On Saturday, August 14th, Haiti was hit by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake, leaving over 2,200 dead, thousands injured and hundreds missing. Haiti is still dealing with the fallout from the 2010 earthquake and Hurricane Matthew in 2016.

Acknowledging the on-going COVID-19 pandemic and the need for a community-based approach, CLF focused its efforts around the worst-hit city of Les Cayes, a city of about 100,000 people on the country’s southwest peninsula.

CLF also understands that emergency funding is not enough and long-term investments to help communities withstand future natural disasters are crucial. Through CLF’s Climate Resilience Initiative (CRI), we have formed local partnerships and invested in multi-year resilience projects across the Caribbean that address multiple dimensions of emergency preparedness.

CLF is responding today by disbursing $500,000 in emergency funding to support on-the-ground relief efforts in Haiti. Specifically, the funds will be distributed to the following organizations:

• CapraCare a health-focused nonprofit organization working to procure antibiotics, provide mental health services and monitor displaced populations.
• FOKAL a civil-society-focused organization providing cash transfers to smallholder farmers and grassroots partners for purchasing materials, critical needs and supplies and shelter.
• Haiti Air Ambulance a nonprofit organization providing emergency helicopter and flight services, including the bringing in of doctors, nurses and health into the country and the transportation of medicines as well as patients to clinics and hospitals.
• Health Equity International a health organization focused on providing essential life-changing services in southern Haiti, currently focused on ensuring its hospital remains open and able to continue life-saving health services for those injured in the earthquake while still managing the treatment of COVID-19 patients and providing critical maternity care and perinatal services.
• Project Medishare a community-based, rural healthcare program provider ​​setting up fully-staffed and stocked field hospitals in light of  provider and service shortages, as well as securing water purification systems and food provisions. 
• Zanmi Lasante a sister organization to Partners In Health working to keep health facilities open and continuously serving patients, mobilize medical staff and urgent supplies, including those used in the prevention of spreading water-borne illnesses like cholera.

Although we know there is much, much more that is needed to support recovery and rebuilding efforts in Haiti, this is a start. 

We invite you to join us in donating to any or all of these organizations.

Photos by Nadia Todres for Partners In Health