Photo by Associated Press. Saint Anne church lays totally destroyed by Hurricane Matthew in Camp Perrin. Thursday, Oct. 6, 2016.
By now, we’ve all heard of the catastrophe caused by Hurricane Matthew in the Caribbean and within our borders. News channels have been documenting how Hurricane Matthew has destroyed communities of people, now surviving on the mercy of others. As a Haitian living in the United States, I sat in the comfort of my home and watched as the people of southern Haiti lost everything overnight.
I don't know if any of us that have not been through it will ever understand how it feels to lose EVERYTHING in a matter of hours. Picture after picture of families you know, places you’ve lived, monuments that brought pride to its people, now gone. Trees that once provided food, ripped straight from the ground, roofs of homes that served as humble shelters lifted by Matthew’s ferocious winds, and the PAIN on the faces of the thousands of people. It is simply unbearable.
Approximately 80% of the people of Jérémie, Haiti are now homeless and with the loss of crops and livestock, the number of those in HUNGER from the lack of food will soon be incomprehensible.
I believe that there is a divine reason for everything, and I also believe that when we as people work together, we can move mountains. The devastation caused by Hurricane Matthew, although a large mountain, can be moved if we work together.
The first thing you can do is to make a donation to Friends for Health in Haiti’s Hurricane Matthew Relief Fund. We have people on the ground in Haiti who will ensure that 100% of your donation gets to the people who need it most. I choose to believe that this mountain of pain and despair caused by Hurricane Matthew can be moved, if we lock arms and work together in rebuilding Jérémie and ultimately the lives of its people.
FHH and I are asking you to lock arms with us, by making a donation today to the Hurricane Matthew Relief Fund.
Together we are strong!
Judith Romelus
Friends for Health in Haiti Director of Development