Caribbean (MNN) – Compassion International has been hit hard in the last few weeks at project sites. The ministry works in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Guatemala – all of which have been recently devastated by natural disasters.
Irma impacts Compassion projects
The first hit came from the category five hurricane, Irma, just a couple of weeks ago. Irma has been marked as one of the most powerful hurricanes ever recorded.
GOES-16 captured this geocolor image of three hurricanes in the tropical Atlantic on the afternoon of September 8, 2017. (Caption, photo courtesy of NOAA Satellites via Flickr: https://goo.gl/kxyXA4)
“Right now we know that a little over 3,000 of our children in Haiti have been affected. Several were seriously injured and one of those children lost a caregiver,” Compassion’s Becca Bishop shares.
Compassion has been in Haiti since 1968. The ministry serves 89,328 children through its Child Sponsorship Program and partners with 293 local churches. At least nine of these churches have been impacted by Hurricane Irma.
“In the Dominican Republic, there’s a little over 300 children who have been impacted by Hurricane Irma and three of our church partners have had damage,” Bishop says.
Compassion has been serving in the Dominican Republic since 1970 and serves 55,127 children through its Child Sponsorship Program in partnership with 167 local churches.
The amount of damage Irma left behind has also prevented a swift assessment period for Compassion. Not to mention, many of Compassion’s first responders are also victims themselves.
Relief and Recovery
Compassion staff members have been going door-to-door to determine who has been impacted by the storm. As one can imagine, it’s a time-consuming process. Still, Haiti and the Dominican Republic were spared the worst of Irma’s power.
(Photo Courtesy Compassion International via Facebook)
Right now, Compassion has been focusing on immediate relief which includes providing clean water and handing out hygiene kits, food, medical supplies, etc. And this aid doesn’t just help with relief, but it also helps to prevent further dangers such as water-borne illnesses.
“We’re trying to make sure that those who are unable to access clean water do have clean water. So, obviously, we want to prevent any sort of disease that could happen because of the infrastructure damages. Whether that’s to the water systems or to the bathrooms or latrines,” Bishop shares.
How to Help
However, the disaster strike doesn’t stop there. Late last week, hurricane Maria skimmed the island of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Will you consider giving to Compassion’s Disaster Relief Fund to help the ministry meet the needs of both the people in Haiti and the Dominican Republic as well as in other places?
“There are just so many needs right now. There are so many disasters that are happening all over the world where we work,” Bishop explains.
“Giving to the Disaster Relief Fund allows us to put the money where it’s needed most. So, once those needs start coming in and they start assessing how much is going to be needed to start rebuilding and repairing and long-term needs.”
Pray for the relief process to go smoothly, for safety and peace for the beneficiaries and their families, and for a quick recovery. Pray also for God to supply the physical, spiritual, and monetary needs of the beneficiaries, their families, and the relief process. And please, pray for the beneficiary who has lost a caregiver.
To help in a tangible way, donate to Compassion’s “disaster relief fund” here!