Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association relief news update from Haiti.
With intensive emergency efforts continuing two weeks after the January 12 earthquake that leveled a city’s structures and took so many lives, the official death toll has increased to 150,000 in Port-au-Prince, while victims who have been buried by loved ones or are still beneath the rubble remain uncounted and could easily
double this number.

Conveying her deep sorrow and prayers for the Haitian quake victims, Supreme Master Ching Hai had immediately pledged an initial US$20,000, increasing the donation more recently to US$40,000 to provide further emergency assistance.

She also requested that our Association members go help the ones most desperately in need, such as those who had lost loved ones or without social support.

She especially asked for urgent medical and surgical care to be arranged for the critically wounded.
Together with our Association members’ contributions, a total of US$190,000 is now helping to acquire US$6.9 million in relief supplies, as valued in the United States, based on Haiti’s cost of living.

After arriving in Haiti, our Association’s relief team was immediately able to provide much-needed medical treatment in the city of Port-au-Prince.

Port-au-Prince, Haiti (F): There were more than 500 people. [The relief team] gave them the necessary care, and then those who needed to be operated, they organized everything for them to be able to go to a hospital to be operated on. I am very satisfied with the work they did here.

Quand je suis arrivé il y’avait beaucoup de malades, il y’avait plus de 500 personnes, on les a soigné on leur a donné des soins nécessaires, et ensuite ceux qui avaient besoin d’être opérés, on a tout organisé pour qu’ils puissent aller à l’hôpital pour se faire opérer. Je suis très satisfaite du travail qu’on a fait ici.

VOICE: Following their work in Port-au-Prince and then the Dominican Republic, our Association’s international relief team has now turned its attention to another area of immense need at the Seventh Day Adventist medical center in Carrefour.

This facility, one of the largest still standing after the earthquake, is equipped to perform life-saving surgeries such as amputations and has been receiving some of the most seriously wounded.

However, the Carrefour medical personnel had insufficient food supplies for either themselves or patients. Our Association’s relief team was thus asked to provide nourishing vegan meals from the hospital’s kitchen.
More of our Association members are arriving with large supplies of medicines and dried foods, and are being joined by still others who are skilled in large-scale cooking.

We appreciate all the governments, aid groups and individuals who are working to ease the situation of the quake-afflicted. Our thankfulness also to Supreme Master Ching Hai for her benevolent assistance and to our Association’s relief team for their sincere endeavors.

May the faithful Haitian people be protected in recovering the stability of their regular lives, as we pray that such tragedies are minimized with humanity’s evermore caring and conscientious ways.