You probably helped answer the 911 call of Haiti’s initial response. With people like you, World Concern has served more than 70,000 people with urgently needed supplies, including food, water and tarps. Now, clearing the wreckage and rebuilding must begin in Haiti. We ask you to stand with us to meet that need.
World Concern is on the front lines of this disaster, equipped to bring relief to those who have lost it all, supplying them with clean water, food, bedding and shelter from the weather. We are reuniting panicked children with their parents, if their parents have survived.
Haiti’s massive earthquake crippled the capital city of Port-au-Prince. Three million people are directly impacted by the disaster. Even if they had the initiative to rebuild, they simply do not have the financial ability to do this alone.
That’s why World Concern has begun to employ people in its “Cash For Work” program. It enables the family breadwinner to receive an income by clearing debris from their own neighborhood. After debris is cleared, they can repair homes still standing, and rebuild homes that have been destroyed.
This is a long road, and families in Haiti still need help. Thank you for standing with them.
In the next few days, World Concern will finish distributing nearly 6,000 tarps to families in the hard-hit Delmas neighborhood of Port-au-Prince. Shipments and distributions of emergency food are continuing, but the big news now is the beginning of the Cash For Work program.
World Concern does not want to create a dependency on Cash For Work. It is not sustainable long-term. That’s why we pay 2.5 times the going labor rate in Haiti, so that a family can receive a week’s worth of income in two or three days. It allows a worker to not only do the important Cash For Work clean-up, it also allows them time during the week to resume their regular job, which helps with their long-term future.
CFW will get ramped up in about one month, employing about 2,000 people. A World Concern staff member monitors each group of 30 people, ensuring that they not only have proper training, but provide accountability. In addition, leaders are selected from within the own community to help organize each Cash For Work project.
“Cash for Work not only gives people dignity and a chance for their own recovery through cash, it moves the community forward through these projects that benefit their own neighborhoods,” said World Concern President David Eller. “As each neighborhood is rebuilt, the city is rebuilt.”
World Concern empowers people to take control of their own destiny, providing them a release from poverty so that they can reach a better future. The next step: building homes.
These well-constructed, longer-term homes in Haiti include salvaged concrete in the walls, as well as a metal roof that will fare better in an aftershock. Additionally, the homes provide security from thieves, as well as protection from storms.
You can help build a home for a family in Haiti. The average price: $830. Construction will begin within the next two months.
Connect with us on our blog. Follow us on Twitter. Become a friend with us on Facebook. View our videos from the field on You Tube. Look at Pictures from Haiti on Flickr.
Food, water, shelter – the basics of life. That’s what World Concern is delivering to those who need it most right now in Haiti. Beyond the initial disaster, though, is another important need: healing from emotional trauma.
You can provide relief to children in Haiti by building a “Kids’ Healing Kit” – a way for boys and girls to find some relief from their pain. Learn more.
Haiti Earthquake Update: Feb. 17, 11:11 am
Haiti Earthquake Update: Jan. 12, 2010 5 p.m.
World Concern has worked in Haiti for 31 years, serving the poorest through both disasters and long-term development. Our staff of 100+ will walk with the victims as long as it takes—supplying their immediate needs, then equipping them with tools to earn an income again and live better lives.
Facts courtesy of the CIA World Factbook
