Nine Months After Earthquake: Rebuilding Lives

Food For The Poor has sent more than $155 million in aid to Haiti, since the 7.0 magnitude - earthquake devastated the country on Jan.12. The organization responded immediately and help has flowed continually from the largest international charity in the United States. That aid has come in many forms, and has transitioned over the weeks and months from emergency relief to relief/rebuilding actions.

The charity continues to accelerate homebuilding in the earthquake-ravaged country of Haiti, and has built 1,174 permanent two-room homes outside of Port-au-Prince.

More than 250 two-room homes are currently under construction.

Because the organization has been working in Haiti for more than 24 years, it was well-prepared to respond when the earthquake struck. Over the years, Food For The Poor has built almost 14,000 homes in Haiti.

Building schools

On Nov. 5, Food For The Poor will celebrate the opening of a school in Petit Goave, the first school the charity will have opened since the earthquake.

More than 100 students will benefit from the school. Several Palm Beach County Country Club managers raised the money to make this dream a reality and will travel there with Food For The Poor for the school’s inauguration.
The Haitian government estimates that more than 4,000 schools were destroyed during the earthquake. Food For The Poor is committed to rebuilding schools in Haiti, and has others under construction in Pierre Payen and Chastenoye.

Statement from President/CEO

“It is disturbing to me when I read that over a million people remain in tents in Haiti, nine months after the earthquake. We are committed to rebuilding Haiti and we are backing that up every day with new homes that promise hope and a future for those who already have suffered so much,” said Robin Mahfood, President/CEO of Food For The Poor. “We must help these people, and we must continue to find ways to help them faster. We need everyone’s help.”

Food For The Poor, the largest international relief and development organization in the nation, does much more than feed millions of hungry poor in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian agency provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicines, educational materials, homes, support for orphans and the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance, with more than 96 percent of all donations going directly to programs that help the poor. For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.