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Wednesday, 30 November 2016

Our students tell their 'Matthew stories'.




All students talk about the devastation of the houses of their families. We have pictures (above) of one of them: the house of Peterson Dorestant


And this is what was left of another house in Kay-Kok. 
Here you read the personal accounts of our six students about Matthew and the impact of the hurricane

Hello dear supporter, how are you ?
I am very glad to send you my sincere greetings and to let you know how very important you are for me.
To be honest I never had any hope at all, but you have given me hope by helping me with my school. I expect to be able to find work, I have my dreams back! Thanks to you I have good hope to become a boss in the future. I pray to god that he will give you a long and nice life.
I can tell you that we all have become victims of the hurricane. I myself have not been hurt, but the roof and the doors of our house are destroyed. And many branches of the trees have been thrown on our house and have nearly destructed it totally. I have noticed that there are still many unsolved problems on Ile a Vache, but I am sure there will come help for my family to rebuild the house. The actual life at this moment is not easy for my family n Ile a Vache.
I am very glad to be able to tell you about my family down at the island. I think you will understand their circumstances. I thank you so much for what you are doing for me.
Thank you sincerely!
Jean Julio Placide

My dear supporter, how are you?
I feel very sad and at the same time very stressed as well to tell you about the passage of the storm Matthew, who drew a trail of human and material destruction.
At the moment of the passage my spirit was in total confusion because the weather was so bad. The force of the storm kept on augmenting, demolishing everything on it trail, my parental house included. For this reason we are now forced to rebuild it. The storm was a disaster in many ways, even for my dear mother, who until today has not been feeling well again. I hope you will be able help me with a little bit extra.
I hope to hear soon form you again, and I send you my best regards, may god bless you!
Joseph Hugues

Hello supporter, how are you?
I am very pleased that you asked me to tell you about my experiences during the passage of the hurricane Matthew. I have had a very hard time during Matthew. I was very much in doubt what to do: I would have preferred to go home, but I was not longer possible to stay in our family house and my family found refuge in tone of the emergency shelters, because of which no personal injury has occurred during the hurricane.
At the moment I feel dejected, because I would really love to go to Ile a Vache to see my family, but there is no place for me to stay when I am there. I am very glad you asked me to explain to you how things are with me which offered me the opportunity to tell you that I am very distressed since the passage of Matthew over Ile a Vache.
I hope one day I will find a solution. Thank you so much for thinking of me, I hope you will spread my story. May god protect you,
Jeanel Jean

Hello supporter, how are you?
I am very glad that I have this opportunity to tell you about the passage of the hurricane Matthew. I had not counted on something like this when it suddenly started to blow. I was totally unprepaired, and I can tell you it was a big surprise for me, because I was not informed that this would be a hurricane. I stayed very calm, though I had nothing to eat. My mother, living in the countryside lost her house while that has been washed away. This has hit me psychologically hard, for at the moment I am not able to help my mother to build a new home. I find myself in a delicate position, while my mother counts on me and I am not able to do anything for her. I cannot say that I am doing well for this reason, we have lost everything, our plantation has been destroyed, we have not left anything. It breaks my heart, but this is not the end, I keep on hoping! I hope you understand our circumstances, and that god will give you force and courage to go on helping me. I thank you for your attention, Peterson Dorestant.





Good day to you my dear supporter, how are you?
Allow me to describe you how it was. I really feel obliged to write about this natural catastrophe.
To start with: I have known very tense moments when the hurricane passed over the south of Haiti, there have been several moments that I feared to die, together with the rest of my family. Our family house is destroyed, our plantations have been swept away by the flood and incredible wind gusts have uprooted huge trees. I am very grateful to god who spared our lifes. Thanks to our neighbors and friends who during several days after the hurricane have offered us shelter, food and hygiene. Till this day my parents have no shelter of their own. Matthew has left me with very bad memories; we have nothing to sell anymore to buy food from, so we are totally dependent of the help form others, who themselves have nothing left anymore.
I am very glad I had the opportunity to explain to you how life is for me after Matthew. I want to thank you very much for the help you give me to live and study over here. May god bless you,
Legana Vital

Hello my dear supporter, how are you?
I am so glad to be able to write you some lines to greet you after the passage of hurricane Matthew over Haiti.
In the first place I want to thank for all benefits you did already for me. The hurricane has blown the roof of the home of our family. They have found protection in one of the emergency shelters. My mother lost nearly all her possessions: her dwelling, her chair, her kitchenware and many other things.
Yes I a attending school, but I don’t feel very well due to the very unfortunate circumstances of my family because of Matthew. Our situation is really critical, we are in need for nearly everything. For this reason we can use all help of those people that understand our situation.
This is what I wanted to tell you, my very best regards,
Renol Placide



 


