Haiti Earthquake Updates

January 21, 2010

Recognizing the strong support of the people of The United Church of Canada for relief and reconstruction efforts in Haiti, and the courageous and resilient efforts of the Haitian people in the face of disaster, the church has allocated a further $140,000 to the work of the ACT Alliance and of two Haitian organizations.

“At the same time as we work with others to rebuild, we mourn the loss of many thousands of people,” said Omega Bula, executive minister of the Justice, Global and Ecumenical Relations Unit of the United Church. “We lost several ecumenical colleagues whose work is also our work.”

The United Methodist Church lost two senior staff members in the earthquake: the Rev. Sam Dixon and the Rev. Clinton Rabb. The two men were in Haiti for meetings about the future of the Haitian Methodist development work.

The Methodist Church of Haiti confirmed the deaths of Omilus Saint Louis, the head of its resource production unit, and Roland Rocourt, son of the church’s former president, the late Rev. Alain Rocourt. Pastor Bienne Lamerique, vice-president of the Haitian Protestant Federation, Roman Catholic Archbishop Joseph Serge Miot, and about 100 members of Roman Catholic religious communities were also killed.

The ACT Alliance

The United Church of Canada is a member of the ACT Alliance, a global coalition of churches and agencies engaged in development, humanitarian assistance, and advocacy.

Members of ACT have been working in Haiti to deliver emergency supplies in Port-au-Prince and in rural communities affected by the January 12 earthquake and aftershocks. An estimated 60 to 80 percent of buildings in Port-au-Prince were destroyed. More than one million people are without adequate shelter.

“Together with other Canadian churches, we are preparing a proposal to draw on the Canadian government's offer to match contributions,” said Gary Kenny, emergency response coordinator. “We have done this successfully in the past, and anticipate no difficulty this time.”

The two Haitian organizations are global partners of the United Church: the Methodist Church of Haiti and the Karl Lévêque Cultural Institute.

Haiti has prompted the first major deployment of ACT’s Rapid Support Team (RST) team members since the team’s inception late last year. The RST team for Haiti is almost entirely in place. The RST is led by the Lutheran World Federation as the chair of the ACT Haiti Forum.

ACT members in Haiti with offices are Christian Aid, Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe (DKH), the Lutheran World Federation, and Interchurch Organisation for Development Cooperation (ICCO). The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), which has offices in Haiti, is pending membership of the new ACT Alliance. Nine other ACT Alliance members or pending members are providing direct assistance.

Jim Hodgson, the United Church’s Caribbean regional program coordinator, said the United Church would work with Haitians on reconstruction.

“Know that long after the TV cameras have left, and when the politicians have forgotten that this happened, we will still be there with our partners in their struggle to rebuild. And we'll continue to tell their stories,” he added.

The United Church continues to receive donations for its Haiti Appeal.