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Haiti Earthquake Relief Updates




Map of Haiti

Click to give to the earthquake relief effort.Fact Sheet (PDF):
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Per the IRS, monetary donations for Haiti relief made between 1/11 and 2/28/2010, may be deducted on 2009 tax returns.

Information about members of our relief team in Haiti:
Fr. Rick FrechetteRobin SchwartzFerel Bruno
Haiti Fast Facts
• Poorest country in the Western
  Hemisphere
• History of instability, violence and
  dictatorship
• Frequent natural disasters
• Population: 9 Million
• Most people live on less than $2 a
  day
• Friends of the Orphans has helped
  orphaned and abandoned children
  in Haiti since 1987
• NPH/NPFS is home to 350+ 
  children, supports 150+
  externally and assists more than
  30,000 Haitians each year
Fr. Rick Frechette, CP, D.O.,
  oversees all the NPH/NPFS
  programs in Haiti
 

Previous Updates



Update July 12, 2010
Haiti: Six Months Later

It has been six months since the devastating January 12 Haitian earthquake altered the lives of millions of men, women and children, but Friends of the Orphans’ commitment to doing everything in our power to help those affected remains steadfast. Recent media reports have called attention to a variety of negative aspects with respect to nonprofit organizations focusing on Haiti, including: abuses or misappropriation of funds, nonprofits being forced to permanently close their doors and fraudulent groups seeking aid donations.

Friends of the Orphans has an entirely different and uplifting story to tell, and while it is important to note that we have only begun meeting the children’s needs in Haiti, our accomplishments during the past six months are vast. Supporters of Friends of the Orphans, which has been in existence for more than 40 years, should feel confident that their donations are being spent wisely and are making a tremendous, direct difference. By allowing us to direct  donations to those areas most in need, we are able to fulfill our mission of transforming the lives of orphaned, abandoned and disadvantaged children. 


We are proud to show you where these funds have gone, where they continue to go, and the impact they are making:

CURRENT INITIATIVES:
  • Father Wasson Angels of Light Program: Outreach program for vulnerable and displaced children due to the earthquake. We have identified and are helping more than 2,000 on a daily basis, providing a day camp for those from tent cities, large scale food distribution to tent cities, a transition center for displaced children, comprehensive medical services and educational opportunities. 
  • Shipping Container Transformation: Currently, we are transforming shipping containers formerly used to transport supplies into fully-functional hospital rooms on the site of St. Damien’s Hospital. This allows us to help not just children, but adults in need of medical care as well. These structures will eventually become permanent. 
  • Continuing Life Saving After-Care: Many treated immediately following the earthquake are now in need of additional follow-up surgeries, prosthetics and medical treatment. We are focusing on the long-term care of both adults and children. 
  • St. Damien’s Hospital Repair: Making significant repairs to perimeter walls, tower, chapel, hospital walls and infrastructure so it can continue serving as the country’s only free pediatric facility treating thousands each year.
  • Father Wasson Baby House: Facility designed to treat those newborn through age 6 and provide necessary care and medical attention.

FUTURE INITIATIVES:

  • Establishment of a new orphanage: For those left orphaned on January 12, this home for 350 is in addition to our St. Helene orphanage, where 350 children lived prior to the earthquake. 
  • Rebuilding the Fr. Wasson Center: This building, which collapsed on January 12, will be rebuilt as an administration center and will include an Earthquake Memorial for those staff and volunteers who tragically lost their lives. 
  • Construction of New Adult Hospital: To expand our mission, this facility will provide medical attention to adults in need. 
  • Construction of New High School: So children can continue transforming their lives through educational opportunities.
Although we have accomplished so much in such a short amount of time, donations continue to be critical to providing as much support as possible. For more information on our programs, the latest news and how you can help, please continue to visit our Web site at www.friendsoftheorphans.org. Thank you for your support.

Our kids from the Dominican share their thanks for their brothers and sisters in Haiti




  
  
Update June 18, 2010
 Angels of Light Program: Kenson and Wade
Strategy for Vulnerable Children
Reinhart Koehler, Director of Family Services, NPH International 

In the past, NPHI frequently has been asked why we have not accepted a large number of orphaned and abandoned children who were victims from the massive earthquake on January 12, 2010 in Haiti. In fact, NPFS began immediately to respond to the tragedy through various crucial relief efforts, saving many lives especially in the first days after the quake.

While the initial emergency response in trying to rescue trapped people from rubble and providing medical care was still the primary focus, NPFS, with support from NPHI, began to explore how to best help the many displaced and vulnerable children that resulted from the earthquake. To this day, estimates on how many children became partially or fully orphaned vary greatly. However, it is clear that there is an overwhelming need for care for this population.