Tuesday, 8 November 2016

Good news finally from Ile a Vache

Ile-a-Vache Update from Patrick Lucien of EDEM: The plantains are back at the EDEM farm. www.edem2.org
Look at that! Starting for a new harvest, only 1 month after Matthew!!! Our donations help, see here the proof (apart from all repaired houses and the food and medicine kits that already reached the island). Rebuilding the island, a lot of help is still needed. Donate at  www.edem2.org or www.m25m.org (mention as goal Ile a Vache, or Let's go Haiti)
 

Wednesday, 12 October 2016

Update Matthew on Ile a Vache

Preliminary report about the damage and the losses because of hurricane Matthew

Impact - Ile a Vache Civil Defence report as of Thursday 6th October


Shelter

People in emergency shelters:
Men 137, Women 194, Children 229. Total = 560
 

Families impacted on Ile a Vache and surrounding islands 2093
Houses levelled 312
Houses damaged 860
Houses flooded 225
Small grass houses destroyed 127



Livelihoods/Food security

Fishing materials lost
Nets 123
Nast (lobster pots) 3135
Lines 9
Dugout boats 59
Sailboats 76
Commerce lost 

42 businesses lost stock
Gardens destroyed – 1653
Animals killed 820



Other

Churches damaged 7
Churches destroyed 9
Schools damaged 3
Schools destroyed 6
Public squares destroyed 2
Public squares damaged 7


There are at least 2 organizations organizing and realizing direct help for the islanders: 
https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/matthew25ministries  & www.edem2.org
Both of them ask for donations for immediate relief activities.

Our own Stichting Studiehulp Kay-Kok will concentrate on the students in our programme, to help them to return to school as soon as schools will be opening up again in Les Cayes. The money we have already collected and that we still might collect as earmarked being aimed for help to the victims of Matthew, will be used for this goal (which is in line with the main goal of our foundation).

Monday, 10 October 2016

Call for help

We just received pictures form our friend and collaborator Nickenson St firmin in Ile a Vache. We see here the damage Matthew did to the house of his family. He told us the supplies that are being brought to the island are far from enough to feed the hungry population. Since the crops are destroyed aid to buy food and water will be necessary for a long time to come. 
Nickenson informed us that the students we support are safe, but also that their houses are destroyed and possessions are damaged. 
So we ask you to help us financially in order to make it possible to sustain these families in the near future and to prepare the students to return to school as soon as school will open again.
Our bankaccount still is: Stichting Studiehulp Kay-Kok :
NL06 TRIO 0391025457
BIC: TRIONL 2U








The first transports with supplies arrived on Ile a Vache and in Kay-Kok






Donations have reached "Kay Kok" this afternoon thanks to the hard work of my friends Ismael Pierre and Weldy Altema along with others which have helped us tremendously with obtaining and transporting supplies. It is with great pleasure that we are doing what we can to help the people of "île à vache". Today supplies will be given to the villagers and more help is on the way. Again thank you to those of you that are making this possible.
Continue donating at http://m25m.org/ via paypal. Thank you
#LetsGoHaiti #Matthew25Ministries #GiveBack

Friday, 7 October 2016

First messages and pictures from Ile a Vache after Matthew









Update from Ile-a-Vache (5-10-2016)


Patrick Lucien spoke with the mayor this morning. What they need urgently are food, water, toiletries and equipment to start cleaning up debris. To expedite the process, you can send fund directly via Western Union or Moneygram, he has someone who can receive the money and start buying everything in Les Cayes. Please email patlucien@yahoo.com, who will share the name of the recipient.
The mayor will then keep track of the expenses and send us back a report. He thinks by 6-10-2016, boats will be able to make the trip to Les Cayes. Later, donations could be sent through the  organization at www.edem2.org They encourage you to continue supporting this beautiful community.
By 11:00 am 6-10-2016 the mayor will meet with members of the Civil Protection to start an assessment of the damage caused by the hurricane and will write up a report. His plan is to have a team in each of those locations: Madame Bernard, Kaikok and Baleraz to start distribution and then expand in other locations later.
Thanks,
Patrick


Update from Mayor Amazan, Ile-a-Vache (5-10-2016)


Patrick Lucien spoke with mayor Amazan, he said all he can conclude is that Ile-a-Vache is completely destroyed. He cannot give a complete evaluation of the situation but every home in his neighbourhood, including his own, is damaged. Most roofs are gone.
This weather has been hitting them hard for the past 3 days, therefore people are running out of food. The local re-sellers are running out and would probably keep what they have for their fam
ily. He is hosting a bunch of people at home and had to borrow money to feed them and he too, is running out.

Tuesday, 4 October 2016

Een nieuwe ramp voltrekt zich op dit moment in Haiti

Opnieuw wordt Haiti getroffen door een vreselijke ramp: de zware orkaan Matthew trekt recht over het land. Onze lieve vrienden op Ile a Vache (zie de gele pijl) maken op dit moment een vreselijke nachtmerrie door. Wij wensen hen alle sterkte