History: At 4:53:10pm on Tuesday, January 12, 2010, a 7.0 earthquake hit Haiti with the region of Port-au-Prince as the epicenter located 18.45 N, 72.533 W. The Hope for Haiti team immediately acted to bring emergency supplies and medical attention to Port-au-Prince from Les Cayes in less than 24 hours. Supporting trauma centers and the Port-au-Prince General Hospital, medical staff and volunteers worked around the clock caring for thousands of critical care patients. Since then, Hope for Haiti has been at the forefront of the relief and recovery efforts. We are continuing to respond with needed supplies, medical access, education, recovery, and rebuilding initiatives.

After three months of non-stop emergency action, Hope for Haiti developed a phased response that is responsibly and effectively executing our current and future goals for the next three years. Below we have outlined our activities and our projected 1-3 year goals, with the knowledge that the scope of our response will continue to evolve as the needs of the Haitian people change throughout the on-going recovery and rebuilding with national and international support.

Objective: To provide immediate medical response and continued relief for recovery and rebuilding within education, nutrition and healthcare.

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Emergency & Relief Action (1-6 months):

Continue safe delivery and distribution of emergency supplies.
In just the first 6 months, alone Hope for Haiti, delivered and distributed over $30 million worth of medications, medical supplies, food, water, tents, and construction materials to over 60 health care sites, including over a dozen IDP camps within and outside of Port-au-Prince. This delivery and distribution network has continued and has transferred over from cargo and private planes, to shipping containers to the country's capital where Hope for Haiti staff quickly and safely stores, sorts, and distributes supplies specific to the needs of each location.


Providing assistance to Internally Displaced People (IDPs). 
In addition to providing in-kind supplies, Hope for Haiti has continued to send medical volunteers to assist in IDP camps, and within the General Hospitals in Port-au-Prince and Les Cayes. Hope for Haiti has also assembled a strong Haitian medical and support team to help care for the medical and public health needs of over 10,000 people currently residing at the Don Bosco Camp in Carrefour.


Fostering private & public partnerships and coordinated relief efforts. 
Hope for Haiti has been working closely with partner organizations within and outside of Haiti to leverage skills and resources in transportation, water & sanitation, healthcare, and education, to best serve the Haitian people during this crisis. This coordinated effort is critical for establishing a short and long-term recovery strategy.


On-going needs assessments and site evaluations of all programs. 
Pre-earthquake, Hope for Haiti, was helping to support 37 schools and over 60 healthcare sites throughout the southern peninsula. Hope for Haiti staff have been assessing each program site, documenting their needs and the impact of the earthquake, and talking with the community about their local recovery efforts.

Implementing temporary structures to rebuild program capacity.  Hope for Haiti is actively supporting our current programs to quickly build them back up to their previous capacity. For many of our schools, this means providing tents, benches, chalkboards, and food, to start classes again. In the meantime, rubble removal has begun for structures that have collapsed, temporary structures are being constructed, and long-term plans for reconstruction are being developed in concert with the goals of the local community and the Ministry of Education.

Recovery & Development (1-3 years)

Expand medical care and public health outreach within program service area.
Increasing and sustaining current shipping and distribution of needed medications and medical supplies is critical to continuing to support national and private healthcare centers to provide quality medical services to the poorest of the poor. Hope for Haiti wants to strengthen our public health outreach that is accessible to all of Hope for Haiti's program sites, especially integrated into our on-going education program.

Strengthen and grow capacity within our education program.
Hope for Haiti hopes to expand its education program by increasing the number of students attending school as well as improving the quality and comprehensive nature of the services provided to not only students, but also teachers and parents.

Construction and repairs to affected program buildings.
Hope for Haiti will continue to work towards completing the reconstruction efforts of our supported schools and healthcare centers destroyed by the earthquake, having accommodated the increase in capacity needs.

Expand capacity for clinical services offered at the Hope for Haiti Infirmary.
The city of Les Cayes has welcomed over 100,000 new residents who have fled from the earthquake's epicenter to seek shelter, food, water, and medical attention. To meet this increase in population's demand for healthcare services, Hope for Haiti hopes to double our current patient capacity and increase medical services by hiring more Haitian medical staff, strengthening our lab and diagnostic testing capabilities, continued distribution of medical supplies and medications, and sustained monthly mobile medical missions.

Enhance and expand inter-organizational partnerships and coordination.
Hope for Haiti strongly believes in being able to do more together. We will continue to build strong partnerships within the areas of education, nutrition, healthcare, and emergency relief, to strengthen the quality and support of our on-going programs. We are looking for strong synergies within the private and public sectors that can provide value-added services to our supported schools, and nutrition and healthcare sites.

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How can you continue to help?

• Monetary Donations: We thank you for believing in our mission. Now, more than ever, the most important donation you can make to help Haiti recover from the earthquake, is to invest in Hope for Haiti's programs (i.e. education, nutrition, healthcare etc.) to not only build back what has been lost, but to make it better! Please contact our Development office if you have any questions about giving to Hope for Haiti.
• Remembrance & Awareness: We all know how easy it is to forget when an emergency is no longer on the front pages of the papers. Haiti has a long road to recovery ahead and a lot can be accomplished by working to renew awareness. Please continue to keep Haiti in your thoughts and prayers. Get involved by writing editorials or articles in your local paper and talking to your colleagues, friends, and family. Please contact our office if you would like other ideas about ways to get involved and spread the word about our important mission.