WorldHope Corps

We went to Leogane to do food distribution today, I was hurt by seeing the broken buildings but was hurt me the most was seeing the people living life refugees on their own land. Knowing Haiti, I have a feeling that this is what it will look like for the next decade or more. Unless the government has a concrete plan of transiting these people from these camping or tenting grounds to communities where they will work, Haiti will end up having millions of little Cite Soleil. Now relief is feeding the people regularly although many are unreached, but I wonder what the plan is when they run out of relief food in the next 3 to 6 months. Miss Valerie, my heart grieves for what the future may look like for Haiti. Any ways, the roads are open up from DR to Jacmel and to Mizak right now. Take care. Ricot Leon Joining God at Work in Haiti Les Cayes, Haiti

Friends, Paul Prevost confirmed that Ron Bush's medical team arrived safely in Jacmel yesterday (1/22). They joined another medical team in Jacmel and immediately went into service. They are staying for two nights in Jacmel at Hotel Cyvadier. Current plans are for the team to come up to Mizak on Sunday afternoon. Paul expressed his appreciation for the donations towards food that arrived with Ron. Supply is still difficult in part because stored supplies have been looted in the cities. However, he felt they could still find food. Prices, of course, have escalated. The staff is meeting tomorrow after church to finalize their plan for distribution. Paul projects that prices will decrease after a couple weeks, as international intervention stablizes the looting, stores resume business, and supplies begin flowing through the country. Housing is a huge, huge issue. Paul asked about tents or earthbag homes for immediate relief. He said everyone is now in fear of concrete structur...

Already over $500,000 of medicine, supplies, equipment and fresh water have been delivered or are on its way to Haitian earthquake victims. Three more Pilatus flights will occur over the weekend, bringing desperately needed aid to our friends at Jimani Hospital. CitiHope's disaster response team is working on procuring an X-ray machine to deliver this weekend, as well as enough food, dishes and utensils to feed Jimani's 800 patients for the coming two weeks. Morphine is urgently needed for the amputations taking place, as is hospital bedding. Paul II will be briefing the CHI team and partners tomorrow with more detailed lists of needs. This 'hosptial of record' with a normal 23-bed capacity is making a heroic effort and we want to support them as best as we possibly can. CitiHope is still receiving requests from other sites in Haiti needing medicine, supplies and food, which Paul II will evaluate in the coming days to identify where we can best bring hope & ...

Friends of Shalom: Last week's earthquake in Haiti devastated the country.  While emergency relief is on-going, rebuilding communities will take years. Beyond immediate disaster response efforts, Drew University and Communities of Shalom are supporting one particular project related to asset-based community and economic development:  an emerging Shalom Zone already known as Haitian Artisans for Peace International (HAPI). www.haitianartisans.com As recovery efforts continue, support of Haitian mission projects through Drew's Disaster Response and the United Methodist  Advance Fund  will be crucial. Haitian Artisans for Peace International is one of 12 Advance projects related to the United Methodist Church directly related to health care, housing, and hunger alleviation.  Human and financial support of these efforts will be a substantial part of rebuilding Haiti. For more information, click here: http://new.gbgm-umc.org/advance/media/n...

Here's an brief update from Paul S. Moore, President of CitiHope, about this weekend's medical airlifts: Hope for Haiti Mission:  Saturday/Sunday On Saturday, 5 Pilatus flights left our Saint Simons Island staging location and hanger, 1 from Huntsville, Al. coordinated by Josie Dittrich, and supported by Mike and Peggy DiBenedtto. (who drove the U-Haul truck south) Pilots are contemporary heroes, with servant hearts all. One more flight will be loaded this afternoon and  another tomorrow (Sunday) for a total to date of 8 relief flights .  Paul Jr. and his team are excelling in every way. They have full access at the Barahona Airport, and the Jimani Hospital ranks CHI as it's best partner from a critical care/focused response point of view. We have established an on-site warehouse, and continue to provide "dial tone" access to us here for further targeted procurement. Yesterday Paul organized the construction of 2 X-Ray exam tables, and delive...

CitiHope's VP and Chief Operating Officer Paul Moore II arrived in Dominican Republic this morning with the second relief shipment of medicine and supplies. Met by Tim Tuccelli, CHI's DR Representative, he immediately left for Jimani Hospital on the Haitian border to deliver the medicine and supplies. Paul reports, "Jimani Hospital has over 800 patients today, with more arriving via military helicoptor every day. The hospital itself only has 23 beds, so they have emptied their Chapel and converted their orphanage (see photo below left) to place patients. They still do not have enough room, and many patients with varying levels of need are outside on the ground. Some have beds, most do not have bedding. They desperately need clean water and food, because malnourishment is rapidly becoming an issue. Food aid simply has not made its way to our location yet." "The hospital's director says there has not been a human catastrophy like in his lifetime - today a...

