HAITI DISASTER RELIEF Q & A
Allow me to give the most up-to-date, accurate answers to some of our most common questions.
- What is your greatest need right now?
Right now our greatest need is monetary donations. Our Haiti Mission Project is fully funded by our Child Sponsorship Program, individual donors, and partnering churches. None of the money comes from the JBA annual budget. We are accepting our usual items for donation, (like peanut butter, diapers, soap, etc – see www.jbahaiti.org/project-needs ) because these items are needed for our on-going ministry with the children. - How was your ministry affected by the earthquake?
By far the worst of the damage occurred in Port-au-Prince, the nation’s capital and the largest city in Haiti with the highest population. Our ministry is located one hour northwest of there near the city of Cabaret. All of our buildings had some damage, but are still standing. The most damage occurred to our exterior, security wall – several sections of the wall either fell or are damaged and need major repair. Praise God, all our children in our orphanage and school are OK - a few of the children in the school suffered some scrapes and cuts, but nothing life threatening. Some of our workers lost family members, but none of our workers were seriously injured. - What is going on at your site right now?
In the days after the quake, our site became home to several victims in the community. This included feeding them as well. After about a week, these people were able to return to their homes, living in tents and makeshift shanties beside their damaged houses. We continued to provide food and water for them and other victims of the quake in surrounding areas by sorting rice and beans into small bags (enough for a family for a few days) and distributing it to them. This commodity food distribution and an occasional hot, prepared meal for the community have continued on a regular basis. The military has delivered humanitarian supplies to our site for us to distribute as well. Teams are going down – an assessment team, a medical team and soon construction teams will begin. Our assessment team, along with the Disaster Relief Committee from our Cabaret Baptist Church has compiled a list of houses in the community that were damaged and need to be repaired or rebuilt. The medical team was able to hold a clinic at our site, as well as assist medical clinics in Cabaret and Titanyen, a city between us and Port-au-Prince. - How can we get or ship food to Haiti?
The problem right now is not with us “sending” collected donations; it is with the ability to “receive” those donations in Haiti. When shipping anything to Haiti, the most important part is the final leg of the journey. Someone in-country must receive the shipment, transport the shipment, and have a secure place to hold it until JBA can get it. The group we use to ship into Haiti has just been able to resume shipments into the rebuilt port. We will soon share with you a list of specific items that we will need to ship down in the next few months. - How is JBA handling money donated for Haiti? Where does the money go?
As usual, all monies are handled using the best practices of ethical accounting. All funds earmarked for “Haiti Disaster Relief” are placed in a designated account. When needed, a check is cut or funds are transferred to an account in Haiti completely controlled by JBA. As the funds are spent, receipts are collected and a spending record kept. All receipts and records are returned to JBA and annually that account, along with all our accounts, is audited by a professional, third-party accounting firm. All funds given for “Haiti Disaster Relief” will be used to purchase items needed to feed, heal and repair the country of Haiti. This includes medical supplies, building materials, transportation costs, and certain food items that are not donated. None of these funds will be diverted to other ministry causes or used by the Jacksonville Baptist Association to fund our on-going ministry here in Jacksonville. - How do I make out a check?
You can give online at http://jbahaiti.org/blog/haiti-earthquake-response/ or you can mail a check labeled Haiti Disaster Relief to:
Jacksonville Baptist Association
2700 University Blvd S.
Jacksonville, FL 32216 - Are my donations tax deductible?
Yes, both monetary and in-kind gifts are tax deductible. JBA will provide donors with a charitable tax receipt letter to use when filing your taxes. - Why has the humanitarian aid process seemed so slow?
First of all, you have to understand the stages of disaster relief in general.
*Stage One – Search and Rescue –immediate help for those in danger (first 24 hrs)
*Stage Two – Assessment and Recovery – trained teams arrive to prioritize needs, determine infrastructure, and coordinate resources (24-48 hrs)
*Stage Three – Response – this is when most volunteers arrive to meet needs like food, clothing, and shelter and begin the clean-up process (48-72 hrs)
*Stage Four – Rebuilding – long term efforts to help the community to return to some sense of normalcy (weeks to years)Secondly, in this case, you have to understand Haiti. Prior to the earthquake, doing anything in Haiti was difficult. Extreme poverty, lack of resources and materials, and a fragile political situation were just a few of the barriers any group faced who tried to minister in Haiti. The earthquake has placed enormous stress on an already overstressed system. Those arriving to help have had to start from scratch to develop ways to determine needs and distribute resources. Combine all this with the severity of the damage, loss of life and the fact that the entire world is trying to converge on a piece of land the size of Maryland and you can understand why communication, organization, and distribution have been difficult. - How long will this recovery take?
If Katrina was any indication, it will take 12-18 months to start seeing progress, but it will take years to rebuild. - Can I go to Haiti?
Absolutely, we need teams to go down as often as possible for the next few months. At this point travel into and out of Haiti is still difficult but we have still taken three teams down since the quake. Commercial flights are scheduled to resume next week, which will make it easier on mission teams. We will continue to take teams down at least monthly, but more often as the situation dictates. Team members do not have to possess medical or construction skills; other skills needed include teaching, cooking, organizing, and a willingness to serve. Maryann Grigsby is coordinating mission teams for us at this time. Contact Maryann at mgrigsby@jaxbaptist.org if you are interested in putting together a team, or joining a team that is already scheduled. - How is JBA helping Haitians?
In addition to continuing to run our orphanage and academy, we are working through our church to distribute food and water to our community. We are working on using our academy to offer a trade school, teaching locals to lay block correctly. This will provide us with plenty of workers to help rebuild the houses in our community and provide them with jobs for years to come. - How can I sponsor a child?
Our Haiti Child Sponsorship Program connects the needy children in our orphanage and school with caring donors. For $50 a month, you will receive the name, personal information and a picture of your child. Sponsors are encouraged to correspond with their child and send gifts on special days. The money goes to provide for the basic needs of the child, like food, caregivers, and an education. To sponsor a child go to www.jbahaiti.org and click on “Sponsor a Child” or contact Andrea Benton at bentandy@comcast.net. - How can I adopt an orphan?
JBA has an Adoption Screening Process that is guided by an excellent team led by Pastor Mark Epperson. To begin this process you can call the JBA Office at 904.727.6800 or e-mail dgarrett@jaxbaptist.org, You will be sent prerequisite forms that need be completed and returned along with a processing fee. While all of our children can be sponsored, not all of our children are adoptable. Special care, wisdom, and patience is required to adopt a child from Haiti. - So what was up with that mission team from Idaho trying to take 33 Haitian children across the border to the Dominican Republic?
This is one of my most frequently asked questions and I think their situation points out exactly what I’ve said from the beginning, “Don’t just do something!” I know they were well meaning, but I feel that their zeal surpassed their judgment. This is why I strongly encourage people who want to help Haiti (whether they work with us or not) to work with trusted ministries that have a proven record; and listen to them and do what they say. Ministry in Haiti is difficult at best. You have to respect the Haitian people and realize that even though things may seem unusual or unorganized, there is a system in place that is there for a reason. Those who go there with wrong expectations and a paternalistic attitude will create problems for themselves and may just run into the kinds of problems this group did.
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