News sought on Haitian Friends

An update on the post-earthquake situation

Friends around the world have been giving financial and practical support to aid efforts in the wake of the devastating earthquake in Haiti, while awaiting news of the 2,000 Quakers in the country.  The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) released $50,000 shortly after the event occurred, to be used mainly for emergency medical supplies.

AFSC is working in alliance with international agencies.

Nick Guttmann of Christian Aid said that the agency is taking supplies by land through the Dominican Republic, which forms part of the same island as Haiti. ‘We will see aid starting to flow much more quickly’, he predicted.

Meanwhile, Evangelical Friends Church (EFC) in Canton, Ohio, is trying to make contact with the seven Haitian Friends Churches with which it is linked. The main location of the churches is thirty miles north-west of the area that has taken the brunt of the destruction.

‘We know that our lead church is damaged’, said Wayne Evans of EFC, ‘but we have no information about our people’.

Friends in the country have run a centre that distributes vitamins and clean water, gives Bible lessons and runs an elementary centre, as well as teaching parenting skills.

‘I think what is happening right now is that neighbour is helping neighbour’ explained Wayne, who is posting daily updates at www.efcer.org.

At Meeting for Sufferings at the weekend representatives held an impromptu collection for relief efforts in Haiti, asking the clerk to forward the donations to AFSC.

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