[Leisa and Paul in front of what used to be the Haitian National Assembly building, or Haitian Parliament. Many members of the National Assembly and legislative staff members were killed in the January 12 earthquake.]Dear Friends,
Children's Hope goes back to Haiti in six days. This will be trip #14... our fourth since the deadly Earthquake of January 12. It was the worst natural disaster in recorded history. Almost a quarter million of our sisters and brothers were killed, hundreds of thousands injured and thousands amputeed.
The whole world stopped for a moment in solidarity.
The moment has passed but the struggle to survive, to recover and to rebuild continues.
The mainstream media couldn't get enough of Haiti, and of Children's Hope... for a moment. We spoke, wrote and were interviewed dozens of times, traveled when asked, spoke when invited... always free of charge and often to very generous groups. You, our regular patrons were incredibly supportive, for which we are so very grateful.
Here's the problem. Haiti's nightmare moment just won't stop.
I was on the phone several times today with a clinic in Cite Soleil, the most notorious urban slum in the Western hemisphere and a home away from home of sorts for Children's Hope. Conditions there are always quite difficult, but they are especially bad right now. The resilient people of Cite Soleil have just endured a most difficult rainy season. More children than ever are sick and malnourished from the constant wet, inadequake housing and lack of basic resources.
Roads, water and electricity, already bad, are much worse than before. Housing is atrocious (tarps, tents, sheets and cardboard).
The hurricane season takes over now, and is predicted to be 10 times more violent than normal.
I know that folks have already given far more than in any other year for Haiti relief, but we continue to serve those communities that other larger non-profits won't... and we keep going back.
Children's Hope is a non-profit humanitarian organization. We have no paid staff. Our team members pay their own way. We rely on your continued generostiy to contribute and to spread the word to your friends, neighbors, co-workers and other members of our community. If you have limited resources, you can help tremendously just by spreading the word! One 10 year- old boy collected hundreds of dollars worth of children's vitamins and over the counter meds! Yea, Aiden! Mumbo Gumbo did a benefit concert! A local dentist donated 400 toothbrushes!
Right now:
We need cash to buy malaria meds, children's vitamins, children's cold remedies, children's ibuprofen and children's tylenol.
We need pregnancy tests and condoms donated.
We need cash donations to buy anti-biotics. We would love to have a GYN doctor head over to our clinic in Cite Soleil...also HIV counselors badly needed.
If you can reasonably manage to make a pledge for HAITI, please do so now. You can donate in two ways:
1) Email your pledge amount to us at ChildrensHope@live.com and then drop your check in the mail to "Children's Hope" at 3025A Cambridge Rd., Cameron Park, CA 95682; or
2) Click on the "Donate" button on this page.
I will have some email access this week, and hopefully in Haiti, so I plan on sending out journal entries to you all over the next month with updates on our progress.
By the way, we will have two additional projects this time: 1) our "HART" team Haiti Amputee Rehab Team), thanks to Jim Thweatt, a West Sacramento rehab specialist; and 2) my Children's Poverty Research Project through the Sociology Department at Sacramento State University.
The important work that we have been doing in Haiti is 100% dependent on your generosity over the years, most especially over the past six months. As our Haitian friends like to say, "Many hands make the burden lighter."
thank you for being part of Children's Hope ,
peace, all ways and always,
leisa
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