charity: water

Here’s what we’re hearing from our partners in Haiti:

Concern Worldwide reports from Jacmel (near Port-au-Prince) that 85% of central buildings in the area are destroyed, including a hospital. People are still being pulled from the rubble covering the city; some have sent text messages crying for help from within a destroyed UN building.

As we wrote earlier, Concern is still operating from their office in Port-au-Prince, which survived the quake. Celine, Concern’s Nutritionist, assessed six local health centers supported by the organization to find that three are functioning.
Concern is arranging two flights from Europe with emergency supplies in the coming week and reports the World Food Programme has started handing out food in main squares. More supplies are still needed, though.

We’re hearing from Partners in Health that the UN and Red Cross came to help control the crowds of people searching for family members in Port-au-Prince. Staff from Medishare in Thomonde also arrived to help with the busloads of injured people arriving at PIH facilities.

These photos were taken by PIH clinicians in Hinche:

The biggest need for our partners is still donations:

Click here to donate to Partners in Health.
Click here to donate to Concern Worldwide.

We’re still taking donations in our NYC office for specific items tomorrow and on Monday — see the post below for details.

Here’s what’s going on with our partners in Haiti:

Amanda Schwartz of Partners in Health has been relaying emails coming to her from PIH’s health facility in Cange, which is treating an influx of patients from Port-au-Prince around the clock:

“Port-au-Prince is devastated, lot of deaths. SOS. SOS… Temporary field hospital by us at UNDP [United Nations Development Program] needs supplies, pain meds, bandages. Please help us.”

“We really need sheets and blankets and clothes — it’s been cold and people are in shock as is. Last night was long and cold in Cange, even with the addition of half of the fabric from Jackie’s shop cut into sheets. Also, soap and general hygiene items.”

PIH clinicians also sent these photos this afternoon. The emergency room at the PIH facility was overflowing with patients from Port-au-Prince, so they set up an emergency triage in a church in Cange:

Partners in Health are still taking donations — click here to give straight to the relief efforts in Haiti.

Our other partners, Concern Worldwide, told us they have located the majority of their staff in Haiti and are operating out of their central office in Port-au-Prince, which withstood the quake even though the nearby hospital in Petit Ville collapsed. From the moment the quake struck, teams launched relief efforts and life-saving assistance from this building. More teams from their New York office have since joined and plan to stay as long as they’re needed.

Concern has launched a public emergency appeal for $7.5 million in order to continue search and rescue missions as well as food, water, shelter and medicine distribution. They’re accepting donations online here. Right now, they are focusing on immediate survival needs, but the work spans more than that. Their history in Haiti and commitment to sustainable development will keep them involved in areas affected by the quake for as long as necessary.