From CitiHope's Paul Moore II in the DR: The view from ‘the ground’ is staggering. Incredible need, pain and loss. But our local partners are doing amazing work, and are overwhelmed with gratitude for our assistance. They are ‘the real deal’ as my father would say, and I am grateful we can help them. This really is one of the worst crises I have seen (and I’ve seen a fair share) especially due to the complete lack of infrastructure – even in Sri Lanka after the Tsunami there were other areas of the country that were unharmed that could respond and assist quickly. For Haiti, the Dominican Republic is really the closest ‘help’ and the DR isn’t much better off than Haiti was to begin with. Here in the north the food relief that has been sent to PAP simply hasn’t made it here yet. Malnutrition is a great risk now, a week later. Our DR rep, Tim Tuccelli actually used to be a mason, so we’re beginning to construct open-air fire pits/ovens for cooking the food that will come. There are...

 Here’s a local news report and video clip about the CitiHope medical airlifts into Dominican Republic for Jimani hospital treating injured Haitians.  Paul Moore Jr. arrived in the DR this morning and the team is unloading the medical supplies for the doctors doing triage. Direct Video Link: http://www.wbng.com/news/local/82194582.html?video=YHI&t=a Article & Video Link: http://www.wbng.com/news/local/82194582.html Let's keep working together.   Michael J. Christensen WorldHope Corps       11 Ardsleigh Drive Madison, NJ 07940

Here’s an update on the CitiHope medical relief effort for Haiti: Life-saving medicine, medical supplies and equipment are on their way to Samaritan Hospital in Jimani, DR, which has been receiving large numbers of patients from Haiti in the aftermath of last week’s earthquake. The first relief flight landed at 9 AM today in Barahona, Dominican Republic, with water purification systems, satellite telecom sets, medicines, casting materials, two medical doctors, and supplies. The second medical shipment is staged at Saint Simons Island, GA, ready to be loaded on the next flight which leaves tomorrow morning at 5am for the airport nearest Jimani, DR, just eight miles from the Haitian border.    Paul Moore II, Vice President of CitiHope International, will accompany this shipment and ensure its delivery directly to the medical volunteers treating patients brought in from Haiti. Among the doctors on-site to treat the injured is an ER Surgeon from Harvard/Operational Medical...

Here's a Hope Update from Paul S. Moore, President of CitiHope International--our partner in the Haiti Relief Mission: CitiHope International successfully assembled a select group of top priority trauma care medical supplies and pharmaceuticals at its Andes, New York warehouse keyed to "most needed" requested from our target hospital beneficiary caring for Haitian earthquake survivors relocated to the Dominican Republic. More than two dozen staff and volunteers worked over the weekend to pack the supplies and send our first truck on its way yesterday at 3:30pm, driven by Mike and Peggy DiBenedetto, volunteers and field representatives from CitiHope's response to Hurricane Katrina. They will arrive at Saint Simons Island, GA this afternoon with CHI's initial primary response aid, and will coordinate loading our planes as they arrive and depart for Barahona over the coming days. The Le Bon Samaritan Hospital in Jimani, Dominican Republic , and chief administ...

Many have asked how WorldHope Corps is responding to the crisis in Haiti.   We joined CitiHope International as a partner in delivering medical aid to Le Bon Samaritan Hospital in Jimani, Dominican Republic, just across the border from Haiti, that is ramping up to serve those in need of emergency care. CitiHope International is an NGO I know quite well, used to work for and still partner with from time to time for special projects.  When Paul Moore,  , President of CitiHope and my friend for 30 years, called to ask my help during Katrina, I volunteered to take medical supplies to the Gulf Coast and bring separated minors back from the Astrodome to family members in the northeast.  When he called last week to inivte my involvement in CitiHope's Haiti Relief Mission, I offered to help through WorldHope Corps and Communties of Shalom.    CitiHope's mission is to procure needed medicine and supplies and take them by plain to Jimani, Dominican Republi...

In Chinese calligraphy, the characters for Crisis contain the characters for Opportunity.  In every crisis there is an opportunity for committed action and amazing results. Wednesday Morning, January 13 .  Like most Americans, I am focused on the horrifying images streaming in on the News network as the full magnitude of the Earthquake in Haiti becomes apparent.   What do to in a crisis like this?  How to help?  Who to turn to? What can be done at this point?  Is there anything, anything at all you can do beyond sending a cash donation to your favorites charities? First, you 'let your heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God.'  That’s the compassion we all feel.   A ten year old girl gets pulled from the rubble of a collapsed building in Port-au-Prince, and she could have lived, but there was no doctor to treat her injuries. So she has to die. Horrific.   Breaks your heart, as it breaks God’s heart. ...