Category: News (Page 92 of 100)

Hi everyone,

It isn’t often we do this twice in one month, but information is about to be released we thought we should let you know about beforehand.

A Washington consulting firm, LTL Strategies, was hired by USAID to look at the impact of rubble removal programs so people could move back into their homes. To figure out how many people left their homes, the authors wanted to know how many people died and wouldn’t return. This study estimates the January 2010 death toll at no more than 85,000 and as low as 46,000. However, Mark Feierstein of the U.S. Agency for International Development says, “the report is problematic because the authors used statistical sampling that was not representative. The study didn’t include data from heavily damaged areas in Haiti’s countryside or from the number of houses that collapsed and killed people.” These figures are much lower than the commonly cited figure of 316,000, the count we have used many times and the one published by the Haitian Government.

As we have said and written many times since the earthquake, no one will ever know the true figure. Most of the buildings, and especially multi-floor buildings, sit now (17 months after the quake) as they did moments after it happened. No one has ever been the in first floor of many if not most … so how can they have an accurate count? They can’t. This report will do no good in Haiti. Haiti was in a crisis prior to the earthquake, much more of one since, and little has been done to improve it.

Our point is this: this far down the road from January 12, 2010, people are still living in tents. Except for the areas where there are feeding programs, people are starving. And now after days of heavy rains, people are dying from floods and still from cholera, which has again reared its ugly head and has already killed over 5000 people. Lets concentrate on that.

To us, the number of those who died is a moot point. The important thing is that many died, many homes were destroyed, many were and still are in need. You have responded to help in the areas of the country where we work, and those people are eternally grateful for the sacrifices you make for them.

Serving HIM together,

Steve and Terry

(Parts of this were taken from a report written by Trenton Daniel of the AP.)

Finally, Haiti has a new president. Michel  Martelly was sworn into power May 14, and as luck would have it … the power went off during the ceremonies. To say the least, he faces monumental challenges: reconstruction from the earthquake, the ongoing cholera epidemic, soaring gas and food prices (that sounds like home!) and the fact he is an “outsider” when it comes to politics.

Hillary Clinton speaks of the mandate he has because of his 65 per cent of the vote cast during the run off election, but the fact there were only 16 per cent of the voters who even bothered to vote seems well less than a mandate. Many thought, wrongly, that by staying away from the polls, the better known and better qualified candidate would win.

Lost in all the news, political and otherwise, is the cholera. It has been determined that the strain was brought to Haiti by U.N. members from Nepal who were dumping their waste into known waterways. Although the cholera isn’t making any news now, it has killed 5,000 people, and according to the Pan-American Health Organization it has sickened over 250,000. Today comes the report it has now spread to the Dominican Republic. With hurricane season approaching, authorities are fearing it will affect even more in both countries.

Gasoline, which fuels most of the “tap-taps” (public transportation), is almost $5 a gallon, forcing them to raise the price of a ride, which in turn increases the price of … which in turn increases the price of … . All of us here know how this affects everything we do and buy.

It is ironic to hear people say things were better in the months right after the quake, because of all the food and supplies that were being sent into the country. They were cheap to buy or they were given free. Now with this supply gone, food, gas, clothes — everything single thing a person needs to live — is higher than it ever has been. Just as here, the problem there is that income has not risen accordingly. For those who have a job in Haiti, the minimum wage is $5 US a day. Those days are 12 hours long, usually 6 days a week. But it is a job and anyone who has one is very thankful for it.

According to an Associated Press report filed on May 1, half of Haiti’s 10 million people live on less than $2 a day and thousands more depend on handouts. Undernourished children are very easy to spot now by the orange tinge in their hair.

Local prices have also affected the price of the beans and rice we buy for the programs. But thankfully, you have responded to this need and those programs have not missed a beat — or a mouth. We know we have said this before, but what you do really is the difference between life and death for many in these areas. Without these programs, they would have nothing. It’s just that simple.

As always, we are deeply grateful for all you do to help and for your prayers. Together, we are making a difference.

Serving HIM together,

Steve and Terry