CRWRC Focuses Response on Leogane
The Christian Reformed World Relief Committee (CRWRC) will focus its current emergency response efforts in Haiti on the town of Leogane about 20 miles west of Port au Prince.
"Leogane is a community where 90 percent of the people have lost their homes," said CRWRC's Disaster Response Director, Jacob Kramer of the town of about 175,000 people. CRWRC has ongoing programs, in partnership with others, in Leogane and there is a Haitian Christian Reformed Church there.
"The people already know us and hopefully we can work with some local leaders as we carry out our relief response," says Kramer
The United Nations recently reported that Leogane was the area worst hit by the quake. Their local market was already dependent on outside food shipments, and this need has now increased.
"Currently, we are using cash to buy food locally," said Kramer, "but these supplies will soon run out. We will then have to ship food in."
CRWRC's effort in Haiti is currently being organized by Ad deBlaeij, CRWRC's country consultant in Haiti, and Ken Little, a Senior Disaster Response Project Manager from Burlington, Ontario. They will be joined tomorrow by George and Toni Fernhout from Edmonton, Alberta and Lee Mys from Fremont, Michigan. Mys and the Fernhouts are volunteer International Relief Managers who have experience organizing and carrying out disaster response activities.
Lee Mys has served with CRWRC in Indonesia after the 2004 tsunami and also led a food distribution in Kenya.
Following the 2004 tsunami, the Fernhouts stayed for the duration of CRWRC’s 3 ½ year project in Sri Lanka, managing the complicated owner-driven approach, and engaging the government to live up to its obligations. Thanks to the hard work of this couple, over 800 permanent houses were built across Sri Lanka. Last summer the Fernhouts were in Haiti to implement CRWRC’s response to the three hurricanes. They distributed food and seed to restart agriculture, handed out goats, and oversaw the drilling of new 15 wells.
Financial contributions for CRWRC's response are urgently needed. Every dollar makes a difference and now if Canadians give a donation to the Haiti Earthquake victims through CRWRC by February 12th, it will double in impact due to a generous contribution from the Canadian Government.
Checks, marked "Haiti Earthquake 2010" can also be sent to:
CRWRC-US
2850 Kalamazoo Ave SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49560
Ph: 1-800-55-CRWRC
CRWRC-Canada
3475 Mainway
P.O. Box 5070 STN LCD 1
Burlington, Ontario, L7R 3Y8
Ph: 1-800-730-3490
