Haiti Earthquake Relief

January 12: Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, has been hit with a series of catastrophic earthquakes. The main quake took place this morning and registered 7.0 on the Richter scale. Many aftershocks have followed. At least two million people live in the affected area. Numerous buildings have collapsed including apartment buildings and a hospital. You will see this all over the news tonight and in your local paper tomorrow morning.

At Partners International, we believe that local churches can be a great source of help and comfort at times like this. They might not have the huge resources of governments or big relief agencies, but they know the local people and will be there long after the big players have moved on. The church shines best when it is walking alongside hurting people, helping them rebuild their lives.

In cooperation with our affiliate in the UK, we have a partnership with a local church-planting and community development ministry in Haiti that has been working in the places where the quakes hit hardest. They have been starting churches, schools, and small businesses to help their people. We are working now to find out what of this work has survived.

Latest Updates

February 2: Jon Lewis Blog Post: Haiti - Now an Opportunity for Partnership

January 28: Email Update: Haitian Ministry Leader Returns Home to Devastation

January 22: While some of the money raised has already been distributed to Haitian Calvary International Ministries (HCIM), some of it will also be saved for the coming months of ongoing relief and rebuilding. Our UK affiliate, Worldshare, has reaffirmed their commitment to long-term partnership with HCIM. The Partners International family will be connected to HCIM for the years to come (even after the big aid agencies have left) helping them to rebuild lives, churches, and communities.

January 14: The leader of Haitian Calvary International Ministries (HCIM) has informed us that most of the international aid is likely to be focused on the capital, Port-au-Prince. HCIM will reach out to the smaller towns and villages that may be overlooked. We are also told that communication is still a problem. A phone call to Haiti lasted only a minute before being cut off.

January 13: A contact on the ground in Haiti tells us that the power is out, fuel supplies are low, and food supplies are in question.

January 13: An update from our UK affiliate, World Share, on ministry partner Haitian Calvary International Ministries (HCIM) - Many church members have been killed or injured. Communications have been badly affected. Local radio and TV are not operational. The main focus of HCIM's ministry is the island of La Gonave, which is quite close to the epicenter.

Donate to Haiti Earthquake Relief

Are you able to help? Your gifts will help church members, students and local families recover and also become a means for further outreach into these devastated communities.

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