The list of immediate concerns is staggering.
An estimated 230,000 or more are dead. More than 1 million people left homeless. “Water and sanitation systems have been utterly destroyed,” Ackley said, and the nation’s infrastructure is in terrible shape. “Hospitals, schools, orphanages, government buildings, many, many have been destroyed” or seriously damaged.
Whole families have been killed.
For those who survived, the immediate concerns include illness and other medical needs, lack of food, shelter, and clean water, unemployment, children who have been orphaned or separated from their families, and an economy that before the quake had become dependent on bringing in food from elsewhere.
What can Presbyterians do?
Ackley and Pix Mahler, who is a regional liaison for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and partnership facilitator for Haiti, both said it is too soon for congregations or presbyteries to begin sending work teams.
“I would urge folks to recognize the voices we are hearing from Haiti that we cannot accept people now,” Ackley said. They are saying, “You would be more a burden than a help to come now.”
For those who are not experienced in working in Haiti or in disaster response, “this is not the time and the place to learn,” Mahler said.
Some congregations want to send work crews to help with the reconstruction, but “the folks in Haiti have lost jobs and have no employment,” Ackley said. Rather than sending volunteers from the United States, some say Haitians should do the work and be paid for their efforts.
So what kind of help is needed now?
*Prayer. “Prayers for the people of Haiti, prayers for their loved ones” – including Haitians in the United States, some of whom still have not been able to learn the fate or whereabouts of their relatives. “Pray also for the people who are helping in Haiti.”
* Money. Presbyterians are being creative in raising money for Haiti relief – trying everything from bake sales to drives encouraging people to give a donation in honor of their loved ones on Valentine’s Day, rather than buying flowers or candy or going out to dinner.
* Prepare Gift of the Heart (pcusa.org/pda/help/goh.htm) hygiene and baby kits. These are stored at warehouses in advance of a disaster so they can be shipped out quickly as needed. Shipments after the earthquake drained supplies at warehouses in Arkansas and Maryland, so congregations – including children’s ministries – are being urged to pack new kits to replenish the supply.
* Learn about Haiti – the country’s history, politics, economy, and agriculture. Ruth Farrell, coordinator of the Presbyterian Hunger Program (pcusa.org/hunger/) asks these questions for consideration: What is needed to rebuild a sustainable agricultural base? What role have international trade policies and global economics played? And what about the Haitian community where you live – how big is it, how vibrant, and what kind of partnerships can be nurtured there?
* Keep in communication. In the months to come, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance should have a clearer sense of how Presbyterians can be of service for the long haul in Haiti, Ackley said.
