Skip to main content

Earthquake in Haiti—One Month After

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 transportation capacity.  They desperately need help with food and shelter for 600+ families and 500+ children in Mizak who are looking toward H.A.P.I. Communities of Shalom for help and hope.

Among the 23 localities within the communal section of Mizak, in total, 542 houses have been assessed as completely destroyed or beyond repair.  This is only the initial assessment within 2 zones which had not yet completed their count.  Thousands more no doubt are homeless and hungry and in need of assistance.  As the initial assessment number rises, as buildings/homes that were initially counted as 'standing' are discovered to have cracks that necessitate that they be demolished and rebuilt, the situation in many ways is getting worse rather than better. On the other hand, Hope is on the Way.  A medical group was there last week, another service teams arrives next week, and a mental health team is scheduled to arrive on March 6. (Personally, I hope to join the March team as a field traumatologist and National Director of Communities of Shalom.)
                                            
Valerie Nossman-Celestine, co-founder of HAPI, suggests that at least 600 homeless families are homeless and in need of tarps, tents, or temporary shelters NOW, and have zero reserve to rebuild themselves. Family size can range up to a dozen per household, but with an average of 7 per family, the total homeless population within the communal section of Mizak at 4,200. (This does not include those who still have a house but are sleeping outside out of fear!)

At least 200 people are sleeping in the immediate area around HAPI Shalom Director Paul Prevost’s house and at the adjacent Peace Park.  Paul continues to ‘beg’ for food, tarps and tents, but so far only a few provisions have arrived, only a drop in the bucket of the total need.

“If we secure larger tents,” says Valerie, we will not raise them inside the Peace Park, as we use this area for activities during the day.  Paul said he is willing to use his land for the tents and latrines (which is a sacrifice because it reduces what he can grow food on). He also said that if we had the possibility for additional tents, we could gain cooperation from churches or individuals in zones that are more distant from his (he's in the 'Mizak zone within the Mizak communal section). It is a 2 hour hike and possibly more from one end of the communal section to the other, so decentralization would be desirable. People prefer to sleep closer to their own zone where they will rebuild their lives, plant gardens and raise up schools, etc.

For more information on H.A.P.I. Communities of Shalom, visit http://www.haitianartisans.com
To read a recent news report on the connection of Communities of Shalom in West Michigan to Shalom Zones in Haiti, click here http://www.mlive.com/living/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2010/02/communities_of_shalom_coming_t.html

To help us raise hope and shalom in Haiti, contact:
Michael J. Christensen, National Director, Communities of Shalom   www.communitiesofshalom.org      shalom@drew.edu
 
You can read my blog post on Haiti at Beatitudes Society:  "Crisis and Opportunity"
Beatitudes Society
and updates at http://michael-christensen.blogspot.com
Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Liberation Spirituality: Henri Nouwen and Gustavo Gutierrez in Dialogue

Liberation Spirituality: Henri Nouwen and Gustavo Gutierrez in Dialogue Lecture Notes: Presented by Michael J. Christensen, Ph.D.,  Associate Professor in the Practice of Spirituality and Ministry,  Drew University;  and  International Director, Communities of Shalom, The United Methodist Church Introduction “There is a little man in Peru, a man without any power, who lives in a barrio with poor people and who wrote a book.   In this book he simply reclaimed the basic Christian truth that God became human to bring good news to the poor, new light to the blind, and liberty to the captives.   Then years later this book and movement it started is considered a danger by [the USA, or Rome], the greatest power on earth.   When I look at this little man, Gustavo, and think about [the President of the US, or the Pope], I see David standing before Goliath, again with no more weapon than a little stone, a stone called A The...
Read more

First Generation Lambs Club Reunion

Fifteen of us gathered Saturday night at the Lambs Club for a 35 th year reunion of those who helped start the Lamb’s Church in Times Square in the mid to late 1970’s, including: Rev. Paul S. Moore , Founder of the Lamb’s Church of the Nazarene, and his wife, Tamara Dr. Michael J. Christensen , charter member and former associate pastor, and his wife Dr. Rebecca Laird Fr. William (BJ) Webe r, former Associate Pastor and Director of the Lamb’s Residency, and his wife Sheila who lived at the Lamb’s Jim and Dustee Hullinger, who were on staff together and made the Lamb’s their home for over 25 years Effie Canepa , who was the church pianist under 3 pastors, and her husband Peter Shirley Close, who attended the Lamb’s in the late 1970’s while studying, performing  and teaching music and voice Carl "Chappy" Valente , former associate pastor Rev. Bob DiQuatto , lead singer of the Church’s “Manhattan Project” and staff member of the Lamb’s, and his son Jason Rev. Gab...
Read more

Let the River Flow: Why WorldHope Corps digs village wells

  Sunday Sermon at the The Water's Edge in OB , San Diego, CA. "Woman at the Well" (John 4:7-15) When you think about the gospel story of the Samaritan woman with Jesus at Jacob’s well, I’d like you to picture this Woman at a similar well in northern Malawi. Sitting and talking with Pastor Dennis Singini about water. Her name is Nyang'oma, which means "drum." Her Christian name is Mary Botha. She is 85 years old and lives in a village in the Kampenda area of Northern Malawi. She has cared for 11 children, two of whom have died. And her husband has died. When Dennis and I first met Mary in 2008, her village did not have a deep well or access to clean water. Nor did the six surrounding villages with over 1,500 people. Women and children had to drink with animals from shallow seasonal wells or walk about of 5km away to drink from the closest stream. Sometimes they would get sick and complain of stomach aches. Cholera and dysentery were widespread, and m...
Read more