Disaster Relief #1

In August 2021, a devastating earthquake struck the South of Haiti, leaving thousands of families without homes, food, or clean water. The Gaskov Clerge Foundation (GCF) was one of the first organizations on the ground to provide much-needed disaster relief to the earthquake victims. Through the generosity of 511 donors, GCF was able to raise $371,166 for the relief efforts.

Through the tireless efforts of GCF and its partners, 1,200 families received food, water, and hygiene kits, helping to meet their most basic needs. New Jersey Women for Haiti helped raise $12,000 through their local church for the food kits. CLÉ Haitian Sisterhood prepared over 50 hygiene kits that were distributed to young girls in Anse-du-Nord, Haiti. The Bainet Foundation sent a truck of fresh bread to GCF from Bainet which was distributed to multiple camps in Les Cayes.

One of the biggest challenges in the aftermath of the earthquake was the destruction of many healthcare facilities in the region. GCF was instrumental in providing medical relief to those who needed it most, partnering with organizations like Hope Foundation for Hope Health in Haiti (FHHH), Mathew28, NJ4Haiti, and HANA of Greater NY to ensure that those impacted by the earthquake received the medical care they required. 7,942 patients received medical relief through 41 mobile clinics.

But GCF's work in Haiti did not end there. Thanks to the fundraising efforts of individuals like Catherine Desmarattes (KITKAT) and Guy Webern Guerrier (Guywewe), GCF was able to purchase and is finishing the construction of water distribution systems in Anse-Du-Nord, Garande Cayemite, Pestel, Grande-Anse. The community at Anse-Du-Nord was consuming water from a dirty hole. This effort will pump water into a distribution network for the communities, helping to improve health outcomes and quality of life.

How can you help?

During times of disaster, our vehicle plays a big part in providing medical relief around Haiti through mobile clinics. Currently, our vehicle is no longer reliable and needs repair multiple times a week. By November 28th, Giving Tuesday, GCF is trying to raise $30,000 so we can invest in reliable transportation that we need. https://www.gaskov.org/giving-tuesday

Klinik Fonfred

At Klinik Fonfred, we believe that access to healthcare is a fundamental human right, and we work tirelessly to provide medical care to those in need, regardless of their ability to pay. In Fonfred, a rural community in the Les Cayes region of Haiti, access to healthcare is limited, and many people struggle to afford the cost of medical treatment.

Since we opened our doors in 2015, Klinik Fonfred has become a beacon of hope for the people of Fonfred and surrounding areas. Our team of dedicated medical professionals has completed over 12,000 patient encounters each year, and we have provided medical care to over 31,515 unique patients. Many of our patients would not have been able to afford the high cost of medical bills at other facilities, and without Klinik Fonfred, their health needs would have gone unmet.

Despite the political instability and security concerns in Haiti, we have continued to provide continuity of care to our patients, who rely on us for essential medical services, including general consultations, pediatrics, dentistry, vaccinations, maternal and child health, laboratory services, and medication management.

Woudlande, a 10-year-old patient, came to Klinik Fonfred with a severe case of pneumonia. She had been sick for weeks and was struggling to breathe. Her parents were worried they would not be able to afford the medical treatment she needed to recover, but at Klinik Fonfred, she was able to receive the care she needed. Our medical team provided her with nebulization therapy to help stabilize her. We referred her as an urgent case to the General Hospital (HIC), gave her parents 5,000 Gdes to help cover hospitalization fees, and filled her prescription from the hospital, free of charge. Without that intervention, Woudlande would have unnecessarily lost her life. Patients like Woudlande are the reason Klinik Fonfred exits, and with your contributions to GCF, you are saving lives every day!

Our work at Klinik Fonfred is only possible because of generous donors like you. Your donations help us to continue to provide vital medical services to the people of Fonfred and surrounding areas and to ensure that access to healthcare remains a fundamental human right. Thank you for your support.

How can you help?

This Giving Tuesday we are trying to raise $30,000 for a new vehicle so our team at Klinik Fonfred can have reliable transport for patients with emergency needs, and to and from work. Every contribution is greatly appreciated. Donate at the link here: https://www.gaskov.org/giving-tuesday.

