Haiti has undeniably faced a tumultuous period, grappling with a severe security crisis that has crippled the nation for nearly two years. It's been a challenging time for everyone, including our organization. Yet, amidst the ongoing difficulties, there are signs of progress that offer a glimmer of hope.
A New Path Forward
The appointment of a new prime minister and the formation of a temporary government mark a significant turning point. These steps, coupled with the deployment of Kenyan troops to assist the National Police, signal a renewed commitment to restoring stability. While challenges persist, these developments are essential first steps towards creating a safer environment for the Haitian people.
These are positive developments that will take time to come to fruition. Right now, in our local community and throughout Haiti, real and immediate humanitarian needs remain during this time of crisis. And as you know, while Extollo focuses on long-term sustainability and training, there are times when we step up to help provide relief aid due to natural disasters or civil unrest. This is one of those times.
Meeting Critical Needs: The Haiti Emergency Fund
Continued support for our staff and community, especially during these difficult times, is essential. This is the reason we have created The Haiti Emergency Fund to help fund the many humanitarian initiatives we have been doing in Haiti. This fund deploys 100% of every donation directly to one of the three initiatives below.
(1) Ongoing Support to Staff. Even when employees are unable to be on campus due to safety, Extollo continues to pay a large portion of their salaries and wages. This life-giving support goes far beyond our staff, as our staff share their resources with those in their communities.
From one staff member:
As we all live an extraordinary moment, more than 90 % of the local staff doesn't have another source of income. Since all the operations were closed, it became more difficult for them to support themselves and provide care for family and sometimes some neighbors.
With support from Extollo, it allows us to make a better arrangement to have drinking water, and food in case of an invasion of the area by the gangs, which sadly happened last week.
(2) Feeding Families and Orphans. In partnership once again with Kids Against Hunger and local Haitian nonprofits, Extollo was able to help ship and distribute more than 290,000 meals to communities in Haiti this June, with another shipment on its way.
These meal kits, a rice-based complete nutrition meal, provide much needed help to our local community and thousands of orphans around Haiti.
(Thank you, Thank you Extollo! God bless you, amen!)
Additionally, as safety allows, we continue to distribute water to families and partner organizations in our community.
(3) Local Infrastructure Needs. As a construction and training organization, we utilize our skills in various useful ways, such as offering assistance to local organizations with their solar power systems, automotive service needs, and other forms of support. The Haiti Emergency Fund plays a vital role in enabling the key members of these organizations to continue their efforts towards creating a better future for everyone.
Thank you for supporting The Haiti Emergency Fund so we can continue meeting the basic needs of those in our community and beyond.
Comments