Haiti Earthquake Relief OM staff and church partners working with them in a suburb of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, reported on a very full day this week. The group divided into three ministry directions: medical care, working with a local orphanage, and distribution of food and supplies.The two women who focused on the orphanage encountered some frustrating conditions. With so many people from the community seeking refuge inside the compound, there is no room for the children to play or have activities. They don't go to school right now, so they are bundles of energy with no outlet. The women spent time with the children and tried to alleviate their fears about their orphanage building, which has been inspected by an engineer and deemed safe. So far the children are reluctant to go back inside. Another team member worked with a Christian medical clinic serving in the area. At this facility, staff starts the day with prayer, and each patient is prayed over and receives wonderful treatment. The clinic is staffed by volunteer physicians and nurses from all over the US. They have seen between 500 and 1,000 patients per day since the earthquake, and on this day they treated 602. The remaining six members of the team focused on distributing food and other supplies. OM’s US office had collected donations of some specific supplies from churches near the office, and these were sent to Haiti with the team earlier in the week. On this day, the team visited five orphanages and supplied them with bed linens and food. They also assessed another orphanage’s needs for future assistance. Through the orphanages, on one day the team touched the lives of 751 children, plus countless adults the orphanages are helping. OM continues to work in areas outside Port-au-Prince where we are linked with a network of orphanages. We are helping to provide them food and other supplies. Additionally, we have set up water systems, sent medical teams, and sent structural engineers to assess buildings. For continuing news of OM in Haiti, bookmark our Haiti blog page or subscribe to the OM USA blog. |
