C.P. Hillman - Following the earthquake that hit Haiti on January 12, causing massive death and destruction, Help the Aged (Canada) has been trying to gather information about the people and projects it supports in the country.
"Port-au-Prince has been devastated, but we heard that the town of Jacmel, in the South, has also been hit very badly," stated executive director Jacques Bertrand on the organization’s web site.
Help the Aged, a registered charity that has been in operation since 1975, helps to meet the needs of poor elderly people in Canada and the developing world. It works with several groups and individuals, mainly in the Northern and Southern parts of Haiti.
One of the efforts the agency has underway in Haiti is the Adopt-A-Gran program, through which sponsored elderly destitute people are provided with food, clothing, medical supplies and shelter.
It has received the welcome news that its sponsored 'grans' in Les Cayes and Cap-Haïtien are safe, these areas having not been much affected by the earthquake, which was centred on Port-au-Prince.
Help the Aged is suggesting that people willing to donate for the emergency relief operation to contact the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace, Canadian member of the Caritas network. Caritas Haiti currently runs 200 hospitals and medical clinics throughout the country. The organization’s toll free number is 1-888-664-3387.
"At this initial stage what is most important is to provide help to the survivors," Bertrand noted.
In the future, together with HelpAge International, which has a presence in Haiti, Help the Aged Canada will be assessing the needs of older people and will develop specific projects in its own area of expertise.
The organization had recently introduced a three-year project to assist 10 of Haiti’s poorest communities. The project involves installation of 10 water reservoirs and two wells, repair and renovate existing long-term care facilities for destitute seniors in six communities (latrines, kitchens, showers, mosquito screening) and hire local nurses and physiotherapy technicians to treat the elderly poor in all 10 communities.
Help the Aged also has been working with the Free Methodist Church in the Northern Haiti community of Dessalines, with the aim of providing cataract surgeries and introducing a dental care program to seniors living in poverty. Sustainable income generating activities such as fruit tree planting, agriculture and animal husbandry are also planned.
"For these activities public support is going to be crucial," stated Bertrand.
To make a donation toward Help The Aged’s work in Haiti, or for further information, go to www.helptheaged.ca or call toll free 1-800-648-1111.