GCF Blog | Gaskov Clergé Foundation

Follow our GCF Blog Updates

gclergefoundation
- Jul 26, 2022
- 4 min read

Earthquake Relief Update #6 - AKPA Donations

Updated: Jul 26, 2022

Previous Updates

Update#1	Update#2	Update#3	Update#4	Update#5

AKPA Projects

This post is dedicated to the donations Animatè Kiltirel Pou Ayiti (AKPA) made to GCF on April 7, 2022. The donation consists of 3 components:

$21,000 were transferred to GCF's US bank account
Donation of collected supplies located in Hollywood, Florida - (dry food, clothes, diapers)
Supplies purchased by AKPA in 2021. Those supplies were already shipped to Port-au-Prince and needed to be moved to the South of Haiti.

What is GCF doing with the $21K donation from AKPA?

Potable Water Project ($20K)

During our relief mission to Anse-du-Nord on Grande Cayemite island (Grande-Anse) earlier this year, the fishing village population shared that they have no access to potable water. They currently fetch brackish water from a hole dug in the ground. There are currently an estimated 600 people living in the coastline village of Anse-du-Nord. The village came together to rebuild their local school after the earthquake and wanted to know if through the relief efforts, GCF can help provide them with access to clean water. When AKPA offered to donate $21K to GCF, we immediately identified that water project as the best recipient for that donation. This water project is a win-win situation: 1) Over 2,000 people in neighboring villages will benefit from the potable water system; 2) AKPA and its fans get to make a tangible difference in an entire community for years to come.

With the $21K received from AKPA, GCF and its local partners will first pump, store and distribute the existing water, then it will send the water for testing and acquire the right filtration system to render it potable (We did this because the first logical step was to secure the water source from further human contamination). The solar-powered potable water system is expected to service over 2,000 people, and a local committee of elders is already formed to ensure its longevity and security. The project is expected to cost approximately $20,000 in materials and labor. GCF purchased all the materials including but not limited to: a solar-powered pump, 4 Solar panels 500W, 1 inverter 5K, 8 batteries, a 5k backup diesel generator, , 4 1000-gal water tanks, pipes and fittings. The filtration unit is being evaluated and will be purchased soon. On July 13th a team of volunteers from GCF and local community leaders from Grande-Anse traveled 4 hours by car and 1 hour by boat to Anse-du-Nord with all the materials to kick-off the project. The potable water system is being supervised and installed by a local engineer from Grande-Anse and by GCF's Board Members on the ground. Updates on project completion will follow.

What Happened to collected supplies from Hollywood, FL?

August Distribution in Camp-Perrin ($1K for transportation)

The supplies collected in Florida were shipped to Haiti in April 2022. They arrived to Camp-Perrin on June 30th, 2022. In general, GCF does not get directly involved in distributing clothes, diapers, and personal items. We decided to partner with Little Angels of Haiti (LAOH) for an orderly distribution in August 2022 in Camp-Perrin, one of the towns most impacted by the 2021 earthquake. Klinik Fonfred staff will return to Camp-Perrin for a medical mission with LAOH in August. We are planning to distribute those supplies in collaboration with LAOH during that medical mission.

More to come on both the medical mission and supply distribution in Camp-Perrin

Where are the Supplies purchased by AKPA in 2021?

Future Emergency & Backpack Distribution in September ($250 spent for transportation)

The supplies AKPA purchased and shipped to Port-au-Prince were picked up by GCF and transported to Les Cayes in July 2022. GCF received the following items and will redeploy them as follows:

Saved for future emergency
68 tents - for future emergency
104 cots - for future emergency
Backpack distribution in September 2022
1 box of pencils
15 small boxes of backpacks
3 large boxes of backpacks

More to come on school supply distribution.

Money Update - Thank you to all of our supporters!

To date, GCF raised $371K. So far, we spent about $200K for phase I and Phase II.. Current and future projects are projected to cost an additional $200K: an additional $30K to finish all repairs at Klinik Fonfred; $20K for a potable water system at Grande Cayemite, Grande-Anse; $50K for repairing 2 dispensaries; $100K to build 5-6 homes. At a minimum, we need to raise an additional $30K, anything over that will be applied to phase3. Hence we have set a new goal to $400K.

