Dear friends and family:

Today, hurricane Matthew passed directly over the orphanage I worked at in Haiti: Pwoje Espwa (Project Hope) in Les Cayes.  Espwa is home to 350 children.

This is the worst hurricane to hit Haiti in decades. The staff at Espwa moved around 200 boys from their houses—below sea level—into the school buildings on property last night before the storm. The girls remained in their housing on higher land.

Thankfully, all of the children and staff are safe. People from Les Cayes have found some refuge at Espwa as the staff works tirelessly to help where they can.  It is currently too windy for the staff to cook in the kitchen so the kids are eating emergency stores of food in shifts.

I was in communication with friends and staff at Espwa until the power went out around noon. The damage is extensive:

·         The tin roofs of 20 houses in the boys’ village are gone;

·         The secondary school building is destroyed;

·         Most trees on the property are down and the crops are destroyed;

·         The electricity is out for all of southern Haiti and the on-site satellite is not functional;

·         And the road to Port-au-Prince is impassible as are roads into the town to get supplies.

The kids at Espwa had more notice than some in Haiti who had no idea the storm was coming. Thankfully they have the support of committed staff and a safe place to ride out the storm.

Nevertheless, they will need to rebuild. If you are interested in donating toward rebuilding efforts at Pwoje Espwa please follow this link. 

Pwoje Espwa is among the largest employers in Southern Haiti and a fixture in the local community. I can personally vouch for the work they are doing and I am available to answer any questions or address any concerns.

Personally, my heart is broken knowing what the Haitian people have endured today. Many of my friends and my 4-year-old godson are at Espwa. If you are able and interested in contributing, it will make a real difference to these kids. 

All the best,
Rachel