Hurricane Matthew Update:
Hello all, Kayla here. We are happy to report that Simonette and the surrounding areas Touch of Hope serves suffered no damage from Hurricane Matthew. All of the children at Tytoo have returned back to the orphanage after staying offsite for three days and the community school plans to reopen next Monday.
Images and reports are starting to flood our newsfeed with the damage that occurred in the south of Haiti. Our hearts break for the families that now face a long road to rebuilding their homes and livelihoods in a country that is already so hard to prosper in. My biggest prayer is for our eyes to be opened to the country of Haiti with a new sense of urgency. May we open them and react with wisdom and actions that will lead to a real, long-term solution. May we not respond emotionally, dumping our excess of clothes and materials on a country already full of American, second-hand waste. May we research who we are giving our money to and give graciously, humbly and generously.
At this time Touch of Hope will not be collecting funds for hurricane relief because we simply don’t need it. However, we want to direct you to organizations that we believe will make the largest impact on the people who were directly affected by the hurricane if you are wanting to donate to the relief funds in Haiti.
First off, the main bridge that connects the southern part of Haiti to the capital of Haiti, Port-au-Prince, was destroyed in the hurricane. Mission Aviation Fellowship is an organization that has been serving in Haiti since 1986 and is planning on providing relief to the south by working with partner organizations to survey the damage and assess the best path forward in helping the Haitian people. To donate to their efforts, follow this link: https://www.maf.org/haiti-disaster-response?source=WebHaitiDR2016#bodycontent2
The second organization whose efforts we trust will have a lasting impact is Mission of Hope and their HaitiOne network. For more information on HaitiOne, visit www.haitione.org. To donate to Mission of Hope relief’s efforts, follow this link: http://www.mohhaiti.org/relief
The last organization we personally know is Mission Haiti, founded by people from Tea, South Dakota. Mission Haiti is located in the south part of Haiti in Ti Riviere. They report, “While we thank God for sparing Mission Haiti’s employees and missionaries, we also mourn for those who have experienced great loss. Our village of Ti-Riviere and the surrounding communities have experienced unbelievable destruction. Roofs are blown off. Homes are destroyed. Trees are blown down. Roads are washed away. Families are displaced.
Our Mission Haiti property has been damaged as well. The roofs of several of our buildings have been blown off, including one of our main orphanage buildings where all of our boys live, and the home of our missionary teachers. A fallen tree has caused damage to the home of Lubin and Renard Dorsaivil. Lubin is a member of our leadership team in Haiti and Renard is a teacher in our Christian academy. They, along with their two girls, are safe but currently unable to live in their home. Portions of the wall surrounding our property have been pushed over, our kitchen area in our orphanage has collapsed, and many possessions and supplies have been ruined due to water damage.” To donate to Mission Haiti, follow this link: http://www.mission-haiti.org/content/hurricane-relief-fund
We thank you for trusting us and we pray you are led to help Haiti in a way that will have a long-term effect.
Touch of Hope Haiti 