Dear Friends,

I have some good news. We received word that our food program coordinator, Madame Gabrielle, and our education coordinator, Jean Marie Noel, survived the earthquake and are not injured. We also just heard that Manmi Det, Nennenn and others in the St. Clare’s community are doing okay. We are so relieved! At the same time, we received some very sad news that a neighborhood school, right around the corner from where the food program takes place, collapsed and that it is feared that some children have died.

We have not had confirmation, but we believe that the St. Clare’s rectory, where the food program has been located, is still standing.

We’ve been told that no one is going inside any homes or buildings because of the fear of more aftershocks and the fact that the structural integrity of all buildings in Port-au-Prince has been severely compromised. Everyone is sleeping outside.

For this reason, we don’t think the community will be able to use the St. Clare’s rectory kitchen for the food program. The plan right now is to set up several tents on the rectory grounds to provide food, water, and shelter. When Lavarice, our program liaison, arrives in Haiti he will begin working on this effort. (Lavarice was not able to go to Haiti today as we originally thought. He has been delayed due to restrictions on aircraft flying to Port-au-Prince. He will fly to the Dominican Republic instead tomorrow or Saturday and drive to Haiti from there.)

Thank you so much for your donations to our Earthquake Relief Fund! We’ll be using your gifts to provide the urgent care the community needs.

We know from being in partnership with this courageous community for ten years that they are already in motion to do all they can to support each other during this incredibly difficult time. They are resilient, innovative, hard-working, and fueled by their faith. Over the years we’ve been in partnership – through a coup d’etat, hurricanes, economic crises and other challenges we can’t imagine – they have always pulled together and pulled through. I know that same spirit and strength is helping them survive. We remain committed to do all we can to provide relief for them now and plant sustainable seeds for the future.

With love and hope,

Margaret