Haiti earthquake prompts the desire to help, asks the question of how

By Mary Frances Schjonberg, January 13, 2010 [Episcopal News Service] Whether it is a tsunami overwhelming southeast Asia, hurricanes demolishing the U.S. Gulf Coast, or an earthquake devastating Haiti, many people feel the need to give of themselves to help those who suffer.

The question is how best to do that at each stage of the aftermath and how best to meet the needs of those hurt by the disaster.

As people contemplated how to respond to those needs in the hours since a magnitude 7.0 earthquake shook the Port-au-Prince area to its foundation at just before 5 p.m. on Jan. 12, governments and the United Nations began moving bulldozers, cranes and hospital ships into position.

"It's heavy disaster logistics," Robert Radtke, president of Episcopal Relief and Development, told ENS.

Organizations like ERD, the Diocese of Haiti and other international non-governmental organizations typically get involved in the second stage of post-disaster work as recovery efforts begin and they discern how to help local efforts to supply victims with emergency and transition housing, food and clean water for the "medium to long term," Radtke said.

ERD has already disbursed emergency funding to the Diocese of Haiti to help them meet those needs, according to Radtke. ERD "stands ready to support their ongoing recovery as they rebuild their ministries," he added.

Beyond that stage, much of the sustained work is done by faith groups, he added.

"The ministries of the faith communities, including the Episcopal Church, are the ones that endure," Radtke said. "And so when people ask what can they do now -- today -- to help the people of Haiti, the reality is that the most important thing you can do is to give money because money moves quickly."

The logistics of moving material donations into a disaster area at this stage are "very complex and expensive," he said, while money can be used in Haiti to purchase relief supplies when those materials reach the country.

Some people might feel an urgent desire to lend their expertise, but "now is not a good time to consider going to Haiti," Radtke said. "Right now, the U.S. government is trying to evacuate people in Haiti."

"Our partners in Haiti are not in a position to receive anybody," he added. "They themselves are the victims of disasters and so we need to pray for them that God will give them strength to endure what must be truly unendurable."

In recent hours it has been difficult for ERD and other organizations inside and outside of the Episcopal Church that have partnerships in Haiti to reach those partners to learn about their welfare and inquire about their needs in the wake of the devastation, Radtke said. The damaged communication system is being overwhelmed as they and others try to reach colleagues, friends and family members.

ERD issued a news release earlier on Jan. 13 that said the organization is committed to a long-term effort in the Diocese of Haiti, building on the many years of partnership and capacity-building in which the two organizations have engaged. That partnership will show fruit during the response, Radtke and ERD Interim Director for International Programs Kirsten Muth said.

Radtke called the ERD-Episcopal Diocese of Haiti partnership a "very large, very well-developed [and] very high-capacity program" that can deliver many services. The diocese may be challenged in terms of material resources, especially given the heavy damage it incurred on its infrastructure, but its "human resources are very high-capacity."

"It will have the capacity to respond well when it is able to organize itself," he said.

ERD supports the Haitian diocese's development program with its network of 28 development agents, all of whom have received training in disaster response and management. "We know that in the wake of this disaster, these community agents will use this training to coordinate their efforts with local authorities," Muth said in the statement.

To donate to ERD's Haiti Fund, visit www.er-d.org or call 1-800-334-7626, ext. 5129. Gifts can be mailed to Episcopal Relief and Development, PO Box 7058, Merrifield, VA 22116-7058. Please put "Haiti Fund" in the memo line of all checks.

-- The Rev. Mary Frances Schjonberg is national correspondent for the Episcopal News Service and Episcopal News Monthly editor.