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Haiti: One Year On – 3 Jan 2011

It’s one year since a massive earthquake devastated the Caribbean island of Haiti on 12 January, 2010. Tearfund’s partners and Disaster Management Team continue to work tirelessly to bring hope and rebuild lives.

Thanks to the incredible generosity of supporters across Ireland more than €160,000 was raised. With these funds, Tearfund provided thousands of emergency kits to families with plastic tarpaulin for shelter, plus food, cooking utensils and hygiene kits. And we’ve put in place long-term programmes to help people rebuild their lives – working alongside local churches and partner organisations to rebuild schools and homes, provide small grants for businesses to be re-established, and provide trauma counselling and spiritual support to people at a very low ebb.

To mark the one-year anniversary of the earthquake in Haiti we have created a short film and prayers to use in church service or community group.

Download resources here Haiti Anniversary Powerpoint

Murielle is still grieving. She lost her husband in the earthquake. Tearfund partner Aclam provided emergency shelter and food to Murielle, and they also gave her a €80 grant so she could set up a small business. She sells cosmetics and other small household items in the front porch of her home. The profit she makes means she can still send her children to school. But she is finding a way through her pain – and that is because Tearfund is there for her. She has a lifeline in the form of Aclam’s church volunteer François – who drops in on her at least twice a week, to chat with her, and encourage her in her faith.

In addition to counselling and business grants and all the other ways in which Tearfund’s five partner organisations are reaching out to families, Tearfund has sent in a relief team of trained and experienced specialists. An Irish team will be visiting Haiti in November 2011 to provide training to local health professionals. If you are a health professional and are interested in joining us then learn more here.

Tearfund are also building 500 new homes across a hillside area that suffered 90% destruction in the earthquake. The new homes have strong foundations, and are built to withstand future disasters such as another earthquake or a hurricane. So this is part of Tearfund’s policy to protect disaster-prone areas by building back better.

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