Over the weekend an engineer was able to assess the damage of our medical clinic in Cavaillon and the preliminary report is that our building does not have to be demolished and is salvageable! It is still uninhabitable until the second-floor porch is taken down and the interior stairs are reinforced, but our clinic will be operational much sooner than if we had to rebuild. We are so grateful that our initial construction was so solid and well-designed that it withstood this devastating earthquake.
Given the widespread devastation and amount of rebuilding that needs to be done in southern Haiti, we still have a long road ahead of us to help our staff, their families, and our neighbors in Cavaillon to return to safe shelter and to have access to basic needs.
These photos are a glimpse of the families in the community who sought refuge within the gates of NOVA’s grounds. We are a community clinic that hosts movie nights and arts and crafts after school for the local children. Our yard is always full of kids playing soccer or just hanging out because they know they are welcome. Now they seek shelter and comfort within our gates until we can help them get back into their own homes.
Over the past few days, we were able to purchase 100 large tarps and secure several large two room tents to serve as a temporary clinic and housing for our staff who lived in our residence. We expect to receive these items within a week. We will also share these supplies with our staff and neighbors.
NOVA is committed to helping our community rebuild as we did following Hurricane Matthew. We will ensure that the donations we receive are used directly to aid those most in need. We do not distribute money. We provide aid, supplies and basic needs that we sometimes take for granted.
We are humbled by the generous outpouring of support and prayers that we have received. There are so many people in our community who need our help and we are committed to doing whatever we can to help them recover from the latest catastrophe that they have endured.
