Haiti
Haiti earthquake response: Food relief
Providing emergency food supplies to families in Haiti affected by earthquakes and tropical storms
Crisis Response
The Need
On August 14, 2021, a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti’s southern peninsula, killing more than 2,000 people and injuring more than 12,000. Tragically, among those killed were 14 Compassion-assisted beneficiaries, as well as 83 caregivers and siblings. Additionally, 139 beneficiaries and 250 of their family members were injured. About 1,300 church partner staff were also affected.
With more than 137,000 homes left either destroyed or severely damaged, many Haitians were still reeling from this disaster when just two days later, on August 16th, they were hit by Tropical Depression Grace. The storm triggered massive flooding in the earthquake-impacted community of Les Cayes, delaying relief efforts.
Long before these devastating events, Haiti was already ranked the poorest country in the Caribbean and is one of the most food-insecure countries in the world. Already facing the COVID-19 pandemic, gang violence and political turmoil following the assassination of President Jovenel Moise on July 7, 2021, the earthquake and tropical storm left an estimated 40 per cent of the population in immediate need of humanitarian assistance. In the wake of these disasters, food was either not available or simply too costly for families who had lost their livelihoods. Furthermore, the banking system was closed for several days following the earthquake, making it difficult for caregivers to access whatever little available cash they may have had. Thousands of displaced families sought shelter with friends and relatives who had little to share themselves.
Compassion Haiti acted quickly, contacting frontline church partners immediately following the earthquake and deploying two assessment teams to determine the immediate needs of children and families. The second team reported a massive need for food relief, clothing and hygiene supplies, as well as post-traumatic stress counselling.
Our Response
With your support, Compassion Haiti was able to deliver 2,508 emergency food packages and 14,591 cash disbursements to families impacted by the earthquake and tropical storm disasters. Implementation of this effort began in September 2021. Following the receipt of funds, our church partners moved quickly to purchase the food kits and secure cash to reach those in more isolated areas where it would be difficult to transport food goods.
In all, 3,001 food kits were delivered that included items like cooking oil, pasta, beans and canned tuna. Most kits were distributed to the highly impacted South, Nippes and Grand-Anse regions, while around 44 kits were distributed to victims in the West region. To ensure that families living in more remote communities could access support quickly, Compassion Haiti decided to distribute cash gifts instead of directly delivering food to them. A total of 14,591 beneficiaries received this cash support, enabling them to purchase their own food and provisions locally.
The initial budget for this intervention was amended for several reasons. After reassessing the situation, Compassion teams determined that 591 additional families in some of the most impacted areas needed immediate cash support. Forty-four Compassion-assisted beneficiaries who were in the city of Port-au-Prince during the earthquake also received food kits for their families who were in the southern region and had been left in dire need. A further expense was added after 493 food packages were stolen or vandalized during transport and had to be replaced. Thankfully, no one was killed or injured during these incidents.
Activities
Cash distribution: Cash amounts were distributed to 14,591 Compassion-assisted children and 1,346 staff members living in more remote regions, so they could purchase their own food items as quickly as possible.
Food kits: In all, 3,001 emergency food kits were distributed to beneficiaries and their families. The kits contained essential items like pasta, beans, rice and cooking oil. Beneficiaries were so excited and relieved to receive the packages, as the earthquake had left them completely desperate.
Transportation: Churches mobilized teams to transport the food kits to families in need. In the midst of political unrest, this was a dangerous endeavour and several of the delivery trucks were robbed and vandalized en route to their destination. Despite this, volunteers and staff persevered and were able to reach the most vulnerable with food aid.
Your Gift Provides...
Food packages or cash support were given to the families of 15,654 Compassion-assisted children and 1,346 centre staff:
● 3,001 food packages containing staple items such as cooking oil, pasta, rice, beans, peanut butter or processed tuna for Compassion-registered children
● US$15 cash for 14,591 registered children and US$20 cash for 1,346 centre staff in remote areas to purchase food staples
● Transportation for food kits
● Security to protect the food deliveries
● Handling fee
ReportA message from a caregiver
An Answered Prayer: Soraya’s Story
“I told you God would answer my prayers,” six-year-old Soraya said as she quickly looked through the emergency food box in front of her.
Three days after a devastating 7.2 earthquake hit southwestern Haiti on Saturday August 14, Soraya told her grandmother Ana she had prayed for God to provide her favourite food. To Ana’s surprise, God answered Soraya’s prayer.
“After the earthquake, our house was completely destroyed. It was no longer safe to live there,” Ana said. She has raised her young granddaughter alone since Soraya’s parents passed away. “Soraya and I were at the church at the time of the earthquake, so we were safe, but we weren’t able to get any of our belongings, including food to eat. That is when Soraya told me that she had prayed to God for a box of cornflakes, her favourite cereal, and I was amazed to see that prayer become a reality.”
