Covenant World Relief and Development is working with partner organizations in Haiti to determine the best ways to provide assistance following the recent deadly 7.2-magnitude earthquake.
According to the government, 2,200 people have been killed and 30,000 left homeless.
Covenant World Relief & Development-xx is working with two ongoing development partnerships in the country, Sustainable Action International (SAI) and Haiti Christian Development Fund (HCDF). They also work closely with World Relief and Medical Teams International, which use a pool of funds from Covenant World Relief & Development to immediately respond to disasters.
SAI is led by Serve Globally personnel Evens Paul, who was born and raised in Haiti. The ministry is located in the northern part of the country, which was not significantly impacted by the earthquake. SAI is sending medical supplies and other assistance to help partners in the south.
HCDF will send several tons of beans and corn from Jubilee Farms, one of its ministry projects to the hard-hit city of Les Cayes about 60 miles away. The organization started the farms as a project to promote self-sufficiency following the 2010 earthquake, as well as other ministries.
The earthquake and a subsequent tropical storm have left Haiti “on its knees” said Prime Minister Ariel Henry today. “The country is physically and mentally destroyed.”
The country was already reeling from the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse on July 7.
Deborah Masten, Serve Globally director of personnel, cautioned churches and individuals against traveling to Haiti to help with immediate relief efforts due to security concerns. She added that volunteers can further strain resources and infrastructure, encouraging people to work through Serve Globally if they desire to travel to the country at some point.
Covenant leaders also say that sending funds is better than supplies. People wanting to contribute can do so online here and designate “disaster relief.”
