Dear Friends of Family Health International,
We are grateful for the support you’ve shown to the people of Haiti. I am writing to update you on how your contributions are being used to aid the relief effort.
Today, our FHI staff throughout Haiti are accounted for. However, four have lost family members to the earthquake, 13 have lost their homes, and still more have homes that suffered damage. These tragedies weigh heavily on us as we move forward to help Haiti recover from this devastating crisis. We are grateful that our local staff are continuing to contribute their talents and expertise to Haiti’s recovery—even as they cope with tremendous personal loss.
Despite the sometimes grim pictures you are seeing in the news, the relief effort in Haiti is making progress and there are signs of hope.
The good news is that FHI’s offices in Port-au-Prince are standing and we are working at 75 percent of capacity. We have made space available for 20 staff from the Haiti Ministry of Health’s tuberculosis and HIV units, whose offices were destroyed. We are collaborating with our trusted local partners, including Food for The Poor, and have started delivering medical supplies and clean water to the Fermathe hospital in the hills behind Port-au-Prince. We are also taking advantage of our national network of community service delivery points to provide food security and healthcare to where help is most needed.
I’m also very pleased to let you know that your gift has been matched dollar for dollar, and that from now until January 29, we will match every dollar raised, up to a total of $50,000. These funds are needed to assist in getting food and medical supplies distributed to those most affected.
We will continue to use all means at our disposal to help relieve Haiti’s suffering. If you’d like to follow our work online, we are providing updates on Twitter, Facebook, and our website. We have more emergency assistance in the works, and I will update you again as soon as I have results to report.
Al Siemens
Chairman and CEO,
Family Health International
P.S. May I ask you to forward this message to your family, friends, and others who may be willing to support our relief efforts in Haiti and to take advantage of this matching gift opportunity that ends January 29? They may make a tax-deductible donation to our Haiti Relief Fund by clicking on the donation button on the right.