The main challenge is to establish which children are truly orphaned, which have an extended family with whom they could be placed, and which are children for whose care NPH is not suited (street children, children who escaped jail during the earthquake etc.). Also, in light of international child trafficking NPFS staff needs to be very careful to work closely with the local authorities. This slows down the whole process of identifying children as the local authorities are overwhelmed by the current situation.

The approach NPFS chose was to begin to work with the children of different camps and shelter areas where families who lost their homes found temporary refuge. In the course of a very short time, Alfonso Leon from NPH International Family Services, together with over 100 youth, many of whom are former pequeños and pequeños, organized the Father Wasson’s Angels of Light (FWAL) Program. FWAL serves almost 2,000 children daily at the onsite day camp established on the St. Luke soccer field next to the St. Damien Hospital and in other tent cities located throughout the Port-au-Price area. Through the FWAL program, the children receive food, medical care, and participate in educational and recreational activities. By serving vulnerable and displaced children, NPSF has come to know the children and their background, identifying more and more orphaned and abandoned children. Some, who had no place to go, began living at the FWAL camp.

In short, instead of accepting children without much knowledge about them and their background, NPFS proceeded to:
  • Befriend and get to know the children in order to identify those whom NPFS can help by bringing them into a home.
  • Serve and support them in the place they are living.
  • Develop a long-term strategy for how to assist displaced and vulnerable children left in the wake of the earthquake.
Strategy to Help Displaced and Vulnerable Children in Haiti

St. Helene
Our home in Kenscoff, St. Helene, currently serves 353 children living at the home and 280 children who attend the on-site school from 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., receiving a snack, a full meal, and most importantly, a good education. NPFS Haiti decided some years ago to limit the ages of children living at St. Helene to 6 – 14 years, because of the extreme climate, lack of space and water, and the distance to central facilities such as hospitals or higher education institutions.

After the earthquake, Sister Altagrace, House Director of St. Helene indicated that the home had enough space to take in about 60 children. However, the Sisters who serve St. Helene decided some time ago that they needed to improve the quality of care beginning with the repair and renovation of the 25-year old homes where the children live.

Sister Altagrace’s work and that of the Salesian nuns have shown good results. The children do better in school and we now have a growing number of successful Year of Service pequeños and pequeñas. The emphasis on providing improved care in a quality environment is producing results in a more positive self-image of the children.

The following plan to bring in children will hopefully allow for a successful integration of up to 60 children ages 6 – 14. In order to expedite the intake of children, funding for the missing repair and restoration work on the compound is urgent.

Children Under Six Years of Age
For children under six, NPFS rented a house for two years, until the new babies’ home in Tabarre is built. We hope to accommodate up to 40 children. This rented house is located in Tabarre, not too far from the St. Damien Hospital. It is managed by Claudia, a Hermana Mayor who grew up at St. Helene.

Youth Over 14 Years of Age
NPFS is planning to build a school/residential area for up to 200 youth 14 years and older next to the hospital on a recently purchased property. Until this project is finished, NPFS is exploring other options on how to serve this population. The Angels team is currently investigating setting up a provisional camp to protect the additional children that have been identified as vulnerable and displaced. More information will follow as it develops.

In general, NPHI and NPFS contemplate a variety of program concepts at this time in terms of feasibility and viability. For instance, a small loan program to rebuild or repair homes for those who can pay back a loan has been initiated. Needs have changed and will change in the future as the situation in Haiti hopefully changes for the better. 

Donate to support our repair and relief efforts in Haiti.



Previous Updates



Related Information: 
Updates on American Volunteers in Haiti 
  • Remembrance given at the Friends of the Orphans National Board Meeting
What does Friends of the Orphans Do in Haiti?
How Can I Help?
Earthquake in Haiti Fact Sheet
Message from Fr. Rick
VIDEO: ABC News at St. Damien Hospital
VIDEO: NBC Nightly News at St. Damien Hospital
NPH Haiti Fact Sheet/Visitor's Guide
Helping in Haiti
Friends of the Orphans Haiti Initiative
VIDEO: Fr. Rick Frechette in Haiti
Their Stories: Father Rick Frechette, CP, D.O.
Rehabilitation and Educational Center for Disabled Children Opens in Haiti
You are here.Make a donation.FRIENDS in HaitiFRIENDS Relief EffortsEnglish Fact SheetSpanish Fact SheetHow Can I Help?.In the Media