Ana and Soraya were extremely thankful that during the earthquake they were at the church for Soraya’s regular Compassion centre activities. When the quake hit, the building’s walls stayed standing. However, they arrived home to a devastating sight. The walls of their home in Cavaillon, a hard-hit region, had collapsed. It was uninhabitable.
With aftershocks a real threat, and their house weak and unstable, it was too dangerous for Soraya and her grandmother to go inside their home. They returned to the Baptist Church of Valbrune to seek help from the pastor and the staff.
“The pastor didn’t hesitate to offer us temporary shelter on the church grounds,” Ana said. “He has been supervising the efforts to support us and others who also lost their homes with temporary shelter at the church.”
This shelter meant that Soraya and Ana didn’t have to sleep on the streets or look for a crowded government-run shelter, which could place the safety of a little girl and older woman at risk. Soraya spent the three days after the earthquake at the church grounds with her grandmother, washing clothes and trying to keep their minds off the traumatic event and losing their home. She had quickly memorized the faces of the other families staying at the church grounds and the church staff. When she saw an unfamiliar vehicle arrive, she immediately ran to greet the strangers. “Did you come to rebuild my house?” she asked.
After that unexpected greeting to the staff, Soraya immediately started a conversation with them. She wanted to know the purpose of their visit. The group was a delegation from Compassion Haiti’s National Office in the capital city of Port-au-Prince. They explained they were sent to help her and other children like her and to see the damage the earthquake had caused. Like her community, some of the areas are so remote the team had to drive for six hours to reach them.
Soraya showed the staff where she and her grandmother were sleeping. She also led them to the remains of her home.
“Despite everything that happened with our house, Soraya still keeps finding reasons to smile and not lose hope,” Ana said.
One of the things the little girl has learned through Compassion’s program is that when she has a need, she could pray to God. And that is what Soraya did. “I asked God to send us my favourite cereal,” Soraya said. “And when I ended my prayer I said, ‘Jesus will send me cornflakes, Grandma, wait and see’.”
“I was surprised to see how Soraya’s prayers were answered through a box of cereal,” Ana said. “She understands the power of prayer.”
After the Compassion team assessed the need and strategized with the pastor and local leaders on the best approach to support the most vulnerable families and children, they went to their trucks and started unloading boxes of emergency food for the families affected by the earthquake.
As Soraya opened the box of food, she smiled at her grandmother. Holding out the big red box of cornflakes, she told her grandmother, “I told you God would answer my prayers.”
ReportA message from those your gift helped
My life was very difficult before this intervention was completed. The earthquake had broken down our house, and we had nothing to eat.
There are seven people in our house, and me and my sister are enrolled in the program. Thanks to the intervention, my family received money that enabled us to buy groceries to feed ourselves. This has been a great relief to us.
It means a lot for me and my family to know there are people who think of us and bring hope to us. Through this intervention, I have learned that God has a plan for His children. I would like to thank you deeply from my heart for this compassionate gesture.
ReportThank you for your generosity
The August 14th earthquake plunged thousands of people in southern Haiti into total despair. Not only did some families lose loved ones, but they now faced a totally uncertain future. Having lost their homes and their jobs, many caregivers simply didn’t know how they were going to feed, shelter and clothe their children in the days and weeks ahead.
With your generous support, this intervention has brought hope to thousands of families impacted by the earthquake and storm disasters through emergency food relief, delivered directly by way of food packages as well as through cash support. Families are so grateful for your generosity, which has helped them survive this crisis. Knowing there are people around the world who are willing to support them without even knowing them has helped these children, their families and the dedicated church staff who serve them to begin picturing a better tomorrow.
While it is not a disaster relief organization, Compassion is committed to supporting children and families in the wake of disaster events so they can rebuild their lives and continue pursuing holistic development. Because of you, children and their families in Haiti who were impacted by these events know that they have not been abandoned and that God will always provide for them, no matter what challenges are still to come. Having hope for the future will give children, families and church staff the courage they will need to recover and rebuild in the months and years ahead. Thank you for reaching out with Christ’s love during this difficult time!
ReportA message from a centre director
It was something significant for Compassion to be able to bring relief to the beneficiaries right after the earthquake. This gesture had a great impact on the beneficiaries’ lives.
Thanks to this intervention, the church leaders, the Sunday school teachers, the tutors, the church and the board members have benefited from either food or cash. This helped them so much after the earthquake.
This intervention has given the church more visibility in the community and people have come to have more confidence in us as evangelical leaders. It has reinforced the way we preach the gospel to people in the community.
First, I would like to thank the field office, which was able to quickly bring support to us as well as for mobilizing donors. I also want to thank the donors who provided money for this intervention. May God continue blessing you—as the Scripture states, there is more grace in giving than receiving.