Dear Friends,
As many of you know, Tuesday evening, a major earthquake struck Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, devastating broad swaths of the city and knocking out telephone communications throughout the country. While it is too soon to gauge the full scope of the catastrophe, thousands are feared dead and much of Haiti’s fragile and already overburdened infrastructure has been destroyed.
We are working to establish contact with our clients and partners in Haiti and their families. Based on reports from our partner organizations – the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti, the Bureau des Avocats Internationaux, and Partners in Health – it is clear that an international response is urgently needed to provide food, water, shelter, and medical supplies for tens of thousands of people.
In the past, CJA has relied on your generous support in bringing justice to Haitian survivors of torture and other man-made disasters. Now, we invite you once again to support the people of Haiti in the worst natural disaster in this troubled nation’s two hundred year history.
For those who would like to contribute to earthquake relief efforts, we encourage you to donate to Partners in Health (PIH), a non-profit public health organization founded by Dr. Paul Farmer that focuses on health as fundamental human right. Since 1987, PIH has developed a community-based healthcare system in Haiti that has become a model for World Health Organization policy. PIH has been a trusted ally of CJA for years, and we were honored to have Dr. Farmer and Haitian human rights attorney Mario Joseph speak at our 10th Anniversary Event last spring.
Yesterday, we received an urgent email from a PIH clinic in Haiti’s capital: "Port-au-Prince is devastated, lot of deaths. SOS. SOS… Temporary field hospital by us at UNDP needs supplies, pain meds, bandages. Please help us."
To make a financial donation to Partners in Health’s relief work in Haiti, please visit: https://donate.pih.org/page/contribute/haiti_earthquake?source=earthquake&subsource=homepage
PIH has also put out a call for doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals willing to volunteer in Haiti. More information is available at:
http://www.pih.org/inforesources/news/Haiti_Earthquake.html
Our hearts and hopes are with the people of Haiti.
Pamela Merchant and CJA Staff
Executive Director
