2010 Earthquake Relief ~ Haiti

On Tuesday, January 12, 2010, just as evening was descending, Haiti changed forever. A 7.1 earthquake took hundreds of thousands of lives and left countless others injured and homeless. Nothing would ever be the same for anyone involved in Haiti.

Providence Ministries is very grateful that many of you have trusted us to help not only in this terrible hour, but also for the recovery that will challenge Haiti long into the future. This site was established to disclose how we are using relief funds donated to our organization, which will be separate from our normal operating budget and expenses. Providence Ministries is an all volunteer based organization.

Our initial relief efforts involved sending Dr. Jen Halverson and Greg Erickson as first responders. Jen helped establish a small clinic in Port au Prince. Children's Hospital and Clinics of Minnesota have generously supported Jen's work by providing time off. Greg joined them a short time later to serve as a logistical point person and all-around fix-it guy. Both Jen and Greg speak Kreyol and Greg is very familiar with Port au Prince, so they were valuable assets. They also helped to provide part of the needed medical supplies for the clinic. Providence Ministries also used relief dollars to purchase medical supplies and other resources.

In the aftermath of the earthquake, food and other basic needs became scarce and costly. Refugees from Port au Prince flooded into the provinces, creating a more and more desperate situation. Providence House and the surrounding community suffered its own damage as a result of the earthquake and aftershocks. Part of our relief money will be spent to help this community and provide food and other basic needs for those we work with in southern Haiti.

As time goes on, our efforts will shift from the immediate disaster to the question of how we can empower Haitians as they rebuild their communities. We will update this page as those initiatives are formed. Thank you for the role you are playing in the overwhelming needs of our little sister Haiti.

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