Good Samaritan Disaster Relief

In a country so deforested and lacking infrastructure, a natural disaster can affect every aspect of all of the St. Luke programs. Everyone involved, therefore, immediately moves into action delivering food, water, medicines, and other basic supplies. However, that’s not all that’s needed.

In 2008, there were four hurricanes in one month, which left an estimated 1 million homeless, affecting over 300,000 children. The Prime Minister, Michelle Pierre Louis, announced Haiti to be in a state of “ecological disaster.” Already being the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, in Haiti “not a single place in the country was spared. We now have no roads and six major bridges fell down.” Not only were homes destroyed, but their livelihoods were seriously compromised when entire fields of the country’s crops were decimated. Irrigation and pumping stations were destroyed, and schools were postponed (if not destroyed themselves) so that flood victims had shelters. The immediate response is to deliver basic needs and requirements, but long term investments such as building or rebuilding homes, donating materials for replanting gardens, and replacing livestock are other options that, while necessary, are not exercised as regularly.

In 2008, we saw wonderfully overwhelming responses to the natural disasters by the NPH offices (UKBS Germany, UKBS Austria, NPH Spain and the Roviralta Foundation, Amsala Association, Renta Corporation Foundation, NPH Italy Fondazione Francesca Rava and EXPO 2015, Friends of the Orphans US, the Hotel Villa Creole, the Diederich Family, Espoir pour Haiti, and Sisters of St. Joseph), Friends of the Orphans Miami, Action Medior, Catholic Medical Mission Board, and Humedica. There is no budget designated for disasters, therefore the ALL support received, especially after media coverage, is directly applied to relief.

The Widows Mite

This program is all encompassing. It offers direct financial assistance to individual people for food, housing, education and emergencies ($30,000/year). This includes water deliveries by truck, food assistance, and stipends for HIV, TB, and Diabetes patients to help with food and transportation. The stipends for the patients are essential. Average annual income in Haiti is $350 (US), and the sick have even a harder time surviving. These stipends represent a $12 encouragement for each person on each monthly visit to help with transportation and food.