Haiti Earthquake: The Church Responds

Before you go:

The global church has demonstrated tremendous concern for the people of Haiti following the devastating January 12 earthquake. Supplies and money have been provided with great generosity. Now, work teams from mission sending agencies and individual churches are starting to arrive in the country. A well-planned work trip can be a tremendous support and assistance both to victims of the earthquake and to missionaries who are working in Haiti and will host your trip. But, there are some things that every group considering coming to Haiti should carefully and prayerfully consider before starting out. You want to be a blessing, not a burden, to your hosts:

Come self-contained:

  • Bring all medications.
  • Bring water purification resources (hand filters and chemical tablets).
  • Bring insect repellant and sun screen lotion or spray.
  • Bring your own easy-to-prepare food (remember that the water supply may be very limited). Think of high-energy, high-protein bars and similar foods. It may be very hard to cook or prepare hot food. Check with your hosts before you pack!
  • Bring your sleeping provisions (sleeping bag, ground cover/air mattress, tent and/or mosquito net).
  • Bring appropriate clothing and hat (protection from sun, insects, the environment– easy to clean, durable and comfortable – don’t plan on being able to do laundry).
  • Bring your own cash – US dollars can be used in many places – but it is hard to change large bills – you will do best with $5’s and $10’s.
  • Electricity may be very limited, if available at all.

Be prepared medically and health-wise:

  • Make sure all your vaccinations and inoculations are current before you come.
  • Start a malaria prophylaxis and keep that current during your trip.
  • Bring toilet paper, wet-wipes, soap and hand sanitizer.
  • You will most likely be living and working in a dusty, dirty, hot, crowded environment with limited toilet and sanitation facilities.
  • Even if your trip does not include projects involving physical labor, the environment itself is demanding and physically taxing – everyone on the team should be in good physical condition.
  • In addition, please visit CDC website for their recommendations: http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/Haiti.aspx

Remember that:

  • Your hosts have been in a crisis response mode since the earthquake and their personal lives and living infrastructure have been substantially disrupted. Your presence inevitably adds to their workload and stress, so think things through and do everything you can to maximize your contribution while minimizing the effort your hosts need to support you.
  • Respect the work schedules and needed personal time of your hosts and their national colleagues and workers. Give as much notice of your in-country arrival and daily work schedules. Find out what the normal daily cycle of activity is, and adjust your plans and work to fit in to the schedule of your hosts.

Be strategic:

  • Find out ahead of time what your hosts really need. Even if buildings are down, there may be more urgent needs than demolition and rebuilding (for example, working on public health issues by digging latrines). Build teams suited for the tasks needed in-country – don’t just send a team of who is “available” and hope the right kind of work is ready for them.
  • Find out what supplies your hosts need and bring them (these may be very “ordinary” things like coffee filters, printer ink cartridges, rope, etc.) – don’t guess, ask and then serve your hosts by meeting those needs. Everyday household supplies will be increasingly difficult to obtain in Haiti and bringing what your hosts need will be a tremendous blessing.
  • If you are going to bring relief supplies, find out what is needed and bring that –don’t simply bring “stuff” because that “stuff” was donated.

Be flexible:

  • Logistics and infrastructure systems in Haiti are severely broken and will be for some time. Flights are delayed or rescheduled; supplies don’t arrive on time, etc.
  • Build extra time for your travel (incoming and outgoing) – don’t plan on flights going on schedule.
  • If needs or conditions on the ground have changed, go with the flow – be ready to adjust and perhaps do a completely different project than you planned.

These recommendations were prepared by Crisis Consulting International, working on the ground in Port au Prince with faith-based organizations following the earthquake. Permission is granted to faith-based, non-profit and non-governmental organizations to reproduce and distribute with attribution to Crisis Consulting International.