Emergency Relief

History: In the wake of multiple destructive hurricanes in 2008, Hope for Haiti developed an immediate emergency relief response to aid the needs of the thousands of storm survivors in the Les Cayes region. As an immediate action, Hope for Haiti staff bought local recycled 5-gallon vegetable oil buckets in Les Cayes and filled them with all the survival supplies available for local purchase. Each bucket was assembled for a family (5 people on average) with emergency relief supplies including; personal sanitation kits, candles, matches, water purification tablets, and fortified dry meals. These buckets were then quickly distributed to secure distribution locations where the families in the greatest need could be identified. Hope for Haiti also worked hard to better equip healthcare centers with medical supplies through airlifts that provided immediate assistance to locations cut off from road access.

 Hope for Haiti has now included this response effort as a part of our on-going programs. Survival buckets are assembled by volunteers in Haiti throughout the year and stored in strategic locations for distribution in case of an emergency. Hope for Haiti's goal is to always have at least 1,000 buckets prepared for immediate distribution. Having this goal met in 2008 left Hope for Haiti well prepared for immediate action after the January 12th earthquake. We transported all 1,000 buckets, already filled and standing by for dispersal, from Les Cayes and distributed them the day after the earthquake in Port-au-Prince.

Objective: To provide a short-term, immediate response to emergency situations including but not limited to floods, fires, famine, and other severe acts of nature and politics. Limited to Hope for Haiti's geographical location.

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How does Hope for Haiti's response provide families with relief in time of crisis?

Survival buckets are provided to families who have suffered the greatest from a natural or political disaster. The 5-gallon bucket provides a family with the basic survival supplies needed to get through the hardest days and weeks after an emergency. Everything, including the bucket is a local product purchased in Les Cayes, with the exception of the fortified dry food. Each product within the bucket has a practical and immediate use to keep a family healthy after an emergency. The bucket itself provides a family with an important tool to purify water, wash clothes, store and protect food, remove excess water, etc... After witnessing the horrific effects of rising food prices in April 2008, then living through the impact of a deadly hurricane season, Hope for Haiti knows that this small gesture can mean everything to a family who has lost their entire livelihood overnight. This same methodology applied to Hope for Haiti's decisive response to the earthquake on January 12, 2010 and continues to shape our on-going response and recovery plan today.



How can you help a family in need?

• Monetary Donations: For $100 you can help Hope for Haiti prepare and respond to a disaster by sponsoring a Survival Bucket for a family in need.