The 7.0 earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12 killed more than 230,000 people, left over 1.5 million people homeless, and put millions in need of emergency medical care, clean water, food, and shelter. Samaritan’s Purse launched a massive emergency disaster response that escalated into the largest relief effort in the ministry’s 40-year history.

Over the last six months, the work of Samaritan’s Purse has transitioned from an emergency disaster response to a sustained recovery that is helping thousands of Haitians rebuild their lives and the nation.

Serving the Great Physician

Samaritan’s Purse had a medical advisor on the ground within 24 hours of the quake, coordinating an emergency medical response. More than 100 doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals converged at the Baptist Haiti Mission Hospital to help treat thousands of the survivors.

The medical response expanded when a quake-damaged clinic was refurbished and reopened in Cite Soleil, a major slum on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince. Teams of volunteer medical professionals have treated more than 10,000 patients at the clinic, and additional teams are traveling with mobile medical units to shelter camps, schools, orphanages, and remote communities that lack adequate medical care.

Shelter from the storm

More than 1.5 million Haitian families were left homeless after the quake. Samaritan’s Purse immediately distributed weatherproof tarps to thousands of families that were living in hastily-built tents and lean-tos made of old blankets and sheets. The tarps were intended to provide temporary shelter from the rain and wind.

We quickly moved into the next phase of shelter relief, spearheading an effort to provide 7,500 families with transitional housing units that can serve as homes for up to two years so that homeowners can rebuild permanent homes or find new places to live.

More than 10,000 people are living in the wood-framed shelters that have built-in bunk beds for children, a bed frame for the parents, a metal roof, a rain barrel, and weatherproof sheeting covering the walls.

“The earthquake flattened our home,” said Maganese Barthelme, a single mother with five children who lives in a shelter in Lafiteau. “We were outside, living in the yard. We got wet a lot from the rain. But now God has given us this gift. It is an answer to prayer.”

“I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat…” (Matt. 25:35a, NIV)

Emergency food distributions were critical following the quake. Samaritan’s Purse worked in partnership with local churches, the United Nations, and American troops from the 82nd Airborne Division to help distribute food to more than 300,000 hungry families.

Non-food items like hygiene kits, blankets, flashlights, and water containers were also distributed to displaced families to help them survive through the uncertain weeks following the disaster.

Mass food distributions have transitioned to food-relief efforts that target families with critical needs. By following guidelines set by the Haitian government and the World Food Programme, Samaritan’s Purse teams do assessments in quake-ravaged communities and provide food for 30,000 households that include widows, children under the age of five, the elderly, and the disabled.

“Food has been very hard to get,” said a 70-year-old grandmother named Genevie during a distribution in a rural community outside Leogane. “This will help a lot.”

Water, sanitation, and hygiene

Water systems collapsed and water sources were contaminated during the quake. Samaritan’s Purse teams have installed water filtration systems capable of treating 10,000 gallons of water per day in 20 communities.

To help tackle sanitation issues, Samaritan’s Purse workers built 741 latrines and provided sanitation and hygiene training to nearly 10,000 people to stop the spread of disease.

Recovery and rebuilding

The response of Samaritan’s Purse in Haiti is going beyond traditional emergency relief to help victims recover and rebuild their lives through several unique programs administered by our teams and funded by USAID and other organizations.

Hundreds of formerly unemployed Haitians are earning a daily wage through cash-for-work programs. Samaritan’s Purse is employing nearly 200 workers to assist with shelter production and on-site construction. Workers also help with rubble removal efforts that include razing collapsed homes, hospitals, schools, and businesses so new construction can begin.

The on-the-job skills and experience the workers are gaining will help them find future employment. Since the Haitian government is working on a comprehensive plan for rebuilding much of Port-au-Prince and the surrounding communities, trained construction workers will be in demand for years to come.

Through the Women’s Community Learning Group, Samaritan’s Purse is helping women continue their education and learn income-generating skills in Cite Soleil, one of the poorest slums in Port-au-Prince.

More than 100 women are taking classes that include sewing, cosmetology, health care, English as a second language, and basic reading and writing in Creole. The pilot program in Cite Soleil is the first of seven Women’s Community Learning Group centers that will be set up at churches in needy communities.

The hope of the Gospel

Churches across Haiti echoed with sounds of praise and prayer last Sunday when many sanctuaries overflowed with believers in Jesus Christ. The amazing resilience of the Haitian people is a testimony to their strong faith and the involvement of local churches in restoring hope to the nation.

A small, but lively group of ten people met for a service in one of the 260 transitional homes Samaritan’s Purse built in the shelter community of Lafiteau. Pastor Joseph started the home church the previous Sunday at the invitation of the homeowner, Ylrich Occius

“It’s important for people to hear the Gospel so they can be saved,” Pastor Joseph said. “We have started a church here so people have a place to come and hear the Word of God.”

In the center of the Lafiteau community, a group of 60 children were clapping their hands and moving their feet as another local pastor, Cherlus Flerimond, led them in a lively round of the song, “Fishers of Men.”

Pastor Flerimond heard about the Samaritan’s Purse shelter community from a cousin who was working on one of the construction crews. He felt led to minister to the children there and possibly help plant a church.

“I love children and feel that the Lord has given me a calling to minister to them,” Pastor Flerimond said. “It is important to teach God’s Word to the children because they are our future. One day they will replace us.”

About a mile away from the Lafiteau shelter community at the Second Baptist Church in Titanyen, a youth choir met for practice. Singing in beautiful harmony, the 20 young men and women echoed the refrain of believers across Haiti who suffered through a great tragedy, but found hope in God to carry on: “It is well, with my soul. It is well, with my soul. It is well, it is well with my soul.”

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Samaritan's Purse , Haiti , Help for Haiti , Faith to Carry On