Hopegivers Blogs

January 15, 2010

By John Batastini

Posted in: Haiti

Some Supplies Reaching the Need, Others Not

I just spoke to our partner in Haiti, Espior Por Haiti (Living Hope Mission) a ministry based in Cap Haitien, for the first time since the earthquake. They have already sent one truckload of supplies down to Port Au Prince. The truck was able to make it down safe and is on its way back to Cap Haitien at this time.

We are also working with a partner church in Santiago, Dominican Republic, Iglesia Bautista de la Gracia, to send 200 doctors, 24000 bottles of water, food, and supplies down to the area devastated by the quake. Friday they were unable to cross the border into Haiti and will try again Saturday.  

I also spoke to a friend of the ministry serving in the town of Ouanaminthe. She told me that many Haitians are frantically heading down to Port Au Prince to search for family members despite the current situation. These additional people are sure to impede aid getting into the area and even further the dangers on the road coming in from the north. Already I find out that one bus full of people crashed off of a mountainside on the road.  The team of doctors from Santiago that has been sent were unable to get down into Port Au Prince with supplies at this time. 

One person I spoke with said that one of her teachers, who went to go find his family, did make it down to Port Au Prince. All of his family was killed except for 9 nieces and nephews, who were all returning with him. Surely the need is and will continue to be great in the weeks, months, and years to come. I also want to caution you in this time. Corruption and fraud in Haiti are rampant in the best of times; this is not the best of times. I am already aware of many people here in the states that support fraudulent individuals raising funds at this time, as well as many people in Haiti that use situations like this and the victims they produce for seeking personal gain in this tragedy. Please use wisdom and if you choose to provide disaster relief through a non-profit other then Hopegivers, we say Praise God, but please use very wise judgement in this time and send aid through widely-known, faithful organizations at this time.

Please continue to keep those suffering in this horrific disaster in your prayers and PLEASE DO NOT FORGET THIS as we so often do in the days, weeks, months, and years to come.

God bless,

 John Batastini

International Ministry Director of Hopegivers International 

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