Habitat’s in Haiti for the long term
Jonathan Reckford, executive director of Habitat for Humanity International, recently wrote from Port-au-Prince, Haiti:
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. Please know that every bit you can do to help will be put to good use.
Visit Habitat.org to learn more about Habitat’s commitment to Haiti’s recovery or to donate.
