Urgent Appeal for the People of Haiti
13 January 2010
A special message from Jesuit Refugee Service/USA.
In response to yesterday’s devastating earthquake in Haiti, Jesuit Refugee Service is mounting an emergency relief effort to provide lifesaving aid, including food and other urgently needed items, to the Haitian people. Aid will be provided in partnership with the JRS – Latin America & Caribbean regional office, and distributed through JRS programs in the Dominican Republic, Jesuit parishes and other Jesuit programs in Haiti.
For many years Jesuit Refugee Service has had a grassroots presence in Haiti and has provided humanitarian assistance to displaced Haitians in both the Dominican Republic and along the Haitian border. In addition, JRS has responded to the needs of Haitians following successive natural disasters, a food crisis, and repeated hurricanes.
Speaking at the Vatican today, Pope Benedict XVI said “I appeal to the generosity of all people so that these brothers and sisters of ours who are experiencing a moment of need and suffering may not lack our concrete solidarity and the effective support of the international community. The Catholic Church will not fail to move immediately, through her charitable institutions, to meet the most immediate needs of the population.”
To support JRS/USA’s humanitarian response to the emergency needs of the Haitian people, please click here to be directed to our secure website and choose “Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund.”
Or you may send a check to:
Jesuit Refugee Service/USA
1016 16th Street NW Suite 500
Washington, DC 20036
Checks should be made payable to “Jesuit Refugee Service/USA.”
Please clearly note “Haiti Earthquake Relief” in the memo field on the check.
The mission of Jesuit Refugee Service/USA is to serve, accompany, and defend the rights of refugees and other forcibly displaced persons, witnessing to God’s presence in vulnerable and often forgotten people driven from their homes by conflict, natural disaster, economic injustice, or violation of their human rights.
As one of the ten geographic regions of the Jesuit Refugee Service, JRS/USA serves as the major refugee outreach arm of U.S. Jesuits and their institutional ministries, mobilizing their response to refugee situations in the U.S. and abroad. Through our advocacy and fund raising efforts, JRS/USA also provides support for the work of JRS throughout the world.
JRS/USA gives help, hope, ear and voice to vulnerable people on the move by being present to and bearing witness to their plight; by relieving their human suffering and restoring hope; by addressing the root causes of their displacement and improving international responses to refugee situations.
Your gift can make a difference. Thank you.
Gratefully,
Rev. Kenneth J. Gavin, S.J.
National Director
Urge the White House and Congress to Give Haiti a Chance to Rebuild
Ask the U.S. government to issue Temporary Protected Status to Haitian nationals
Take action today to urge the White House and Congress to temporarily halt deportations of Haitian nationals in the United States, allowing the Haitian government the time it needs to invest its limited resources into rebuilding the country and offering emergency relief to its suffering citizens following a devastating earthquake which rocked the nation on the afternoon of January 12, 2010.
The powerful earthquake, which initially registered as magnitude 7.0, is believed to be the strongest to ever hit the country. Schools, hospitals, houses, government offices and even the Presidential Palace and the UN mission crumbled in the wake of the earthquake. While rescue efforts are under way, the Haitian government does not have the necessary infrastructure to care for its citizens at this time of crisis.
The quake follows on the heels of a troubled year in Haiti which is still endeavoring to recover from storm and hurricane damage that destroyed much of the country in the autumn of 2008. Like the storms and hurricanes before it, the earthquake will likely leave many of Haiti’s 8.5 million citizens homeless – without food, water, shelter, or healthcare.
Jesuit Refugee Service provides humanitarian assistance to Haitian refugees and migrants dwelling along the Haitian border with the Dominican Republic. Our field office in Ouanaminthe Haiti has seen the effects of successive natural disasters, a food crisis and storms in the last year. Haitian society is fragile and any U.S. move to deport 30,000 Haitians to the earthquake ravaged nation would represent a grave security and humanitarian concern.
What is TPS?
Congress established TPS to grant safety to those foreign nationals who cannot return to their home country due to ongoing armed conflict or because of an environmental disaster. The destruction caused by the earthquake in Haiti has made the safe return of Haitian nationals to their country impossible. TPS would allow Haitians currently in the U.S. to stay temporarily, as a response to the natural disasters and political strife that have recently plagued the country.
Act Now
Please write to the President and Congress today to urge them to grant temporary relief to the Haitians currently stranded within our borders.