Please continue to support GCF and the communities we serve at:

https://www.gaskov.org/join-donate

THANK YOU!

For a list of all our donors, please visit the GCF Earthquake Relief Fund

How can you help?

Please help us raise funds to help execute phase 3 of this relief effort and Klinik Fonfred. To help solicit donations on behalf of GCF, please share this link with all your friends and family https://www.gaskov.org/join-donate

Instagram: @gaskovclergefoundation

Facebook: www.facebook.com/gaskovclergefoundation

Email us: info@gaskov.org

###

#GCF #klinikfonfred #disasterrelief #disaster #disasterresponse #disasterrecovery #covid #naturaldisaster #disasterpreparedness #disasters #charity #hurricane #coronavirus #hurricaneseason #help #community #nature #emergencypreparedness #oralcancer #emergency #climatechange #disastermanagement #earthquake #flood #tornado #pandemic #emergencyresponse #makeadifference #storm #survivalkit #mentalhealth

With our deepest gratitude,

#TeamGCF

gclergefoundation
- Jul 19, 2022
- 5 min read

Earthquake Relief Update #5

Previous Updates

GCF Response	Update#1	Update#2	Update#3	Update#4

Fix Klinik Fonfred's damages

The August 14, 2021, earthquake damaged Klinik Fonfred’s infrastructure and also did not spare the homes of some of the employees.

The earthquake wreaked havoc on countless perimeter walls in Southern Haiti. Klinik Fonfred lost about 100 linear meters of its security wall. Cinder block walls can be very expensive to build or replace so we set out to build back a better security wall without breaking the bank. With the help of many volunteers and a local foreman, we rebuilt the destroyed wall for about $13,000. We are confident the work was done well and that rebuilt section of the perimeter wall should be able to sustain future earthquakes and/or hurricanes.

Klinik Fonfred's warehouse was also damaged by the earthquake. Until GCF rebuilds a warehouse in Fonfred, several container warehouses in Les Cayes have been made available to GCF, free of charge. That allowed us to assign a lower priority to building a new warehouse which targeted to cost $30,000.

In addition, Klinik Fonfred’s portable ECG machine was rendered unusable when it fell from a table during the earthquake. It was replaced with a new Fencia portable machine and assorted electrodes and paper for $607.88. GCF paid an additional $225.30 in shipping costs to send this and other clinic supplies to Port-au-Prince, plus $129.99 to arrive.

Lastly, to better adapt to the new post-earthquake requirements, and to fix issues that surfaced on the roof at the clinic after the earthquake, we needed to reposition the solar panels and secure them on new metal stands on the roof. This also required some rewiring as the existing wires became too short. The cost for fixing the leaking roof and the solar panels was $1,478.00

Thanks to the support of United Way Miami, we will complete all the required repairs. They donated $50,000 specifically to repair the damages at Klinik Fonfred.

Assistance for the staff at Klinik Fonfred

GCF Board and Klinik Fonfred Management are still assessing the best way to support KF staff and their attempt to rebuild their homes. Four 2-bedroom apartments are available for affected members of the staff and their family to use, if needed, free of charge for a full year.

Relief Mission to Anse Du Nord, Grande Cayimite, Pestel - Haiti

Thank You Christ church!

On behalf of those we serve, we express our deepest gratitude to our brothers and sisters at Christ Church. Thank you for your compassion and your support!

