbit Sante Establishes Earthquake Response Fund
January 15, 2010
Dear Friends,
Like the rest of the world, we are still reeling from the news of the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12. The extent of the devastation is still unknown, but it is great. While the epicenter of the earthquake was near the nation's capital in Port-au-Prince, the nerve-center of Haiti, the whole country is feeling the impact and will continue to feel the impact for a long time. We support 26 Haitian staff working in Cap-Haitien, and after trying to reach them for days, we are relieved to learn they are safe. But most people in Haiti have family and friends in Port-au-Prince, so there may likely be losses of loved ones. Although the grief is enormous, our staff are hard at work helping with the tasks at hand.
Many people have been contacting Konbit Sante staff, board members, and volunteers to say they are thinking about us and to ask how they can help. We are making several recommendations. First, for immediate rescue and recovery response, we suggest sending donations to the larger disaster relief organizations such as the International Red Cross (www.redcross.org) or Doctors Without Borders (www.doctorswithoutborders.org) - they are on the ground in Port-au-Prince and will be able to do the most under the current difficult logistical circumstances.
In addition, we would ask you to continue to support Konbit Sante through donations to our Earthquake Response Fund. Yesterday our board of directors established this fund with a $25,000 commitment from our own operational reserves to address long-term and short-term health needs related to the earthquake. We invite individuals and organizations to add their support. We are still working hard to fund our core programs which provide basic care to the community, but we feel this extraordinary situation requires an extraordinary response. To contribute, please visit www.healthyhaiti.org or send checks to Konbit Sante, P.O. Box 11281, Portland, ME 04104 and note Earthquake Response Fund in the memo field.
Even prior to the January 12 earthquake, our colleagues in Cap-Haitien were providing care with inadequate resources, and we know that the demands on this already-fragile health system will become much greater. While we can’t yet fully understand the long-term impact of this natural disaster, we anticipate a migration of people from the capital into the other parts of the country. Supplies - both basic supplies such as fuel for generators and also medical supplies - are already becoming scarce. And we learned yesterday that UN helicopters have started airlifting critical patients to the Justinian University Hospital in Cap-Haitien for treatment. This 250-bed teaching hospital, with which we partner through the Ministry of Health, did not suffer damage from the earthquake and is the nation’s second largest public hospital, in the nation’s second largest city.
While the epicenter of the earthquake was near the nation’s capital, the whole country is feeling the impact and will continue to feel the impact for a long time. Tomorrow I’m going to Cap-Haitien to assess the situation first hand and to meet with our Haitian staff and our partners within the Haitian Ministry of Health to anticipate needs and determine priorities. I will be in touch with staff and friends here at home and will have updates on Konbit Sante’s Facebook page as long as I can communicate electronically or by phone.
Please keep this country and these people who we have come to know as friends, in your thoughts and prayers, and please find a way to help in this time of extraordinary need. Thank you all.
Sincerely,
Nathan Nickerson, RN, DrPH
Executive Director
