Haiti-Aid

The following is another post-dated updated from friends working and living in Haiti.  Enjoy...if that is even the right word.

Januayr 25/26 Update

Finding food is a confusing, intertangled puzzle. There is food available for sale. There are market women on the street, although not nearly the number there was two weeks ago.  There is food in at least two supermarkets.  We’ve bought some.  However, people have no jobs, and no money.  Food distribution by the major agencies has been calm in some places, and riotous in others.

We’ve  been trying to get some food for two encampments outside a local church, St. Simon/St. Jude. The pastor, Fr. Andrew, has been trying everywhere he can think of.  The answer is always, “yes, as soon as we can.”, or “yes we’ll be there tomorrow.”  The people in this community are getting desperate. When a volunteer leaves here, and goes to the UN Food Cluster meeting, we add this camp’s name. So, a form is filled out, that answers all of the required questions such as, the number of people, is there a secure place for distribution, can you provide transport, security, etc., and etc.? This gets turned into the UN Help desk.  Still nothing.

The local community networks have proven more reliable. Schools, and other institutions buy food in bulk, and those that either own or operate such facilities still have their normal contacts.  Tap into those, and it’s possible to find a solution, and food.  Of course these storage facilities, transport means, and the like may have been damaged or lost all together, but it’s worth attempting to tap these resourse on the chance that the supplies may be intact, and that the proprietors of them may not be price gouging.