Thanks to the generosity of Christ Church, GCF’s earthquake team provided relief to the population of Anse-du-Nord, a small fishing town in Grande Anse, Haiti. Anse-du-Nord has a population of about 600, with women and children of child bearing age making up the majority of the population. The town was severely impacted by the earthquake. Their only school was destroyed. The team traveled to Pestel by car for 3 hours, then traveled for another hour by boat to get to Anse-du-Nord. GCF was the first and only organization that provided relief for that town. When the team got there, all the children, regardless of age, were attending school at the town’s church. When we visited Anse-du-Nord in March 2022, many homes were destroyed and at least 150 families still had no temporary shelter. With the funds donated by the congregation of Christ Church, GCF distributed 200 tents and lanterns to the community, which were purchased at $50 each

CLÈ Haitian Sisterhood (Hygiene Kits)

CLÉ: Haitian Sisterhood’s vision is to be a rich source of empowerment for the community in which Haitian women, regardless of income level or social status, are nurtured and empowered to reach their full potential. CLÉ is a non-profit, 501c3 organization, committed to promoting Haiti’s history, culture and traditions for Haitians living abroad globally.

CLÉ Sisters had a Sip and Paint Meetup in which they provided over 40 hygiene kits for young girls and women affected by the earthquake. Each string-bag contained hand-made cloth hygiene pads, panties, towels, soap bars, deodorant, shampoo and conditioner. The girls and women receiving the kits were instructed on how to maximize the use of the hand-made hygiene pads. They were all grateful for the gesture and sent their thanks to the sisterhood.

Rehabilitate 2 community health clinics (on hold)

GCF prioritized working with MSPP to rehabilitate 2 community health clinics (dispensaires), so they could continue to provide services to their local communities. We estimated $50,000 for this initiative.

The public dispensaries of Melon (Maniche) and Ferme Leblanc were identified during the feasibility phase of this project. The project document for the renovation of the dispensary of Melon was presented to MSPP for approval as it obligaties MSPP to facilitate the presence of a doctor (resident) and a nurse 3 to 4 days a week, post-earthquake.

One of the main issues with the public dispensaries in rural Southern Haiti is the absence of qualified medical personnel. The facilities usually contain labs, pharmacies, a solar energy system, and running water. However, they do not have doctors and nurses to actually provide medical services to the rural population. The solution is to rehabilitate these dispensaries, and include dormitories to house the visiting staff.

Expected results of this project: Renovated dispensary with functional dormitory; Presence of doctor and nurses 3 to 4 days a week; Healthier rural population; Decongestion of reference hospitals.

Next Steps for Phases 2 & 3

As Phase 2 of our response continues into 2022, we will focus our efforts on the following:

Fix Klinik Fonfred's damages and assist KF’s employees to restore their homes. We are estimating $50,000 for that project. We rebuilt the walls, fixed part of the roof, secured the solar pannels. Next we will be re-building Klinik Fonfred's warehouse.
AKPA donated $21K for a clean water distribution systems for Ile Cayimite, including Anse-du-Nord. We will focus on executing that project in Grand-Anse.
Prioritize working with MSPP to rehabilitate 2 community health clinics (dispensaires), so they could continue to provide services to their local communities. We estimated $50,000 for this initiative. This project is on hold until MSPP confirms the Physicians who will be stationed at the 2 community health clinics.
For phase3, we raised $100,000 through HRA-One Diaspora for Phase3. We have been meeting with different partners to understand the optimal model to help rebuild 10 - 12 permanent para seismic homes. We are being deliberate about making the best use for the funds raised.

Challenges

Insecurity persists in PAP - transporting goods to Les Cayes remains a challenge. Though delayed, GCF has received all supplies that were shipped with a private shipping company.
Traveling by road to the south is still considered unsafe due to social and political unrest, and fuel shortage.
The cost of material construction has significantly increased, making it financially challenging to rebuild homes.

Money Update - Thank you to all of our supporters!

To date, we have raised $371K. So far, we spent about $200K for phase I and Phase II.. Current and future projects are projected to cost an additional $200K: $30K to finish all repairs at Klinik Fonfred; $20K for a potable water system at Île Cayimite, Grande-Anse; $50K for repairing 2 dispensaries; $100K to build 5-6 homes. At a minimum, we need to raise an additional $30K, anything over that will be applied to phase3. Hence we have set a new goal to $400K.

Please continue to support GCF and the communities we serve at: https://www.gaskov.org/join-donate

THANK YOU!

For a list of all our donors, please visit the GCF Earthquake Relief Fund

How can you help?

