 It is difficult to believe that one year has passed since the devastating 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti on January 12, 2010, killing 220,000 and completely changing the lives of millions. The international community quickly mobilized, with the generous support of corporations, foundations and individuals like you, to provide immediate assistance to the victims of this disaster and to help them rebuild their lives. A year later, there is still much work to be done. We want to thank you for your solidarity and support, and provide you with an update of what you helped accomplish with your generosity.
Thanks to the generous contributions of our corporate, foundation and individual donors, The Resource Foundation supported the relief, recovery and sustainable development efforts led by our local partners, ADOPEM, Esperanza International, Fondation SOS Sud Est and MUDE. These local nonprofit organizations have unparalleled expertise in assessing needs on the ground and developing effective disaster relief programs. By combining existing local knowledge gained prior to the disaster with effective response strategies, these organizations are firm in their commitment to support the long-term development of affected communities.
Over the last year, The Resource Foundation’s local partners have provided the following assistance to affected families:
- Immediate aid including food, shelter and medical supplies
- Training on personal and
 environmental hygiene
- Individual and group counseling and psychosocial support
- Training sessions on water and food consumption and preventive health topics
- Economic development, including vocational and microenterprise training and assistance
More specifically, each of our partner organizations has carried out activities to respond to victims’ needs. Below are short descriptions of their work, accomplishments and in some cases, the lessons learned.
MUDE’s disaster relief program in the provinces of Bahoruco and Independencia on the Dominican side of the border reached earthquake victims, who migrated there immediately following the earthquake in search of medical care and shelter.
Impact and lessons learned:
- MUDE’s has assisted 162 individuals as direct beneficiaries and reached an additional 480 family members through technical and entrepreneurial training and counseling and emotional support training
- MUDE’s participatory approach has motivated beneficiaries become protagonists in their own educational process and been very important to this project’s success.
- Systematic follow up on emotional support efforts has been more challenging because of the population’s constant movement in search of employment and income generation opportunities.
With support received through The Resource Foundation and the international community, Esperanza Internacional’s immediate response plan helped fulfill the basic needs of 6,000 affected families. By leveraging in-kind donations and working in partnership with other organizations, Esperanza extended its impact even further, reaching a total of 66,000 people. In the aftermath of the disaster Esperanza provided survivors with essential needs such as bottled water, food items; basic personal and hygiene items and emergency healthcare materials and medicines
Following this first-stage relief, Esperanza has continued to work in 15 target communities to support development efforts, including the installation of water filtration systems and the training of community health promoters. Diverse partnerships have been important to helping Esperanza to expand its reach and have the greatest possible impact.
ADOPEM ONG organized a mid-term response initiative to provide psychosocial support; training in technical and entrepreneurial skills; and access to credit to 317 Haitian clients living in Neyba and Jimani on the Dominican side of the border, who were affected by the disaster. Group support sessions provided victims with the opportunity to share their experiences and develop coping mechanisms to aid in their emotional recovery. Individual counseling has been made available to people experiencing the greatest trauma.
Fondation SOS Sud Est has been offering counseling, relief and medical care services to returnees to the Haitian Southeast countryside. In addition, Sud Est provided food relief to students and is acting as a resource through which survivors can find information and plan their new lives.
Impact and lessons learned:
- 90% of the 300 returned students for which Sud Est has provided integral support have expressed interest in remaining in the district because of the opportunities that the organization has made available. According to Sud Est, “many of these students have decided to stay in the district and are encouraging others to come back,” which they believe points to the potential for the decentralization process.
- Through this grant support, 434 students were able to receive a hot meal each day. This nutritional component has proven vital to students’ ability to concentrate and learn. As a result, all of the 434 students were able to complete the school year.
- Problems of overcrowded schools, parents’ inability to pay school fees and overage students persist. There is the need for vocational training for adult newcomers who are not able to find jobs in their new communities as well as young people who are better suited for a technical trade.
- It is essential to address children’s psychosocial needs as parents in Haiti have traditionally not taken their unique experiences into account.
The greatest long-term challenge facing Haiti at this time is the need to build local leadership and local capacity that will provide sustainability to the current and prior development assistance efforts and initiatives undertaken. This can be addressed through coordinated partnerships and collaboration focusing on increasing the knowledge base and training of local civil society.
In 2011, The Resource Foundation will continue to work with its local partners to identify and inform about local development needs, and to raise the funding and support necessary to address the challenges facing local Haitians. Our focus and that of our funding partners will continue to be to provide support for sustainable and long-lasting development efforts conducted by or in coordination with local partners.
Join us in supporting sustainable development in Haiti through a contribution to The Resource Foundation’s Disaster Relief Fund.
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