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Haiti Earthquake, 11 Years Later: FFTP Commemorates and Stays Focused During COVID Crisis

Feature Hits: 2216
Feature Hits: 2216

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. – It’s been 11 years since a 7.0 magnitude earthquake devastated Haiti. On Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010, at 4:53 p.m., the earth opened, and a reported 250,000 people perished, including four students and two faculty advisors from Lynn University, in Boca Raton, Fla., who were on a Journey of Hope mission trip with Food For The Poor.

HomesA mother and her children in La Fosse, Haiti, are happy with their home built by generous Food For The Poor donors. The charity is commemorating the 11th anniversary of the Haiti earthquake. Since the Jan. 12, 2010, tragedy, FFTP has built 11,462 concrete block homes with sanitation and water components; built, replaced or expanded 71 schools; drilled 1,089 water wells; and installed 169 water filtration units. Each unit purifies and chlorinates up to 10,000 gallons of water daily, providing almost 1.7 million gallons of water a day. FFTP has shipped 12,941 tractor-trailer loads of essential aid.“Immediately after this terrible tragedy, Food For The Poor vowed to never forget the tens of thousands who lost their lives in the earthquake, and committed to walking every step of the way with the people of Haiti on the long road to recovery,” said FFTP President/CEO Ed Raine. “Eleven years later, with the support of our donors, this charity never wavered and is still transforming lives.”

An estimated 1.3 million Haitians were left homeless after the earthquake. Thanks to Food For The Poor donors, thousands of homes were built to help families in need.                            

FFTP donors have:

  • Built 11,462 permanent two-room concrete block homes with water and sanitation componen Since an average Haiti household has about six family members, Food For The Poor has provided more than 68,772 people with a secure place to live.
  • Installed 169 water filtration units that purify almost 1.7 million gallons of water a day. 
  • Drilled 1,089 water wells with pumps.
  • Built, replaced or expanded 71 schools. Water A mother and her daughter hold breadfruits from a nursery and agricultural program established by a Food For The Poor donor. The charity is commemorating the 11th anniversary of the Haiti earthquake. Since the Jan. 12, 2010, tragedy, FFTP has built 11,462 concrete block homes with sanitation and water components; built, replaced or expanded 71 schools; drilled 1,089 water wells; and installed 169 water filtration units. Each unit purifies and chlorinates up to 10,000 gallons of water daily, providing almost 1.7 million gallons of water a day. FFTP has shipped 12,941 tractor-trailer loads of essential aid.
  • Shipped 12,941 tractor-trailer loads of aid, which includes rice, sardines, beans, rice/soy meals, medicine, medical supplies, school and dorm furniture, tiles, shoes, hygiene items, household items, cleaning supplies and construction equipment.

Today, most of the tent cities that once dominated the landscape in Port-au-Prince and surrounding communities are gone, but the need for potable water, food, and medical care are of increasing importance as the Caribbean nation now endures the coronavirus pandemic.

“This virus has pushed families living in poverty into greater food insecurity,” Raine said. “Food For The Poor took proactive measures in the early stages of COVID and began shipping additional containers of food and personal protection equipment to Haiti.  We also purchased supplies in-country to get aid out faster. As we live up to our commitment of the past, we also are determined to help break the cycle of poverty through sustainable development strategies in the future. This will be our greatest tribute to the memory of those who died in the earthquake.”                                                                                     

Food For The Poor, one of the largest international relief and development organizations in the nation, does much more than feed millions of hungry children and families living in poverty primarily in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian ministry provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicine, educational materials, homes, support for orphaned and abandoned children, care for the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance. For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.