Instagram: @gaskovclergefoundation

Facebook: www.facebook.com/gaskovclergefoundation

Email us: info@gaskov.org

###

With our deepest gratitude,

#TeamGCF

gclergefoundation
- Dec 31, 2021
- 5 min read

Earthquake Relief Update #4

Previous Updates

GCF Response	Update#1	Update#2	Update#3

KUDOS to everyone who supported this cause! YOU helped care for over 7,000 victims; you helped send 155 children to school; you contributed to community and camp outreach activities; AND you provided decent temporary shelters to 8 families. None of what we do is possible without you. GCF remains humbled by your trust and support.

Phase 2 –Construction of temporary shelters

It is more than 4 months since a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck the southern peninsula of Haiti. While some try to resume normal activities, many are still living in deplorable conditions. Shelter remains the #1 priority for the victims with no financial support from families in the diaspora. In all transparency, GCF feels powerless in the face of such great need. We try to maximize the impact of our resources but do acknowledge that it is nowhere near enough.

Over the past month, GCF built a total of 8 temporary shelters with materials provided by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and GCF’s ONECARETEAM.

GCF’s approach was to build temporary shelters that are simple, safe, and will last long enough to allow the beneficiaries ample time (6 months to 1 year) to secure permanent housing.

The small temporary shelters (12’x12’) are designed to replace the tents and tarps that have been used by families throughout Southern Haiti since the earthquake on August 14. The temporary shelters are well received by the beneficiaries as they provide better security and better protection against rain and cold weather. Many victims throughout the South are in need of, and indeed asking for, similar temporary shelter accommodations.

Selection criteria for shelter beneficiaries are as follows:

Must show proof of home destroyed by Earthquake
Must be a family of 4 or more, with at least 2 young children
Preference for older or female heads of household
Head of households must be unemployed
Must own space to build the shelter, or have authorization by owner

Beneficiaries

Shelter # 1: Widow, aged 62, in charge of 3 grandchildren, daughter is mentally unstable; Located in Sou Wòch, Gelée

Before (Home destroyed by earthquake) AFTER

Shelter # 2: Unemployed Husband, Wife and 3 children; Wife is sickly; Sou Wòch, Gelée

Before AFTER

Shelter # 3: Unemployed Husband, wife, and 2 children; Sou Wòch, Gelée

Before AFTER

Shelter #4: Family of 4 in Maniche; husband is unemployed driver without a vehicle

Before: (Family Home completely destroyed by Earthquake) AFTER

Shelter #5: Family of 3; Unemployed and sickly man with 2 small children, wife is deceased; Breffet, Cayes

Before (Home destroyed in Earthquake and “repaired”) AFTER

Shelter #6: Farming Family of 4 with 2 children, husband and wife are unemployed and over 50; Picot, Cayes

Before (Home destroyed by Earthquake) AFTER

Shelter #7: Family of 4 in Derrière Fort , Cayes – Older unemployed couple with younger children

Before (Home destroyed by Earthquake) AFTER

Shelter # 8: Ka Larco, Cayes - Before (Beneficiary used to rent a room in a home destroyed by Earthquake) - Single woman with 2 children.

AFTER

Estimated cost for 1 temporary shelter:

GCF ONECARE Team: The Unsung Heroes

We consider them our unsung heroes. The ones behind all of our earthquake relief operations. They are always ready and available to serve and do it with so much humility and dignity.

Our Fearless Leader

Anselme Joseph (Junior) is GCF's logistics Director and the thought leader behind all of our earthquake relief operations. He has been on the ground since August and has led all of the operations from the front. GCF would not have been able to accomplish much without his dedication, his love for country and his humble desire to serve his community. We are deeply grateful for Junior.

Our Board Members and tireless Volunteers

Our Board members Karl Joseph and Herzen Clergé made several trips to Haiti to help support the operations. Didier Cherestal and Jacques Charles Denis have been tirelessly supporting the earthquake relief, non-stop. Jacques Glaure made multiple trips to contribute and help the team. We are grateful for their dedication and selflessness.

