SOUTH HAITI EARTHQUAKE RESPONSE

Haiti has suffered another calamitous earthquake.  It is almost too unfair to be believed.  The scope of damage and loss of life is not yet known, but it is clear it will be devastating.  The disaster falls on communities that have already been impoverished by the pandemic, drought and insecurity.

The international community has learned from past mistakes that it is crucial to engage local community institutions in disaster response and to put resources directly into their hands.

We are in communication with our local partners and collecting information to assess what the needs and priorities are.  Your support will help HDI bring resources to local Haitian organizations and affected communities — empowering them to help victims cope in the short term and rebuild their lives by repairing agricultural infrastructure, replanting farms, replacing animals, rebuilding schools and more. We work closely with all our grantees to ensure projects are implemented as intended.

HDI is a legacy of The Haiti Fund, a five-year fund established at the Boston Foundation to respond to Haiti’s devastating earthquake in 2010 in solidarity with the Greater Boston Haitian-American community. The Haiti Fund adopted a different approach from many disaster response initiatives. It was steered by a Haitian-led committee and provided grants directly to vetted local Haitian nonprofit organizations already in communities working on the long-term development efforts that make communities less vulnerable.

HDI was registered as a Haitian nonprofit in 2017, and has been certified as a 501(c)(3) equivalent with NGO Source since 2018. We established our headquarters in Arcahaie, Haiti in 2018.