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January 21, 2010
A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM JONATHAN RECKFORD:
The situation in Haiti truly overwhelms the senses. Your eyes have a difficult time processing the destruction they are seeing. Your ears hear the clamor of tens of thousands of displaced people living on the streets or in makeshift tent cities like the one at right. The smell of decay can’t be avoided. You don’t want to eat when you know so many people are begging for any scrap of food. And touch… reaching out to an injured person, picking up a piece of debris—everything is a reminder of the staggering toll exacted by the quake on people, structures and institutions.
 My visit to Port-au-Prince this week left no doubt that Habitat for Humanity’s expertise will be needed there for many years to come as the nation struggles to rebuild. We will have a role in the short term and the long. From helping with cleanup starting now, to establishing training and resource centers, to core house construction, we will (we must!) have a substantial on-the-ground presence helping Haitian families help themselves. One of the highlights of my visit was getting to meet the Habitat Haiti staff at their newly leased office. Despite many of their own homes being destroyed, despite the fact that many lost close relatives in the quake, they are ready to roll up their sleeves and go to work. I know many of you also are working hard to raise funds for the response. Please know that every bit you can do to help will be put to good use. I often reflect on a quote from St. Teresa of Avila; the words seem particularly compelling as I recall my feelings this week on the streets of Port-au-Prince:
Christ has no body now on earth but yours,
no hands but yours,
no feet but yours,
yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion
is to look out to the earth,
yours are the feet by which He is to go about doing good
and yours are the hands by which He is to bless us now.
My prayer is that each of us will find conviction in those words to work ever more diligently in building houses and hope wherever they are needed—in Haiti, certainly, but in local communities everywhere that have families desperate for decent, affordable places to live.
—In grateful partnership,
Jonathan
LINKS TO MORE INFORMATION:
Habitat information and resources on activities surrounding its Haiti response are accumulating quickly. Here are some links we think you will find interesting or useful:
Updated fact sheet on Habitat’s planned response: http://www.habitat.org/disaster/pdf/haiti_earthquake_faq_pdf.pdf
Ricky Martin’s work with Habitat: http://www.habitat.org/disaster/active_programs/ricky_martin_foundation_haiti.aspx
(Special thanks to Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles and Hollywood for Habitat for Humanity for coordinating Ricky Martin’s work with Habitat, as well as that of other celebrities involved with Habitat’s Haiti response. The affiliate also is soliciting funds for the work in Haiti. You can access the affiliate’s website at http://www.habitatla.org/habitat.asp
HFHI’s online donation page:https://www.habitat.org/cd/giving/donate.aspx?link=227
Note: Donations for Haiti can also be made locally to Habitat for Humanity of Southeastern Connecticut. When donating through HFHSECT, you can specify "For Haiti" in the Special Instructions / Comment box. |
