Haiti Earthquake Updates

May 7, 2010

As generous United Church donations are helping to bring relief, rebuild communities, strengthen organizations, and rehabilitate infrastructure and lives in Haiti, we are working with Canadian Churches in Action members to access government matching funds for reconstruction work in Haiti.

Work on the Ground Proceeding

Here at the General Council Office, we are so privileged to witness the generous support of all those who have responded as The United Church of Canada with prayer, action, and an outpouring of money in response to the devastating earthquake in Haiti earlier this year. The funds received—nearly $2.8 million to date—have allowed us to respond to the crisis and to those affected by it in a very substantial way.

Moderator Mardi Tindal and the Rev. Gesner Paul
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In April, as part of a United Church pastoral team, United Church Moderator Mardi Tindal visited Haiti and attested to the impact that United Church funds are having at the community level. "I have seen here the life and death difference that our contributions have made," she said. An audiovisual statement by the Moderator is available online.

By May 6, over half of the funds committed by United Church supporters had been allocated, most through ecumenical organizations. The funds are supporting

• health, sanitation, and temporary shelter through the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee and Lutheran World Federation within the ACT Alliance.
• tents for use as temporary classrooms for United Church partner the Methodist Church in Haiti.
• work with people with disabilities, who are least able to join line-ups for food, water, and medicine, and need special attention. Church World Service supports an innovative program of the Haitian churches' ecumenical development agency, Service Chrétien d'Haïti. The program includes skills and jobs training and counselling and will result in people living in better circumstances than before the earthquake.
• restoration of a small radio station through the World Association for Christian Communication (WACC), a United Church partner.
• seeds and tools for small farmers for the upcoming planting season through Agricultural Missions, Inc.

Funds have also been shared with United Church bilateral partners in Haiti: the Methodist Church of Haiti and the Karl Lévêque Cultural Institute. With United Church support, both are responding to urgent needs and developing plans for longer-term reconstruction.

In summary, $1,632,000 of funding received by United Church supporters was expended by May 6, leaving $1,168,000 for future expenditure, which will include permanent housing. Additional disbursements through ACT Alliance, other ecumenical organizations, or directly to bilateral Haitian partners are being considered. Some funds may also be used for pending joint work with Canadian Churches in Action (CCA). CCA is a coalition of nine churches and church relief and development agencies that work together to respond to global humanitarian disasters.

The United Church prefers to work ecumenically whenever possible and appropriate. Working through the ACT Alliance at the international level, and here in Canada through Canadian Churches in Action, enables organizations like the United Church to participate in coordinated efforts that result in less administration and greater efficiency. This allows us to maximize the funds we are able to channel to communities and organizations affected by disasters. Government bodies like the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) also welcome coordinated efforts because they mean less administrative work for them and less expenditure of taxpayers' money. Coordinated efforts also equip organizations with a stronger collective voice giving any needed advocacy work greater impact.

The Situation re. Government of Canada Matching Funds

After the earthquake occurred on January 12, the Government of Canada (through CIDA) announced that donations from individual Canadians would be matched, dollar for dollar, for earthquake relief in Haiti. Of the $2.8 million donated by United Church members, $1,856,193 was eligible for matching in a "pool" created by the Canadian government. The total amount in this "pool," as reported by the government, is $220 million. In April, CIDA announced that half that amount, $110 million, would be folded into a Canadian government pledge of $400 million in government-to-government aid to Haiti. This left $110 million in the matching funds pool available to Canadian non-governmental organizations like the churches and other institutions.

Unlike in previous major disaster responses over the past few years, accessing government matching funds is no longer automatic. It is a competitive process. Eligible organizations, like the United Church, were invited to apply for funds from the pool for work in Haiti for relief and reconstruction. Initial applications were due on February 16, 2010. At that time (as reported earlier), the United Church in collaboration with CCA members submitted a $1.9 million proposal for an ACT program focused on essential non-food items and materials for temporary and transitional shelter including tool kits, kitchen kits, hygiene kits, tarps, rope, and metal roof sheeting. The project would also provide safe, reliable drinking water and sanitation services. On March 18, 2010, CIDA informed the CCA that its bid for the matching funds had been turned down.

Since then, CCA members have met with CIDA officials in Port-au-Prince and in Ottawa to discuss future access to the matching funds. The meetings were encouraging. CCA is currently working on a larger, multi-million dollar and multi-year project proposal that will focus on permanent shelter, water and sanitation, education, and livelihood and economic recovery. CCA members hope to access the matching fund pool in the near future. When available, more information on the CCA bid will be posted to this website.