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Haiti: Aid for earthquake and hurricane victims

According to the Marist Brothers from Haiti, the emergency aid project could be completed with donations from home. In the first step, the distribution of food to 145 needy families was ensured, and in the second step, destroyed buildings were rebuilt.

As is known, Haiti was shaken by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake in August 2021. The epicenter of the quake was 12 kilometers northeast of Saint-Louis-du-Sud and 10 kilometers deep near our novitiate and postulancy houses. The buildings showed severe damage. The towns that were closest to the epicenter were the hardest hit. As if the need were not great enough, a tropical storm had caused further devastation.

Our team provided a total amount of €36,000 in donations through the FMSI in Rome, the central coordinating body for Marist projects.

A heartfelt “Vergelt’s Gott” to all donors!

Brief reports of the Marist Brothers from 2021 on the emergency:

Les Cayes:
The children of Cité, a poor neighborhood near the Marist Brothers’ house of formation, live in the Brothers’ courtyard because their families’ small houses were destroyed. Even before the earthquake, these families asked us brothers for help. Now they live every day from the food donations that we give them. They are 24 children.

The families of the young people who are with Brother Jean Mance in Port-au-Prince:
In places a little further from the center of Les Cayes and Jérémie, 10 young people report that their families’ homes have been destroyed. If it rains, they are forced to stay with another member of their family, otherwise they organize a place to sleep under the stars and make do as best they can. No one was injured. Only their homes have been destroyed.

Dame-Marie:
In Dame-Marie, we have more than 900 students spread throughout the city and communal areas. We have reached out to 25 families of students whose homes were particularly affected by the earthquake. Many students are living with other family members. We accepted one of our students into the community who had no place to sleep. In order to maintain privacy, we did not take any photos. Of course, we try our best, but will not be able to help everyone.

Latiboliere:
In Latiboliere, people are seeking refuge in the Collège Alexandre Dumas, run by us Marist Brothers. So far they do not receive any help from the government. They need food, tents, bedding or anything else they need to return. We don’t have an exact number of participants, but there are about 35 people involved.

Jérémie:
In Jérémie, we have selected 10 people to help. They live in temporary shelters behind the novitiate of the Marist Brothers. When we brothers arrive in a place, the people expect help, which we cannot always give because of the scarcity of resources.

The need is great, but we try our best!