Earthquake Relief & Recovery Update #7

Previous Updates

​GCF Response	Update#1	Update#2	Update#3	Update#4	Update#5
Update#6

Pilot Home in Grand Duc-Cavaillon, Haiti

Home site of Mr. Jocelyn Letang and his family, in Grand Duc-Cavaillon, Haiti

In partnership with Haiti Renewal Alliance/OneDiaspora, GCF plans to provide homes for eight rural families whose lives were crushed, buried, or ripped apart by the catastrophic earthquake.

With much gratitude and a long delay due to the security situation in the Haitian capital, we were able to begin our housing recovery project for families left homeless by the natural disaster. The first pilot home began on March 27, 2023. Construction was completed the first week of June. In total, due to the high inflation rate in Haiti, we have had to reduce it to 8 beneficiary families in the countryside. Each house will have two bedrooms and one bathroom, they will also have a common area, a kitchen to cook in, and a front porch to enjoy.

The picture below is the pilot home that was built in the rural community of Grand Duc, Cavaillon. Initially estimated at $10,000 in 2022, the actual cost of the house is closer to $15,000, not including in-kind contributions provided by the beneficiary, friends, and relatives as sweat equity, transportation, and other services donated by local businesses - WeYa, Nira Varietés, in addition to Project Coordination by GCF.

Estimated cost per additional home in Flamand, Cavaillon and Geffrard, Maniche in July 2023: $18K-$20k (not including in-kind contribution from beneficiaries and community)

Mr. Letang’s 10-year-old daughter selected the colors for the home. Her Dad requested that she picked the colors, and she proudly said she wanted “vert pois france and rose pâle" (green and pink).

These houses are just one step towards repairing the communes of Haiti, the efforts are far from done. With continued support and donations from people like you, more families can receive housing, and together we can begin to repair the lives of those affected.

Next Steps

As Phase 2 of our recovery effort continues into 2023, we will focus our efforts on building 5-7 more homes in Cavaillon, Maniche, and Les Cayes. The number of homes built will depend on the cost of construction materials and available funding.

Challenges

• Insecurity persists in PAP - transporting goods to Les Cayes remains a challenge. Though delayed, GCF has received all supplies that were shipped by a private shipping company. That has caused significant delays in our ability to work in Haiti.

• Traveling by road to the South is still considered challenging due to fuel shortages and potential insecurity flare-ups.

• 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 $280K on phase I and Phase II, a water distribution system in Anse du Nord, and the pilot home in Grand Duc-Cavaillon, Haiti. We are planning to build 7 more homes estimated at $130K.

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

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

How can you help?

We originally anticipated $10,000 per home. With the unstable environment in Haiti, we anticipate each house will cost between $18K - $20K. We have $80,000 left for our recovery phase and need to spend $140,000 for the 7 other homes we have selected. If you can organize your friends, colleagues, and family to sponsor a recovery home for $18,000 - $20,000 that would be ideal. Otherwise, please contribute to GCF's activities (Klinik Fonfred, relief recovery, and scholarships) and invite your friends to join the journey and contribute to our work at: https://www.gaskov.org/join-donate . If you are in Florida, please come and celebrate our culture and drive change with our fellow GCFers at our upcoming Fête Créole Fundraising event on October 7, 2023.

SAVE THE DATE

By popular demand, we are bringing Fête Créole back. This year, our theme will be: "Celebrating Culture, Driving Change". This much-anticipated fundraising event will take place on October 7th, at 7:00 pm, at Hilton Palm Beach Airport, in Palm Beach, Florida.

Fête Créole is an extraordinary celebration of Haitian culture and a remarkable endeavor to make a lasting impact on the lives of underserved communities and deserving students in Haiti.

At GCF, our mission is to provide essential healthcare services to those in need via our community health center and foster educational opportunities for promising students in Haiti. With the funds raised through this event, we will continue to deliver life-saving medical care, medications, and health programs to underserved areas. Additionally, we will support scholarships that enable deserving students to pursue their education and empower them to become future leaders in their communities.

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Email us: info@gaskov.org

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With our deepest gratitude,

#TeamGCF