About 40 families live in the village of Pointe Sable on the island of La Gonave in Haiti. This is where Hand to Hand for Haiti's ministry began over 25 years ago. The village can be reached by boat from the mainland, but there is no road connecting it to other towns on the island. It is very vulnerable to drought, and they are experiencing a bad drought right now. For several weeks they have been unable to obtain food for themselves. For weeks they have had no source of food other than the mercy of others. They received some welcome relief when Hand to Hand for Haiti shipped some Hunger Packs supplied by Kids Against Hunger and packed by volunteers from the Rye (N.Y.) Youth Council. During Hand to Hand for Haiti’s recent mission trip, Joseph met with our partner from La Gonave , Pastor Serafin.
He described the situation as being very bad. Joseph had plans to visit, but two things stopped him: First, he had no more food to offer them. Second, the boat ride would cost him at least $100. So instead he gave the pastor the $100, plus more money, to buy food. All he could give them at the time was $260.
Here is a message from Will Hollywood, Hand to Hand for Haiti’s treasurer, who has been on several mission trips to Haiti: "We commonly think of people starving to death in famine situations. This is usually not the case. What happens is chronic malnutrition which leads to lower resistance to disease and the disease doing more damage. So people will often die from a stomach bug. The highest risk population are children who have just stopped nursing. It is quite possible that a high percentage of children 6-12 months old will die from easily preventable and easily treatable."
We have a system in place to purchase food in Haiti and ship it to the island at minimal cost. We can take other measures for famine relief, such as oral dehydration kits and helping with the water system.
But first we need financial support to get going. Would you please consider a contribution? This is a village that is not reached by large relief agencies. We are their best hope, by the grace of God. You can be an important part of this relief effort. Please visit our secure donation site, and make a donation that will have a large impact on a small part of the world.
Joy and blessings,
Roseanne Krzanowski, Secretary
Hand to Hand for Haiti
64 Dixon St.
Waterbury, CT 06704