January 20 2010

Catholic Agencies around world rush aid to Haitian earthquake victims

CNSBy Dennis Sadowski

WASHINGTON (CNS)—Baltimore-based Catholic Relief Services has been asked by the Vatican to coordinate the Church’s relief and recovery efforts in earthquake-ravaged Haiti.

The Pontifical Council Cor Unum, the Vatican office that promotes and coordinates Catholic charitable giving and distributes the money the pope designates for charity, made the request of the U.S. bishops’ aid agency because of its experience and expertise in Haiti, the most impoverished nation in the Western Hemisphere.

The council said in a statement released Jan. 14 that hundreds of CRS personnel have “long been active in Haiti.”

“The past experience, expertise, and resources of CRS will enable prompt and effective coordination of the Church’s efforts, which in the words of Pope Benedict, must be generous and concrete to meet the pressing needs of our Haitian brothers and sisters,” it said.

Around the world, dozens of private Catholic agencies initiated fundraising efforts, and dioceses announced special collections at Sunday Masses to fund the relief efforts of CRS, Caritas Internationalis, Caritas Haiti and other Catholic agencies and religious orders already in the country.

The most severe damage was limited to the Haitian capital and areas to its south and west. The epicenter of the Jan. 12 magnitude 7 earthquake was 10 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince with severe damage extending outward. Relief agencies estimated that as many as 3 million of Haiti’s 9 million people were either injured or homeless because of the temblor.

The Haitian Red Cross estimated Jan. 14 that up to 50,000 people died, including Archbishop Joseph Serge Miot of Port-au-Prince, during the quake, which struck late in the afternoon while people were still in offices and classrooms or at home preparing dinner. Some agencies reported the death toll could top 100,000.

CRS made an initial commitment of $5 million in aid, an amount that John Rivera, the agency’s communications director, said would last barely a week. But on Jan. 15, CRS increased its original funding commitment to $25 million.
Because conditions in the earthquake zone are treacherous and needs were still being assessed, CRS was sending a few additional staff as well as relief supplies through the neighboring Dominican Republic, said Pat Johns, the agency’s director for staff safety and security.

Two staff members based in the Dominican Republic—an expert in natural disaster response and a civil engineer—were due in the Haitian capital the afternoon of Jan. 14, he said. A third, an expert in shelter, was expected to arrive from Kenya by Jan. 16.
“Immediate relief was to start today,” he told CNS Jan. 14.

 HOW TO HELP

Catholic Relief Services, the U.S. bishops’ international relief and development agency, is accepting donations now for Haitian relief.
Donate via phone: 1-877-HELP-CRS or text RELIEF to 30644
Donate online: www.crs.org
Mail a check: Catholic Relief Services, P.O. Box 17090, Baltimore, MD 21203-7090; in memo line write: Haiti Earthquake
Special Collection
The Denver Archdiocese will hold a special collection the weekend of Jan. 30-31. Only financial donations will be accepted. Food and clothing items need to be shipped and act as a hindrance rather than as an assistance to the country and relief agencies.