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Earthquake Relief Update #5




Previous Updates

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:

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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?

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



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With our deepest gratitude,

 
 
 

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