Co-Captains:

Sophonie Pierre and Jude Toussaint have been leading the day-to-day operations. In the process, they built the high performing teams that are at the heart of everything GCF accomplished so far. We are so proud of them!

Team1

From top left: Domerçant Jude André, St. Simon Chalot, Borgard Egberte, Sylvain Francois Kensley, Jean R. Nestherline, Siméon Bertina, Auguste Eveline

Team 2

Milord Laurore, Hyppolite Obnesse, Bertin Appolon, Lebrun Cherlou, Orphée Ernst, St Juste Rood Shaina, Saint-Louis Gourgue Rose Martine, St Preux Maitelande, (not pictured Evens Désir )

Team 3

Desjardin Frantzou, Croissy Farah, Jeanty Mireille, François Darline, Hubert Jean Rénald, Voltaire jean Michel, Placide Michelet, (not pictured Février Louis Daniel, Christopher Joseph, Pierre Jean Michelet)

HANA-I Nurses:

Left to right : Lacouture Marie Roselie, Valcin Rose Fabiola, Bossuet Rose Darline

FHHH Medical Team

Desravines Stevenson, MD. , Bellange Naomie, Fleurimond Smath, Vigne Rose-Laure, D’Haiti Vilnes, MD.

Other key members of the Medical Team

From left to right, Group picture, NJ4Haiti team members in red shirts, Dr. Roby Marsan, GCF's Board Member and Klinik Fonfred's Medical Director; Dr. Fatima Joseph, Lead Physician at Klinik Fonfred, Ms. Regretta Noël, Klinik Fonfred's Nurse; Ms. Poteau Rose Carmelle, Nurse; Altenord Nixon, MD., Ms. Katiana Exa, Nurse, Evens Désir, Logistics.

Next Steps for Phase 2

As Phase 2 of our response continues into 2022, we will focus our efforts on the following:

Fix Klinik Fonfred's damages and assist KF employees in restoring their homes. We are estimating $50,000 for that project.
Prioritize working with MSPP to rehabilitate 2 community health clinics (dispensaires), so they could continue to provide services to their local communities. We estimated $50,000 for this initiative.
Continue to assess how best to help the victims occupying Land Des Gabions move out of the soccer field. This is turning into a very complex initiative as other organizations have made promises to them that are way beyond GCF's means. We are looking for a creative solution for this problem that must be addressed.
Assess the possibility of recording earthquake and hurricane preparedness educational messages to help spread the word on building better and preparing for inevitable earthquake.

Challenges

Land des Gabions remains a challenge. There are 300 families living on the soccer field in terrible conditions. Evacuating them will require additional funds and tight coordination with the local authorities.
Insecurity persists in PAP - making it challenging to transport materials to and from Les Cayes. This is turning into a paralyzing environment.
Traveling by road to the south is still considered unsafe due to social and political unrest, and fuel shortage.
The need is still overwhelming. In order to maximize the impact of our resources, our team on the ground continues to be disciplined and innovative.
We have not yet raised any funds for Phase3. We are re-evaluating our involvement in rebuilding homes for the victims. However, if we were to raise an additional $80,000 - $100,000, we would be able to help rebuild permanent para seismic homes for the 8 families that we've recently built temporary shelters for.

Money Update - Thank you to all of our supporters!

To date, we have raised $248,776, of which $ 114,000 have been spent on phases 1 & 2. We are less than $2,000 away from reaching our fund raising goal of $250,000 for phases one and two of our relief efforts. THANK YOU!

For a list of all our donors, please visit the GCF Earthquake Relief Fund

Expenses

How can you help?

Please help us raise $100,000 more to help build 8 homes for the families who are living in the temporary shelters we recently built. To help solicit donations on behalf of GCF, please share this link with all your friends and family www.gaskov.org/gofundgcf.

Instagram: @gaskovclergefoundation

Facebook: www.facebook.com/gaskovclergefoundation

Email us: info@gaskov.org

###

With our deepest gratitude,

GCF - Team 2021 Earthquake