Haiti
The world's first black-led republic and the first
Caribbean state to achieve independence, Haiti's pride has been dented by
decades of poverty, environmental degradation, violence, instability and
dictatorship which have left it as the poorest nation in the Americas.
Haiti's most serious underlying social problem, is the huge wealth gap between
the impoverished Creole-speaking black majority and the French-speaking
minority, 1% of whom own nearly half the country's wealth.
HAITI RELIEF EFFORT
HAITI RELIEF UPDATE: FRIDAY, Feb. 5, 2010
Haiti Volunteer Database Being Created
UMCOR has established a Web site for potential volunteers to register their interest in serving in Haiti. Go to http://secure.gbgm-umc.org/HaitiVolunteer to register your interest.
At this stage, it is unknown when we can start sending teams, but people who register will be advised. OKVIM will also be encouraging teams to form from within our own state, but only when we are given the go ahead.
Health Kits
We have already received about 5,000 Health Kits from across the annual conference.
Thank you so much to those who have participated. About 90% of those donations are already en route to Baldwin, LA, the site of UMCOR’s depot.
More, of course, are needed; so keep them coming, please.
We are thrilled that OG&E has joined us in this task and will be encouraging people through their own publicity efforts throughout February to send in kits.
Annual Conference UMCOR Collection will be for Haiti, also.
Every year at Annual Conference, we ask churches to bring in selected
kits to replenish the depot. This year, UMCOR has already advised us
that they are going to need specific kits to go to Haiti and the
recovery and rebuild efforts continue there. The kits they need will be School Kits and Layette Kits. More information will be provided in a few
weeks, but please know we will be looking for a large and as
enthusiastic a response to this as we have seen in the Health Kits!
- Donate now. (Haiti Response - UMCOR)