Help Mountain Community Prep for Disasters

Bonswa GlobalGiving Community! How have you been? The C2C team hopes that 2022 has been treating you and your loved ones well and that everyone remains in good health and spirits. When we last connected with you, we were overjoyed to share that the 35 boxes of personal protective supplies we sent to our Partner Communities in Haïti arrived safely and that work continued on the ground, particularly with the construction of our Mountainside Partner Community’s school. However, we would be remiss if we did not address the current crisis in Haïti. Our beloved country is experiencing a very tumultuous time. The current situation is complex. To say that it is challenging is a profound understatement. People are facing:

• An almost total lockdown in the capital, Port-au-Prince, due to gang violence 
• Gasoline is nearly impossible to find in the country 
• Hospitals are either closed or rationing care
• Inflation continues to skyrocket
• No food imports into the country for over 13 days 
• Basic goods, like food and water, are prohibitively expensive for many, leaving people either hungry or reliant on remittances from family outside the country
• A resurgence of cholera

In C2C's 12 years on the ground, we’ve never seen a situation quite like this. Our Peasant Associations report that the protests are the people's response to the political chaos, insecurity and not being heard as they struggle with the overwhelmingly high cost of living. Currently, gas prices are $45 per gallon. Yes, you read that right: $45 per gallon. At the height of the gas prices here in the US, it was $5 per gallon. How would your life change if you had to pay $45 per gallon to live your life and take care of your family? We can only imagine…

While adapting and adjusting to COVID-19 as a part of daily life, which is here to stay, our Partner Communities, along with the rest of the country, are dealing with a resurgence of cholera. Not to mention the ever present threat of earthquakes and hurricanes, especially as we remain in hurricane season. Emergency preparedness for our Partner Communities in Haïti is crucial for our communities to be able to thrive and sustain man-made and natural disasters. Those 35 boxes of personal protective gear are going to not only help members of the communities take care of themselves and others against COVID-19, but also as they care for those who may contract cholera. Our Mountainside Partner Community is also working diligently on the road, breaking up the land and rock formations that normally make the terrain unsafe and nearly impossible to trek over with a car or motorcycle, to ensure that there is a safe way up and down the mountain in case a member needs to be rushed to the hospital, which is in Petit Goave Proper. 

Due to the current conditions on the ground, we have expanded the C2C Collaborative: COVID-19 Response into our Emergency Preparedness Response to encompass not only preparation for COVID-19, but cholera, hurricanes, earthquakes, etc.  We know that we cannot unfortunately completely eradicate these problems, but we can help our Partner Communities be ready to tackle them.  

Emergency Preparedness will ensure that our Partner Communities can respond to, not only the current crises, but for ones in the foreseeable future. They will have the ability to:

• provide COVID-19 Response Packets 
• stock personal protective gear for pandemic responses
• distribute food kits/care packages 
• procure boots, shovels, etc. to maintain the road for safe passage during emergencies
• enable the community health committee to respond to minor medical issues

We are confident that creating these emergency preparedness and response protocols with our Partner Communities will ensure a sustainable future.