News on Haiti from Habitat

Dear Team,

I have just returned from Haiti, where I visited with our local staff on the ground and worked with them to plan how Habitat can best help the thousands left homeless rebuild their homes and their lives.

The situation there 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’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 must have a substantial on-the-ground presence helping Haitian families help themselves.

You can join us in rebuilding Haiti by making a donation today. And, thanks to recent legislation in Congress, your gift before March 1 will be considered tax-deductible for 2009.

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.

Will you make an emergency gift to Habitat today so that we can get families back in homes? Please know that every bit you can do to help will be put to good use.

Thank you again for your support during this catastrophic disaster.

In partnership,

Jonathan Reckford
Chief Executive Officer
Habitat for Humanity