LDS Humanitarian Aid in Haiti
January 21, 2010 by Gale
Filed under Mormons Giving Aid Globally
- Haitians gather outside of the LDS Centrale Ward chapel in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
Immediately after the devastating earthquake in Haiti in January 2010, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints began mobilizing to send aid. This included a large shipment of 85,000 pounds of supplies from Miami. That shipment included emergency resources such as food, blankets, tents and tarps. Latter-day Saint missionaries assisted in unloading the supplies.
Two more shipments of food, medical supplies and other items have been trucked in containers from the Dominican Republic to Haiti. Additional Church shipments from the United States and the Dominican Republic are planned and will include supplies specifically requested by local Church leaders on the ground.
A team of doctors sent by the Church to help the injured in Haiti left the Salt Lake airport shortly after the tragedy. The team included 14 doctors and nurses and two family services specialists. The group was self-contained and carrying their own medical supplies, which will be augmented by additional supplies being sent separately. Another small group of physicians from the Dominican Republic and coordinated by the Church is already working in Haiti.
Seven Latter-day Saint chapels in Haiti are being used as shelters for over 4,000 people from the community. All of the Church’s chapels in Haiti are left largely undamaged by the quake, and many are being used in the relief effort (From LDS Newsroom).
On January 22, 2010, The LDS Church issued the following statement:
Three air shipments of aid provided by the Church have arrived and are being used in Haiti. They include food, medical supplies, tents, water filtration bottles, blankets, newborn kits, wheelchairs, first aid kits and other items. Those three flights include a total of nearly 225,000 pounds of relief supplies. The Church provided the transportation for one of those flights, and CARE and United Airlines provided transport for the other two.
Two more flights are scheduled to leave from Miami by this weekend, and additional flights are planned from Chicago. United Airlines again is providing the transportation for the Chicago shipments, and Islamic Relief USA is providing part of the transportation costs for the Miami shipments. Plans are also being made for future shipments.
Additionally, three truckloads of relief supplies have arrived in Haiti with supplies the Church procured in the Dominican Republic.
Medical Relief
A team of five medical personnel coordinated by the Church arrived on Friday, 15 January, from the Dominican Republic to assist the injured. Another team of 16 medical professionals from the United States arrived on 18 January and are currently providing care for those who need it. “It means so much to these people to know that somebody knows that they are here,” said Brandon Hall, a doctor from Mapleton, Utah.
Later in its relief efforts, church leaders issued an appeal to the LDS membership to help the people of Haiti:
In a statement published on the Church’s official Web site, Church President Thomas S. Monson and counselors Henry B. Eyring and Dieter F. Uchtdorf said they are “keenly aware that many in America are dealing with economic challenges brought on by the recent recession.” Many Church members have made substantial contributions to Church Humanitarian Services, but more is needed.
Latter-day Saints pay 10% of their increase as tithing to the Church. These donations are made in private (rather than passing around a donation plate) to the bishop of each ward. The donation is placed in an envelope addressed to the bishop and includes a receipt. On the receipt are listed other categories of donations that Latter-day Saints can make. One such category is Humanitarian Aid. Church leaders have asked that humanitarian aid donations increase, or that specific donations be made through the emergency response website.
The Church’s humanitarian outreach to the poor dates from its earliest beginnings, but major international efforts have included relief shipments at the end of World War II, aid during the Ethiopian famine in the 1980s and most recently relief after the Asian tsunami. Efforts include not only immediate relief but long-term restructuring.
Often, the Church collaborates with other organizations to provide shipments of food and other needed items.
Today’s First Presidency statement also addressed the emotional trauma the Haitian people are experiencing in the wake of the devastating earthquake.
“Money is not the only need in Haiti,” the statement continued. “People are frightened, bewildered, and wholly uncertain about their future. In addition to what people can do in helping with food, water and shelter, there needs to be a calming influence over that troubled nation. We invite people everywhere to supplicate God for a spirit of calm and peace among the people.”
Donations for relief efforts can be made at http://give.lds.org/emergencyresponse.
In the Caribbean islands, there are more than 150,000 members of the LDS Church, in 369 congregations. Over 15,000 of these members live in Haiti, half of these calling Port-au-Prince home.
Five air shipments of aid provided by the Church have arrived and are being used in Haiti. They include food, medical supplies, communications equipment, tents, tarps, water filtration bottles, blankets, newborn kits, wheelchairs, first aid kits, portable toilets and other items. Those five flights include a total of nearly 375,000 pounds of relief supplies. Partners United Airlines, Islamic Relief USA, Airline Ambassadors and UPS have worked with the Church to provide transport for these shipments.
