HAITI UPDATE
The situation in Haiti remains desperate as rescue and recovery efforts continue. What is clear is that the people of Haiti need us more than ever, and we ask that you give generously to our Haiti Earthquake Disaster Appeal.
Our latest estimates indicate that approximately 15,000 Compassion children have been directly impacted by the earthquake. About 50 Compassion projects were seriously hit, and we have visited 22 so far. In addition to our dear children and their sponsors, please continue praying for our partners in ministry, their families and loved ones. Pray that God protected them from harm. Also pray for the government and leadership in Haiti as they respond to this disaster.
In addition to extensive and intermittent communication outages in Haiti, the earthquake has made transportation extremely problematic, but Compassion is on the ground with two emergency teams and has made extensive progress already.
The first Compassion team that entered Haiti from the Dominican Republic on 14 January connected with our Haiti country director and a number of staff, and a second team was later deployed.
We are working tirelessly to locate your sponsored children and as soon as this information is available, we will contact you and post relevant information on our website. Thank you for your understanding, your patience and your prayers.
We are blessed to have located 73 of Compassion’s 74 Haitian staff. While alive, some have injuries and many have lost loved ones. Compassion International staff member Dan Woolley was pulled from the wreckage of his hotel after 65 hours under the rubble and flown to Miami where he was reunited with his wife. He is currently being treated at a local hospital for minor injuries. A contractor working with us in Port-au-Prince is yet to be located. Please continue in earnest prayer for him and the Haitian staff member that is yet to be found and their families.
As for our Church Partners in Haiti, approximately 50 were significantly impacted by the quake. With the support of our dedicated Haitian staff and students in our Leadership Development Program, 22 of these projects have been contacted and assessment of their needs has begun. The Compassion Haiti office is still standing, though we still don’t know the extent of unseen damage it sustained from the earthquake and aftershocks.
Compassion’s staff from our Dominican Republic office continue to provide invaluable support in our emerging disaster response. We have a supply chain process in place and have secured storage space at the Dominican Republic and Haitian border. Our immediate priorities are to care for our staff and to get church partners up and running. We will attempt to do all we can through the local church.
Watch an important video message below from Compassion President and CEO Wess Stafford.
- DONATE to the Compassion Earthquake Disaster Appeal