Earlier this week, Hurricane Sandy barreled through the Caribbean Sea and up the eastern seaboard leaving a path of destruction. In roughly 10 days she caused damage to countries in the Caribbean, including Haiti, most of the eastern United States and finally dissipating up the Canadian coast.
Haiti project participants participating in community meeting. Photography by Dave Anderson, courtesy of Heifer International
But for us at Heifer, Hurricane Sandy’s destruction hit close to home. Haiti was one of the hardest hit countries in the Caribbean with large losses, including homes, livestock and agriculture. Project participants working with Heifer Haiti have a new set of challenges before them. In addition, Heifer’s Washington, D.C. office, and Overlook Farm learning center, in Massachusetts, were closed.
And while Haiti is dealing with the aftermath from the storm, Heifer Haiti staff gave us a silver lining when they informed us that homes we help to build as part of a previous project had withstood the storm.
The good news didn’t surprise me; it confirmed that Heifer’s work addresses the needs of project participants. Heifer is not a relief organization, but rather we work with families and individuals through long-term development to support their efforts of building sustainability for themselves and in their communities. We cannot predict disasters but we can prepare people for the aftermath. When individuals have the tools and the capacity, they can—and will—overcome the challenges from Mother Nature.
This is Heifer’s sustainable approach to ending hunger and poverty—one family, one animal at a time. It’s not temporary relief. It’s not a handout. It’s securing a future with generations of people who have hope, health and dignity.
Project participants in Haiti. Photograph by Dave Anderson, courtesy of Heifer International.
Earlier this year I visited Haiti and experienced the vibrancy, passion, and drive of the communities involved in Heifer Haiti’s Rural Entrepreneurs for Agricultural Cooperation in Haiti (REACH) project. The effects of Hurricane Sandy will not deter them. Their desire to bring change to their communities motivates them. You can encourage their efforts by providing support to Heifer’s Disaster Rehabilitation Fund.
Photography by Dave Anderson, courtesy of Heifer International.
Seeing the devastation that Sandy has left behind in Haiti and here in the U.S. is simply surreal. We are a small family insurance adjuster business and we’re often deployed when natural disasters like this take place. Although the National Weather Service clearly indicated just how bad the hurricane would be; I don’t think that anyone really anticipated the destruction that she would cause along the eastern coast.
Our hearts go out to those in Haiti and here in the U.S. who are trying to get their lives back to normal. It’s a slow process when something like this happens and it can feel like an eternity to the families involved. A big “thank you” goes out to organizations such as Heifer and the American Red Cross for all you do to make a difference when natural disasters occur.
Thank you for your support and encouragement to Heifer. Natural disasters are devastating to all those involved and heartbreaking for those on the sideline, as I’m sure you know first-hand in your line of work.
As part of our development methodology, we help communities at risk to prepare for and mitigate the potential impact of disasters. Yet, if a major disaster strikes a project community that exceeds its capacity to respond, Heifer will partner with relief and first-responder agencies to support project communities and affected surrounding regions for long-term rehabilitation, with a focus on livestock and agricultural systems.
Thank you for what you have done for families affected by Hurricane Sandy and thank you for partnering with Heifer to end hunger and poverty.