Pastor Yves Prophete on his visit to Ile-a-Vache.
Hand to Hand for Haiti has always worked with community groups in Haiti and organizations with strong roots there. Sr. Roselene Perard Valbrun directs the choir mission La Grande Chorale de l’Eglise Wesleyenne Smyrne de Cite Chauvel, which conducts a major mission effort in a different location each summer. In July 2016 they led a mission in Mirebelais, working with 350 volunteers to run a VBS, evangelistic meetings, leadership training and a wedding for about 25 couples. Pastor Yves Prophète (shown in a Facebook photo) was part of the effort. He directs the Mirebelais location of the Global Vision Citadelle Ministries, headquartered in Boston. He runs an orphanage and a church in Mirebelais. Pastor Joseph Michel met him when they worked together in the Mirebelais mission this summer. The orphanage was spared the high winds of the hurricane and the children are safe so far. He is deeply troubled, though, with conditions to the south. The hurricane has devastated the area around Les Cayes, a port city. The area our organizations are joining forces to help includes Les Cayes, Cavaillon and Port Salud. There is also an island, Île-à-Vache, that is very vulnerable. Pastor Yves took a medical team to the area after the hurricane. They were overwhelmed by the need and the effects of the storm.
Along with their homes, people have lost protection from mosquitoes. They are now vulnerable to Zika, malaria and dengue fever. They have lost their crops. Many people have no food. Floodwaters scatter all kinds of germy material and recede to leave muck where cholera can proliferate. Pastor Yves took a medical team and some food, but it wasn’t enough. The team could not see all the people who needed medical care.
In response to this disaster, Hand to Hand for Haiti and our partners are planning relief for the short-term, mid-term and long-term in the area around Les Cayes. We are building upon what Global Vision Citadelle has started in the immediate aftermath of the hurricane. They cannot do it alone.
For the mid-term and long-term needs of people devastated by Hurricane Matthew, we are planning to help in several ways. The effort will include raising money to buy essential supplies for the people affected by the hurricane in the Les Cayes area. It will also include sending dry goods. We hope to fill a 40-foot container, which will cost about $4-5,000 to ship. If you would like to be part of this effort, leave a message on our page and we will let you know where to drop off the goods. Monetary donations are always welcome and will help with the shipping as well as goods we can purchase in-country. We are collecting the following goods and supplies to send to Haiti. Some of the supplies we are requesting for La Providence Clinic in the north, which was spared the effects of the hurricane but has ongoing needs.
Generators-- helpful in many situations, especially the local hospital
Any medical supplies
Furniture
Clothes (for hot weather)
Shoes
Water
Hygiene items
eye drops
Toothpaste & toothbrushes
Roofing steel – corrugated galvanized steel
Paint
Nails, screws, tarps, shovels, hand tools, other hardware
School supplies
Craft supplies
Nonperishable food
Bottled water
Other ways you can help:
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Hold a bake sale or other fundraiser at your church, school or club
Click on our “donate securely” link. We also have a Donate button on our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/handtohandforhaiti
For the long-term, we will be planning how to help Haitians rebuild not only their homes, but their infrastructure and their economy. A community center will be a hub of the project. It will be a center for meeting multiple needs. We will post more information as it becomes available.
Contact us at handtohandforhaiti@gmail.com if you would like to donate goods. The most urgent need is for financial help. You can donate by clicking "Donate securely" on the menu or sending a check for Hand to Hand for Haiti to 64 Dixon Street, Waterbury, CT 06704.