Thank you for your generous donations to help people after the earthquake in Haiti. CAFOD was overwhelmed when the Catholic Community in England and Wales raised more than £4.7 million for CAFOD’s Haiti earthquake appeal. Your generous support, even at a time when some of us are struggling to make ends meet, is truly inspirational.

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Now, more than three months after the earthquake, our partners have provided food, shelter, clean water and healthcare to hundreds of thousands of people. Thanks to your support, our partners have provided:

• 1.5 million people with emergency food
• 100,000 people with tents or tarpaulin for those who lost their homes
• 2,000 children living in camps with trauma counselling
• 350,000 people with healthcare

Hundreds of thousands of families were made homeless when their houses crumbled as a result of the quake. More than 50,000 families crowded into an emergency camp set up on the fairways of the Petionville golf club, on the outskirts of the capital Port-au-Prince. Now a patchwork of bedcovers, plastic sheeting and cardboard, this is one of the biggest camps in town. Carmen and her two daughters are one of the families living in the camp. Their new home is a shelter of bright blue tarpaulin with flowered bed sheets lining the walls and floor. Her two daughters had just returned from school when their house began to shake. The walls of her home crumbled around them. She said ‘The house was falling, and I cried out to God. I can’t tell you what I felt. I was struggling to understand what was happening.’

Since coming to the camp, Carmen and her husband have struggled to get enough money to feed their family. But thanks to CAFOD’s partners, they received an emergency food pack including oil, beans and wheat. This type of emergency food pack costs about £30 – so every penny you give really can make a difference.

CAFOD is working through Caritas International, a group of Catholic agencies, to deliver vital aid in Haiti. As well as distributing food, tents and shelter, we are supporting our partners to install water pumps – so people like Carmen have access to clean water – and build latrines to improve sanitation. Our partners are also providing trauma counselling for children and creating safe places to play within the camps.

Haiti is a place in need. But it’s not a desperate place. People are living and working together as best they can. We will stand alongside the people of Haiti for years to come, helping them to rebuild their lives. As for Carmen, she looks to the future with hope. She said ‘As long as I am alive, I will always have hope. Haiti will live again.’ If you would like to learn more about CAFOD’s work in Haiti, download a powerpoint on our response under related resources at cafod.org.uk/haitiearthquake

Thank you once again for your ongoing support. It really does make the world of difference. Please continue to keep the people of Haiti in your prayers.