Haiti » Haiti Earthquake Four-month Report

On January 12, 2010, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake rocked southern Haiti, killing more than 230,000 people. Millions of Haitians were hurt and left homeless - and they are still injured and struggling to survive. This earthquake is considered by many to be the worst disaster to hit the country in 200 years.

This catastrophe has affected people already living in an area ranked by the United Nations as the poorest country in the Western hemisphere. It is a chronically unstable region in economic decline. Haitian families are poorer now than they were 40 years ago. The United Nations Development Program estimates that nearly 80 percent of Haitians live on less than $2 per day.
Our Response

During the first 16 weeks after the earthquake, Medical Teams International sent 17 volunteer teams with the first one arriving within three days of the disaster. More than 100 doctors, nurses and other health professionals have been working in Port-au-Prince, Leogane, Les Cayes and Carrefour.Watch videos and view their photos to learn more about their work.

More than $5 million worth of supplies and medicines has been distributed to local hospitals and survivors living in tent cities to benefit more than 162,000 earthquake survivors. The shipments include three Interagency Emergency Health Kits, one Interagency Diarrheal Disease Kit, orthopedic equipment and supplies, suture materials and a broad range of medicines, including antibiotics.
Haiti Field Office

To help transition from relief to recovery, Medical Teams International has established a ministry presence in Haiti. This team of Haitian and non-Haitian staff will continue funneling lifesaving care and long-term help to families in Haiti.

Health Care Program

The earthquake damaged many of the health care facilities in the affected areas. Medical Teams International met the needs of the those who are injured and ill by:

* Rehabilitating King’s Hospital with medical staff, supplies, medicines and emergency orthopedic surgeries.
* Deploying mobile medical units to various tent cities serving nearly 21,000 people.
* Supporting Quisqueya Crisis Relief through funding, medical staff, medicines and supplies.
* Supplying hospitals with urgently needed medicines and orthopedic supplies.
* Transporting critically ill and injured people to the U.S. for lifesaving treatment.

Volunteers, staff and our medicines and supplies have been able to provide care for nearly 184,000 people. Services include orthopedic surgery, primary health care, wound care and psychosocial treatment.

The Advantage Program

During the next phase of recovery, Medical Teams International will help those who have been left physically disabled by the earthquake. Dr. June Hanks will manage our special campaign in Les Cayes where more than 88,000 Haitians have moved into the region from Port-au-Prince.

For the next two years, the Advantage Program will:

* Provide prosthetics, equipment, rehabilitation and emotional support to people with disabilities.
* Conduct seminars and training sessions with community leaders, teachers and pastors to help raise awareness and increase support for the disabled communities.
* Advocate for the improvement of the quality of life of people with disabilities in the community and government levels.

Our Partners

Medical Teams International has been coordinating daily with the United Nations and other non-governmental organizations. Our partners include Haiti Foundation of Hope, Healing the Children, Christian Reformed World Relief Committee, World Relief, International Orthodox Christian Charities, Apostolic Christian World Relief, Surgical Implant Generation Network, Hope International, Quisqueya Crisis Relief, St. Croix Hospital, 82nd Airborne, Humedica Christian Aid Ministries, TearFund UK and Covenant World Relief. Additionally, Medical Teams International has been working with local Haitian churches and community groups for logistical coordination, transport services and medical referrals.
Our History in Haiti

Medical Teams International first sent volunteers to Haiti in 1994 to assist the victims of a civil conflict. During 2004 and 2005, we deployed six disaster response teams to provide health care services for those wounded in Hurricane Jeanne. In 2006, Medical Teams International funded a safer home birthing program through Catholic Relief Services and sent a midwifery team to train traditional birth attendants on effective ways to oversee maternal labor and delivery. Since 2004, we have deployed 18 primary care teams to work with Haiti Foundation of Hope.
Financials

Medical Teams International received overwhelming support from individual and corporate donors. To date, more than $4.6 million dollars in cash has been pledged for the Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund. More than $5 million in medicines and medical supplies has been shipped to Haiti. Donations are accepted online at http://www.medicalteams.org/haiti or by texting HOPE to 253-83 for a $10 gift.

97 percent of gifts go to our programs and services. The contribution of thousands of volunteers’ time and millions of dollars in donated medicines, supplies and equipment helps Medical Teams International keep its overhead to an astounding 3 percent.

Accountability

To ensure accountability for contributions, Medical Teams International is a member of the Better Business Bureau and the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.

Medical Teams International is a 4-star charity as awarded by Charity Navigator.

THANK YOU

Your support for our Haiti relief efforts and for our other programs allows us to provide care for people affected by disaster, conflict and poverty around the world. To follow the Medical Teams International response as it evolves, please visit our Web site regularly. You can also receive regular updates through the Medical Teams International Facebook and Twitter pages.