WorldHope Corps

This morning I received Valerie's update on the situation on the ground in Mizak, Haiti.   She and her mission service team will leave on Saturday for Haiti with cash for food and some emergency supplies and help in time of need.  Paul Prevost, who lives there and deals daily with increasing needs and desperate demands for food and shelter, is trying to feed 500 kids 3 days a week in the "Peace Park" next to his house that still stands.  He needs cash now not only to buy rice and beans, but to buy materials and hire local labor to build a security wall around Peace Park to protect the kids in his care.  And there is a continuing need for tarps, tents, and sanitation for the children of Mizak.  Here's Valerie's update:  Paul called again today and if you could only hear!! the kids are so loud! He said they have more coming above the 500 that came last week, and he is unsure how to respond, given that he has no means to enclose the inscribed children from...

An appeal from Valerie for HAPI Community of Shalom.   The din of children in the background nearly drowned out Paul Prevost’s voice, as he explained to me that the 300 children to which HAPI has been providing food for 3 family meals per week has jumped to 500.   Paul told me that they distribute the dry food on one day and then organize the children’s activity days for the next 3 consecutive days rather than every other day because they know the children have food at home and will have energy to play. After the 3 days is done: they wait.   Aid is not reaching the countryside. Aid is not reaching into easily accessible points of PortauPrince. Linda Threadgill, director of Morning Star Christian Academy in Port-au-Prince (my former employer) face-booked:   "WE GOT FOOD YESTERDAY FROM THE MUSLIMS! Got to give some out. More people are eating for another week. Still do not see where all the donations are going! Please do not stop praying. We need all of yo...

After four weeks, we're starting to see some relief and hope in the horrific crisis in Haiti. However, incredible obstacles still remain in place. Our Shalom work in Mizak, Haiti, is stretched to its limits, running out of food, unable to provide emergency shelter, and asking for immediate help. Paul Prevost, Coordinator of HAPI Community of Shalom, called Valerie Nossman-Celestine, co-founder of HAPI, with the din of hungry children nearly drowning him out! He said they tried a ticketing system to hold the count at 300 for food distribution, but they have 500 there today. There are Food and Shelter provisions in Port–au-Prince, and available trucks for transportation, but security is a major concern and logistics are an overwhelming challenge…thus not much product is getting out of the cargo storage areas near the airport.   The only food and tents that get out to Mizak—3 hours SW of the city—are being brought in by visiting mission teams who are limited in their tran...

Mizak Haiti Shalom Zone  is still in need of the basics:  nutritional food and temporary shelter.  Currently trying to access available provisons in Port-au-Prince, but there are many logistical obstacles.  Pre-packaged food, tarps and tents are being purchased by mission volunteers who are traveling to Mizak, Haiti on February 20.  Let's pray for and support them, as we're able.       Community of Shalom Site Profile Site Coordinator: Paul Prevost ( Haiti ), Hapiest2007@yahoo.fr This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Valerie Mossman-Celestin (US), valeriem@wmcumc.org   This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Site Description: Mizak is a mountainous, rural communal section of the Ridore commune consisting of 23 localities (“zones”), situated in the South-East department of Haiti , 80 km south of Port-au-Prince and 12 km we...

This report just in from  Phillip Snyder, GLOW Ministries International--one of the local partners of HAPI in Haiti:     The seconds blur into minutes, minutes into hours, hours into days. Shock and surprise in the quake zone, Haiti, meet us around nearly every corner. It is impossible to absorb the flood of sights, sounds, smells and expressions. The roller coaster of urgency is overwhelming while the slow crawl of response fogs up our hearts and eyes with frustration. Today is Saturday, February 6, 2010, nearly one month since the 7.3 earthquake demolished much of Port au Prince and the southern cities. Those of us here are living moment to moment. Loss of life and human suffering often become vague in a catastrophe of this magnitude. I personally extend my deepest sympathy to those of you who have suffered such loss. The trauma of this event will not soon be forgotten.         The death toll is now estimated at as high as 200,000, some...

Mizak, Haiti, week three: "Everyone still is living in fear of more quakes, aftershocks and falling buildings.   Whole communities are living outside of their homes like the picture on the left shows.  The f irst medical team arrived last week and others are on their way.  Food distribution began last week but food will run out soon. "Prepackaged nutritious meals" are available if we can find transport. Army tents are needed, or at least tarps to keep out the rain."  Again, sponsors and transport are needed and being worked on daily.   Damage in Mizak: 325+ houses completely destroyed and 217 structurally unsound.  Needed:  food security, fresh water, dry shelter. "This is a health hazard that needs immediate attention."     Communities of Shalom, WorldHope Corps, and other groups hope to provide some tents, tarps, and temporary shelters and long-term housing in partnership with HAPI.  Our friends on the ground have requested help i...

Mizak, Haiti, is designated by the government as a "communal section" which is further subdivided into 23 localities or "zones" HAPI's geographical scope is the 23 localities.  Our headquarters is based in a subsection also entitled Mizak, which is the center of the communal section. Transportation to and from and around this rocky, mountainous terrain is a challenge. Team housing is provided in Paul Prevost's family home and in a small, adjacent 'HAPI House.' HAPI had its beginnings in the Grand Rapids District Peace with Justice Community and our Annual Conference has a Covenant relationship to Haiti, and we are also an Advance Special of GBGM.  Our idea is for HAPI to be a 'sister' Shalom Community with the Grand Rapids District three new shalom teams currently in training.  Shalom: Living in a community of peace is the ultimate vision for Haiti Artists for Peace International .   For them peace means living without daily fear. Thei...

HAPI Shalom Zone Update    Three weeks after Haiti’s devastating earthquake, leaving over 100,000 dead, most structures collapsed, the government in disarray and relief agencies overwhelmed, thinking about a new Haiti has just barely begun. Still, there are reasons for hope and opportunities to witness God’s Shalom in Haiti.   An editorial in this morning’s New York Times described the horror of old Haiti : “It is a nation of the homeless and the maimed.  Despite a stunning global surge of aid, many survivors still lack water, food and tents.  Thousands sleep outdoors in Port-au-Prince, in terror of aftershocks.  Roads, ports, communications—all in terrible shape before—are shattered….”  (New York Times, Monday, February1, 2010).  The article called for at least four sensible proposals for rebuilding a new Haiti. 1.       Promote Self-Sufficiency through encouraging investments, local product preference for interna...