October 6, 2016
On 4 October Hurricane Matthew struck Haiti. In response, All We Can has opened an emergency appeal and made an initial £10,000 available to our local partners on the ground who will be able to respond to those in greatest need. We are calling on all our supporters to respond with anything you can afford towards the relief effort that is required in the coming days and months. Please go to www.awcdev.us/haiti to give now.
An estimated 1.4 million people require urgent humanitarian assistance as a result of Hurricane Matthew. More than 60,000 people have been evacuated or displaced and at least 1,000 people have died. These numbers are expected to rise as more information becomes available.
All We Can has continued to work with partners in Haiti since the nation was hit by a powerful and devastating earthquake that killed an estimated 220,000 people and left a further 300,000 people injured in January 2010. Our supporters responded generously to enable All We Can to reach out to communities in need at that time in the rebuilding of their homes, and more recently in the strengthening of health systems. In the wake of Hurricane Matthew further support is needed now more than ever.
Stephanie Dalton, All We Can’s Capacity Development Manager, is currently in Haiti working with our partners. She writes from Port-au-Prince:
“Arriving in Haiti last Saturday, my plan was to visit some of the church’s health clinics that All We Can supports. On Sunday, however, it became clear that Hurricane Matthew, the strongest Atlantic hurricane in over a decade, was on path to make landfall in Haiti on Monday night. Schools all over the country were closed on Monday and the streets became quiet as people retreated to their homes or evacuation centres. Throughout the next two days there was heavy rainfall in Port-au-Prince with winds and flooding, especially in the south of the country. Support agencies are considering how they should respond and church leaders have been trying to make contact with their people in the affected areas, but communication has been difficult. A bridge connecting the south to Port-au-Prince collapsed during the hurricane, which makes road access impossible. It may take days for there to be a clearer indication of the extent of the damage and people’s current needs. What we do know is, people will desperately need help.”
All We Can has been working with communities in Haiti for six years thanks to the generosity of its supporters. We are here again to provide the vital assistance to those who need it most.
Give today online to our Haiti Emergency Appeal please or call 020 3758 7700. If you would like to order Gift Aid envelopes to take up a collection in your church please call the same number or email info@allwecan.org.uk
Photo © ACT Alliance/LWF
Last updated 11 October 2016
