Compassion International Completes $31 Million Recovery Project in Haiti

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., and PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – July 14, 2015 – Compassion International closed the doors of its Disaster Response Office in Port-au-Prince, Haiti last week, marking the successful completion of its relief and recovery projects following the 2010 earthquake. The office was created to manage the more than $31 million raised toward Compassion’s recovery efforts in Haiti, which assisted more than 60,000 Haitian families.

The ministry of Compassion Haiti was significantly impacted by the earthquake. In addition to the trauma suffered by all Haitians, 63 Compassion beneficiaries were killed, 954 were injured and hundreds lost siblings and parents. In addition, one Compassion staff member was killed and eight staff lost immediate family members. Sixty-nine of the ministry’s church-based projects were impacted by the earthquake with 44 either destroyed or having significant damage.

Compassion’s relief and recovery efforts began immediately following the earthquake. In all, Compassion implemented 21 strategies aimed at helping children and families, church partners, staff, operations, long-term development and strategies. These included:

• Trauma counseling for 115 Compassion Haiti staff and their children and for 9,300 Compassion beneficiaries
• Medical and sanitary supplies to 85 Compassion projects, impacting 23,000 children, and supply kits to 24 medical centers
• Temporary shelters for 875 staff and approximately 20,000 beneficiaries
• Short-term food security for more than 15,700 families
• Entrepreneurial training to more than 1,200 people and $1.2 million in income-generating loans, resulting in 450 small businesses and thousands of jobs
• Reconstruction on 30 schools damaged or destroyed in the earthquake, impacting approximately 17,500 beneficiaries
• Implementation of support and protection measures for children who became highly vulnerable following the earthquake

"Though we are not a disaster relief organization, Compassion responds when a disaster directly impacts the children and families we serve. Disaster fundraising can be complex and challenging if not done correctly. Compassion’s response to the Haiti earthquake is a good example of the organization’s ability to raise funds intently, strategically identify areas of greatest need and efficiently implement the use of those funds to carry out effective disaster response efforts."
  — Herb Ehresman, Compassion’s director of complementary interventions

Compassion has been in Haiti since 1968. The ministry’s church-based, holistic child development program currently serves nearly 80,000 Haitian children and their families in 270 church-based centers throughout Haiti.

"We accomplished all of our major goals and succeeded at what many thought was not possible. An amazing international team came together in a time of great misery, and as a team, with God’s grace, we brought hope to thousands. We hope there will never be a need like this again, but if there is, we are grateful to know that Compassion is ready to respond.
  — Matthew Moore, Compassion’s management support director for Haiti

For more details on Compassion’s relief and recovery efforts in Haiti, please contact Tim Glenn at [email protected] or 719-272-5377, or Becca Bishop at [email protected], or 719-272-5109.