According to UNICEF there are about 600 thousand children who are still in need of humanitarian assistance, because of disease, hunger and malnutrition. Many schools were damaged and some schools are still being used to house thousands of families who have lost everything.
The Salesians of Haiti, supported by Mission Offices around the world, continue to help the people. Most of the funds collected are designated to recovery programmes for the people and educational work with children.
The presence of the Salesian missionaries in Les Cayes, one of the areas hardest hit by the hurricane, was crucial in helping the people from the beginning. The infrastructure set up after the 2010 earthquake and the coordination provided by Rinaldi Foundation helped to ensure that the response was effective and efficient in the distribution of food, water and basic necessities in the course of this first month of the emergency.
The Salesian Mission Office in Madrid (Misiones Salesianas) and the "Jóvenes y Desarrollo" NGO have already raised about €500,000, thanks to the generosity of benefactors and collaborators. Theyhave already sent a third of that amount in order to finance the most urgent projects.
The rest of the funds raised will go to the three major reconstruction projects for housing, for agricultural machines and for scholarships and the training of children and teenagers.
"The second phase will be the establishment of a soup kitchen to provide hot meals for everyone, but especially for children and young people of our educational programs," said Fr Jean Paul Mesidor, Superior of the Salesians in Haiti.
