Sassier after the earthquakes

Direct effects of the earthquakes

Located in Haiti’s rural southwest, Sassier survived the devastating earthquakes of January 12 with only slight physical damage. Residents suffered no serious injuries and our two schools, the two dispensaries, and the community center are all intact. Several dwellings in the Pyram district of Sassier were damaged, and will need to be repaired or rebuilt to be habitable again.

Two of the students we support with college scholarships were in Port-au-Prince when the quakes struck, but are among the survivors. Nearly all Sassier residents had immediate or extended family members in the affected areas, many of whom perished, were injured, or have had their lives utterly shattered by the quakes. Since communication and transportation throughout the country remains difficult, the people of Sassier are still learning of their loved ones’ fates.

Sassier’s immediate response:  Unbounded Generosity

On 20 January, quake victims began to arrive in Sassier. To date more than 1,500 people have arrived in Sassier, half of whom are children. Some were wounded or ill; most were exhausted and hungry; all have lost whatever possessions and livelihoods they had before the quakes.

Sassier residents shared the little they have unreservedly with the newcomers. A Welcoming Committee greeted the arrivals and began integrating them into the community. Zanmi Sasye and local leaders procured two emergency food consignments from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Catholic Relief Services (CRS), which were distributed on January 27-28 and February 5.  Our two dispensaries are providing medical care and residents have provided places for every person who has arrived.  At this time, no one can predict how many people will settle permanently in Sassier.

Zanmi Sasye’s effort in the near term:  A catalyst for disaster relief

• Our partner, Sacred Heart Parish in Winnetka, Illinois, donated $25,000 to CRS and is supporting part of the cost of a medical mission.
• Three of our Board members are conducting a medical mission to Sassier and nearby Jérémie, between February 7-14: Jean Alexandre, M.D., our Chairman, is an obstetrician/gynecologist; Eve-Marie Alexandre, M.D., is a pediatrician and  Gerry Keenan, our President, is providing logistical and organizational support. They are joined by Eddy Leveque, M.D., a longtime Zanmi Sasye member and an internist/rehabilitative specialist; Frederick Cadet, M.D., a general surgeon; Katrina DeCaneo, R.N., an emergency room nurse; Rodrigue Dossous, M.D., a family practitioner; Paul Levin, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon; and Kent Mercado, M.D., a wound care specialist.
• Our team will work with St. Antoine Hospital in Jérémie where the staff—which has no surgeon—is struggling to cope with the influx of patients suffering from severe wounds and fractures, and has run out of even rudimentary medical supplies.
• We thank our partners who have made generous in-kind donations of medicine and medical supplies: the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis Medical Outreach; Holy Spirit Parish in Grand Rapids, Michigan; Matthew 25 House in Port-au-Prince; and PROMESS Medical in Port-au-Prince.
• In addition to their medical work, our Board members and local Sassier community leaders will assess immediate and longer-term needs.  They will try to meet with Haitian government and civic leaders, and with representatives of international relief and reconstruction agencies. They will explain the enormous efforts being made by Sassier residents to welcome and care for the new arrivals, the strain this puts on the community’s meager resources, and the desire for close, multi-dimensional cooperation between Zanmi Sasye and these agencies going forward, in order to ensure proper medical care, educational programs, and sustainable economic opportunities for the enlarged community.

Helping build the new Haiti in Sassier

We continue to work closely with our partners, the Haitian government, other NGOs, and international development agencies to ensure that our efforts in the post-quake Haiti are efficient, effective, aligned with others’, and non-duplicative.

The UN estimates that the total population of Grand’Anse province, where Sassier is located, has swelled by 20%-25% since the quakes.  This means the following are immediate priorities:

• Health care: Public health and hygiene, including access to clean water and sanitation, together with nutrition and pre- and post-natal care.
• Agriculture: Sassier’s economy is based almost exclusively on subsistence agriculture and it’s likely that some of the new arrivals will want to farm.  Sassier needs help diversifying and strengthening crop and animal production, improving soil conservation and reversing deforestation.  In the interim, a stable and affordable supply of food for the enlarged community is imperative.
• Commerce: Improved roads and transportation, technical training, craft commercialization, and expanded access to credit are all needed to invigorate Sassier’s economy and provide sustainable employment opportunities.
• Education: The approximately 600 children who have arrived in the last three weeks represent a doubling of Sassier’s school-age population.  The school will need expanded facilities, additional teachers, and more financial support.
• Housing: The newly arrived who remain in Sassier will require adequate housing.

What you can do

To help Sassier sustain its school, medical care, and agricultural and development projects, please send your check to:

Zanmi Sasye - Partners with Sassier
675 Greenwood Avenue
Glencoe, IL 60022-1649 USA

Or click the button below to donate through Network for Good:

Zanmi Sasye is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.  Your tax-deductible contribution will be acknowledged promptly in writing. 98% of our contributions go directly to program grants and project spending.

 

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