News Update: L’Arche in Haiti
In 1976 the Haitian ambassador to Canada asked Jean Vanier if he would start L’Arche in Haiti. For over 30 years L’Arche has been active in Haiti providing homes, communities and other supports to people with intellectual disabilities.
There is a long and active partnership between L’Arche Canada and L’Arche Haiti. For example, every year the people with a disability, assistants, and staff from L’Arche across Canada contribute their own funds to support their sister L’Arche communities in Haiti and in other places in Latin America. This friendship between the people of L’Arche in Canada and Haiti continues to be a great gift for all!
There are two L’Arche communities in Haiti. The largest is in Port au Prince where fifteen people with disabilities, a number of whom had been abandoned, live in the community. Another fifteen come from their families to L’Arche each day. We also run a school for 20 children. Another 20 people with disabilities have made our second L’Arche community in Chantal, their home. This community is in the process of building a woodworking shop and a new program that will combine banana harvesting with a composting project.
Today our people in Haiti are struggling along with everyone else:
• Two members of the Board of Directors were killed in the earthquake.
• Although everyone else is safe there has been substantial material damage. Early reports suggest that ten of 11 buildings have to be replaced.
• We have moved eight people with disabilities into the country-side. The others remain in Port au Prince and are sleeping outside.
• Three people from L’Arche in Canada have gone down to the Dominican Republic and are taking drugs, tarps and ropes, sheets, flashlights and fruit to the L’Arche community in Port au Prince.
We are also collecting funds internally from L’Arche members across Canada and invite you to join us to support people with intellectual disabilities in Haiti.
It will take time to know what the needs are for L’Arche in Haiti and we do not yet know exactly how the funds will be used; this will become clear in the days to come. What we can tell you is that 100% of all gifts will go directly to the work of L’Arche Haiti, or to support people with intellectual disabilities and their families in Haiti. Our L’Arche Canada Board of Directors will carefully steward the allocation of financial gifts that are entrusted to us for Haiti.
As we have done over many years we will continue to do everything we can to care for and protect people with disabilities in Haiti. You know that L’Arche is not a large aid organization. We are small and have a specific focus, people with intellectual disabilities. But this means that our support is direct, personal, and responsive. We are also committed to maintaining our friendship and support for the long haul.
Our support and that of many other organizations needs to be strong and sustained. Join us in this effort and together we can take responsibility for one small part of the rebuilding that is needed. You can count on me to give you direct feedback on how your support will be usedin Haiti. If you have access to the internet you can get daily news about L’Arche Haiti from someone who is there right now:
Mwen pa fou - The Blog
May we stand with and pray for the people of Haiti;
Nathan Ball
Executive Director
L’Arche Canada Foundation
