ERD is providing long-term assistance to Haiti after natural disasters and civil unrest in 2004 affected communities throughout the country.  Floods along the central border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic claimed thousands of lives and devastated the fragile local economy.  ERD responded with emergency funds to both the Diocese of Haiti and the Diocese of the Dominican Republic to help with food and temporary shelter.  Since that time, ERD has approached Water Missions International to install clean water systems and tanks in vulnerable villages along both sides of the border and train locals in their operation.  One of the most devastated areas was Gonives, which is where ERD is continuing long-term efforts to rebuild.

This ERD Story comes from Burton Joseph, program officer for the Diocese of Haiti, who made the trip to Gonaives with about 20 people composed of people from the emergency committee and other church members.

Upon arrival, the south entrance of Gonaives looked fairly normal, save for some unusual piles of mud strewn about the road.  However, as we neared Heroes of Independence Park, where our church and school are located, we started noticing even more mud piles and we saw that the streets were filled with stagnant water.  As we headed toward Avenue des Dattes, where the rectory is located, the situation suddenly became dramatic: the avenue the was reduced to a narrow path as mud, vehicles, carcasses, washed away walls and homes piled up on both sides of the streets.  Further north, about four kilometers away from the city, we saw demolished houses, a destroyed protestant church, a minivan carried meters away from the main road to the middle of what seemed to once be the back yard of several houses.  The heavy stench in the air tells you right away that there are still bodies buried beneath the rubble.  In the city, the taxi drivers (small motorcycles) wear surgical masks to avoid breathing the contaminated air.
 
We spent the night at the rectory and as we gathered after dinner, we somehow relaxed as the fears faded away and everyone was happy that they joined us to show support to the people of Gonaives.  The eucharist service started at 9:00 in the morning on Sunday.  There were at least eight priests including Fr. Noe Bernier, the Archdeacon for the North and Northwest who joined us from Cap Haitian and Fr. Mardoche from Port-de-paix, which was also affected by the hurricane.

During the announcements, Fr. Max Accime invited me to speak on behalf of the emergency committee.  I took the opportunity to tell the congregation how much their friends from the U.S. care about them and the efforts you all made to collect relief funds for them.  One man innocently said we can use these funds to buy charcoal for cooking.  Little did he realize that people have already chopped down all the trees surrounding Gonaives for firewood, causing ecological disaster.  For our next visit, the committee will acquire for the parishioners a few dozen small kerosene stoves so they can stop buying charcoal for a while and save the few trees one can barely spot anyway while looking at the mountains surrounding Gonaives.  I emphasized that this was our first trip, but not the last, and we will continue to do our best to bring more aid especially to those who cannot afford to pay to have the mud removed from their houses – people like Ms. Louis, a parishioner and school teacher, who, like many others, still lives at the school, La Resurrection.  I spoke with Yvertha Cange, mother of four; Alexis Arold, father of six; Mrs. Charles Joselia, mother of nine among many.  The story is the same: There is no hope for us, all our belongings were washed away but we were lucky to survive the floods.
 
Though the disaster in Gonaives will haunt many for a long time, ERD continues to be a part of the long-term effort to rebuild.