Update

It is a beautiful, sunny day here in Jeremie today (though already a little hot for 9 AM) and I wanted to give you a quick update of what's going on here at HHF.

The last boat we received was a week ago, bringing with it another 1,500 people. Camions and tap-taps (buses) continue to come in with those leaving Port-au-Prince, though at a slower rate than in the beginning. Hopefully it will continue slowing down this way, as the town is already packed with people. As we drive and walk around, there are noticeably more cars and people in the streets. There is a Haitian proverb that says 'The streets are the living room of the people' so it's easy to notice the increased number around town as they are outside and not in their homes. It is also interesting because you can sometimes pick out those from Port-au-Prince, as you might be able to pick out someone from NYC in a rural area in the US.

The best recent news is that we have been able to get supplies into town. We received two large tractor trailers within the last week, and just yesterday 4 small airplanes arrived straight from Florida for us. The trucks came from Catholic Relief Services with food, and the airplanes were paid for by private HHF donors in the US, bringing food and supplies. In addition, we were able to help out our Haitian staff of 150 with earthquake relief donations given to HHF. On Friday of last week I helped our accountant count out $30,000 and divide it into packets of $200 to be given out to each member of staff--from laundresses to doctors. Passing out the cash brought out more smiles than we have seen in the last couple weeks combined.

Another volunteer like me, Rachel, did some research to see how the staff here in Jeremie have been affected by the earthquake, and the subsequent influx of people here in town. Her findings showed that 44 out of 114 houses were damaged, and an average of 5 people were coming to live in houses that already housed an average of 7 people--That is a lot of mouths to feed! So, it was great to actually see the money going out to our staff members as it is much needed just to feed the people in their homes right now.

In addition to these arrivals of food and supplies, we are working on getting our usual container from Port-au-Prince. The Connecticut office had packed it in October to be sent down by boat. We should have received it in December, but there was a delay in customs, followed by the earthquake, so we are lucky it is even intact. Hopefully this will arrive soon with much needed food and supplies!

Please continue to keep Haiti in your thoughts!