Rich Gosser

Dear Friend of PIP,

At 4:47 pm yesterday a 7.0 earthquake shook Haiti, collapsing much of the capital of Port au Prince and causing widespread death and destruction. A series of more than a dozen aftershocks - many of which themselves were classified as "large earthquakes" - continued to collapse buildings made vulnerable by the first quake, rendering them uninhabitable and forcing survivors to remain outdoors through the night.

We know the devastation is severe, but thus far - with phone lines down and electricity scarce - we have only scant information about any our friends and partners who live and work in the areas that were so severely shaken.

Already our friends and supporters are asking "How can we help?" We first invite your prayers for the immediate victims of the devastation and their families and for those who will suffer in the days ahead as the effects are compounded.

Contributions to provide immediate disaster relief can be made to:

Catholic Relief Services, www.crs.org
The American Red Cross, http://www.redcross.org

It is too early to know how best to respond to the needs our own partners, particularly the Association of Peasants of Fondwa (APF) and Centre d'Intervention Jeunesse (CIJ), but also the schools, churches and other projects in and near Port au Prince that receive support from PIP. We anticipate there will be significant need for disaster assistance. Therefore, we are immediately setting up an "Earthquake Relief" fund that will help us respond to their needs.

DONATIONS can be made online at DONATE NOW or checks marked "earthquake relief" can be mailed to Partners in Progress, 329 N. Fairfield Street, Ligonier, PA.
We will continue to update you via the PIP e-news distribution list and my blog .

Thank you,

Rich Gosser
Executive Director

Partners in Progress
329 N. Fairfield Street
Ligonier, PA 15658

rich • Jan-Feb 2007 Leave a comment