Emergency Request From Orphans International To Help Respond To Damge Done By Hurricane Gustav in Haiti

You Tube video from AP on impact of Hurricane Gustav on Haiti

I received the following message from Jim Luce of Orphans International based here on Roosevelt Island. More information is available at Orphans International Haiti blog.

Roof Falls In
Our Children in Haiti Safe

In May 2004 Hurricane Jeanne ripped through Gonaives, Haiti, killing over two thousand people. Our twelve children there lost their families. In July 2008, worried about the continued deterioration of Gonaives, we moved our children to a better home in the city of Jacmel. Last week, Hurricane Gustav hit Haiti and our old home in Gonaives – which we left only eight weeks ago – collapsed. It would have killed our children, had they not moved to Jacmel.

But in spite of the safety of our kids, our needs in Haiti are still great. Our director Jacques Africot, who was with us in Indonesia after the Tsunami, writes yesterday from Jacmel:

I could not have access to internet café because the Hurricane Gustav had hit hardly the city of Jacmel, specially our Cyvadier community. The community was really damaged. We have no electricity, all water drained damaged. Almost all trees down: mangoes, breadfruit trees, banana trees. Some houses are destroyed and everywhere is flooded. Please, do not let us suffer too much.

Thank God nothing bad happened to us at OI Haiti. But all around us there were tears. I was even affected directly because a coconut tree fell on my father's house, where the roof is covered with iron sheet, and it was damaged it a little bit. We are aware that there is another hurricane named Hanna that is in the air, we hope that it won’t touch Jacmel. It would be a complete disaster. We are at the beginning of another month, and I have to pay the staff and get food for this month but every price has raised up after the hurricane. Please, do not let us suffer too much. LINK

What can you give this week to assure that the orphans, who lost their families in Hurricane Jeanne in 2004, do not feel that the hurricanes have completely destroyed their life yet again? We must somehow make twice as much money available to buy what food there is, and we must advocate for Haiti from the outside. With our U.N. affiliation, we have joined others in actively appealing for more food aid for Haiti, but we must act now to meet our own kid's needs for food and cooking fuel... we are a small organization and have no available money for situations such as these.

We even need child sponsors for some of these kids. Won't you help us today? Go to www.oiww.org and click "Sponsor an Child" in the upper right hand corner. You can sign up for regular monthly support payments using a credit card.

American Airlines is assisting us with a small airlift of supplies to Haiti on Tuesday, led by founder Jim Luce. IMMEDIATE tax-deductible donations are needed. You know that OI is a lean organization, but we are too skinny for this financial challenge and desperately need your help. Call us at 212-755-7285 and tell me what you can do to raise this burden from our hearts.

Please call Jim directly at (212) 755-7285 or at (212) 755-7550 to donate by credit card, the fastest way to get us funds.
We must raise $4,000 over the next 48 hours to meet our obligations there.

If you are in a position to help, please do.