Additionally, four truckloads of relief supplies have arrived in Haiti with supplies the Church procured in the Dominican Republic. On the ground in Haiti, the Church is working with partners Food for the Poor and CARE to distribute supplies.
Local Church leaders closest to the situation provide the direction for what supplies are most needed for people in their areas. Future shipments will continue to bring those relief supplies.
“Normal daily activity has come to a stop in Haiti. Helping to restore normalcy in the midst of devastation will be our greatest goal. Our focus will be on helping people become self-reliant again,” said Elder Francisco J. Viñas, the LDS Church area president who oversees the Church in Haiti.
Medical Relief
A team of five medical personnel coordinated by the Church arrived on Friday, 15 January, from the Dominican Republic to assist the injured. Another team of 16 medical professionals from the United States arrived on 18 January and provided emergency care for those needing medical attention. A revolving core team of doctors from the Church remains in Haiti providing general health care, follow-up care for injuries, as well as for sickness and communicable disease common after disasters. Other private groups of Latter-day Saints, including medical personnel, have been serving in Haiti. People who were formerly missionaries there have provided help, because they speak Creole or French, or both. The Utah Hospital team remaining in Haiti was comprised of over 100 people, including returned missionaries serving as translators. To read about the team, click here and on links at the bottom of the page.
Church Meetinghouses as Shelters
All of the Church’s meetinghouses in Haiti have been left largely undamaged. Local Church leaders report that nine chapels in Haiti have been used to shelter as many as 5,000 people in local communities where the chapels are located. Several truckloads of food and other relief supplies have been shipped to the chapels, and doctors sent by the Church have provided treatment to injured and sick individuals who are taking shelter there.
Generosity of Members and Friends of the Church
In the first few days after the earthquake the LDS Church received donations in the millions of US dollars from concerned members of the community, specifically for aid in Haiti. Church members in the Caribbean Area have been invited to dedicate their February monthly fast offering to the Haiti relief effort. When fasting, members traditionally donate the money they save by not eating two meals to the church for providing financial help to those in need; those who can donate more are encouraged to do so.
Update February 16, 2010
The LDS Church announced that it would send 600 home-building kits to Haiti to provide temporary shelter for church members who lost their homes. The goal is to get the homes built before the rainy season starts. A single kit includes lumber, corrugated tin for the roof, cement and hurricane straps for the roof. Organized service projects will first clear away the rubble of homes that were destroyed by the earthquake. A storehouse is also being established that will store food staples for the members. Orders are filled through local congregational leaders. Deliveries are then made to the nine Latter-day Saint meetinghouses that have been used as shelters for those displaced by the quake.
The Church has provided nearly 1,500 tents to those left homeless, and many now dot the property around the chapels. “A neighbor told me about this place and invited me to come,” said 16-year-old Cazy Lenlingy. “I am very happy to be here. Everyone has been kind and has received me well, thanks to God.”
Over 7,000 people originally took refuge at the meetinghouses, with those not of the Mormon faith making up more than two-thirds of the homeless.
Response teams on the ground in Port-au-Prince are continuing to assess the situation and coordinate with other nongovernment organizations and relief agencies. While details are still being worked out, future activities will likely include assisting in agricultural, water and mobility projects, providing employment assistance, providing continued support to temporary settlements, and continuing work with other relief agencies.
Continuing Service by the Mormon Church and Individual Church Members
Individual members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have been mobilizing to do what they can for the people of Haiti. Read about them by clicking on the following links:
LDS Medical Team Saves Man’s Leg
LDS Doctor Chronicles Haiti Efforts
Haiti Efforts Fostering Cooperation
Former Missionary Helping in Haiti
Mormon Med Student finds Haitian Daughter
Mormon social workers help Haitians with grief, anger
LDS Relief Team reflects upon Service
Plans for Haitian Children headed to Utah
Utahn Brandt Anderson builds an orphanage in Haiti
LDS Family Spared by Miracles in Haiti
Haitians Camp in LDS Meetinghouse Parking Lots
LDS Haitians Go Back to Church
A Photo Essay of the Destruction in Haiti
LDS Haitians Return to Worship After Destruction
A Day in Haiti for the LDS Service Team
LDS Psychologist Helps in Haiti
