Food and water are being provided for these people staying in the grounds of a Tearfund partner's Bible college. Photo: Sarah Dellor/Tearfund
26 January 2010
Help for Haitians in the battle for survival after the earthquake is being stepped up by Tearfund partners.
Medical treatment and basic essentials are increasingly being provided to people who are in desperate need after losing loved ones, homes and livelihoods. Our partners’ work includes:
• World Relief continues to treat thousands of patients injured by toppled buildings in its three operating theatres.
• Hot meals are being provided to 9,500 people daily by World Relief.
• 2,000 people are receiving, food, water and shelter from the Evangelical Alliance at its compound in the Delmas area of Port-au-Prince.
• The Evangelical Baptist Union of Haiti is providing food, water, shelter and some sanitation to 4-5,000 people displaced from the Fort Mercredi slum area.
• Schools run by the Federation of Protestant Schools and the Haitian Foundation for Private Education have opened their doors to shelter homeless people.
Port-au-Prince's Catholic cathedral bears the earthquake's scars. Photo: Sarah Dellor/Tearfund
However the need for aid remains massive.
Tearfund’s Mark Butler, who has just returned from Haiti, said, ‘I’ve worked in Afghanistan and Burundi but this was something else.
‘Driving around the downtown area of Port-au-Prince was like a warzone, the destruction was phenomenal.
‘Food is in short supply and the fear that people feel about living in their homes, means they stay in the open.’
Small signs of life returning to normal are evident, says Mark, with roadside businesses returning.
Normality
Partners working in education are also looking to reopen schools quickly so youngsters can resume their education and a sense of normality can return.
Commenting on the impact that money donated by Tearfund supporters will have, Mark said, ‘So many people have lost their homes, so in terms of basic living needs it’s going to make a big difference.
‘Any help is going to bring some further sense of care, concern and a bit of hope. It’ll help people face each day and hopefully then look at the future and getting back to some sort of normality.'
Grafitti in Port-au-Prince urges help for its residents. Photo: Sarah Dellor/Tearfund