Haiti Earthquake Relief Haiti information update (Monday 15 March 2010) Sr Mary's e-mail to Bishop Smith Sister Mary Hardiman has written to Bishop Smith, following the appeal in aid of Haiti which has raised €278,649 to date. In her email last week, she writes “on behalf of the Haiti earthquake victims to express their deep gratitude for the generosity of the people of Meath Diocese”. Sister Mary describes the situation on the ground where she is working in Haiti. “At the moment we have 150 refugees living in a school but some of them will be evacuated to a house given by a minister who had two houses. The parish cooks two meals a day, usually with brown rice, vegetables and bean sauce. Fr Alcide, our parish priest, gives pocket money to those who have nothing and uniforms to children attending school. “Helicopters bring doctors and nurses to help the sick and injured. The helicopter brings great excitement to a broken hearted people. We have doctors from Brazil and we cope with several languages and everyone working together. Only recently I experienced a happy story. I met a Mum after Mass and she said her 3 year old was under the rubble for 3 days and she is alive." .... The Diocese of Meath has already transferred €182,000 to Haiti through Sister Mary Hardiman and Trócaire. Sister Mary asked Bishop Smith to send the remaining donations in smaller amounts on a monthly basis over the coming months. In that way, the donations can be used beyond the emergency relief work and to help the project of rebuilding in communities. Bishop Smith is extremely grateful to all who have contributed to the appeal, especially to the children in schools who took part in fundraising. Haiti information update (Monday 15 February 2010) Irene Connaughton writes about a call received last week: Last Friday, I received a telephone call from Sister Mary Hardiman in Haiti. She sounded remarkably well and strong and the line was very clear. She was ringing to express a huge thank you to all who responded so generously to the Haiti Appeal Fund. Sister Mary said that they would not have survived without the aid from Ireland as things are extremely bad there and it is impossible to describe the devasation everywhere. The sisters are very involved in distributing food to refugees and they are all living on just one meal per day. She hopes to be able sit down and write a letter soon to the diocese expressing her thanks to all and we will circulate it to all parishes when received. The response to the appeal for Haiti has been overwhelming and there were several large cheques in this morning's post for Haiti which bring the total received to date in this office to €205,120. So far, we have €173,000 of this money already sent directly to Haiti through Sister Mary and Trócaire. If you have any more donations please send them to us and we will get the balance going also as soon as possible. Parishioners may contact Irene at the diocesan office here. Videos available of the work of Trócaire and Caritas in Haiti here Haiti information update (Monday 08 February 2010) The Diocese of Meath has received €143,523 in donations for Haiti and further contributions of around €25,000 have been pledged. The generous and rapid response from people has been praised by Bishop Smith. After the earthquake struck three weeks ago, the Diocese said that it would transfer any funds received to Sister Mary Hardiman (who is working) in Haiti and to Trócaire. Fundraisers were organised by parishes, schools and community groups and the proceeds of these collections have already been sent to Haiti. “The earthquake in Port au Prince happened in minutes but left a lifetime of devastation in its wake in a country that has already suffered greatly” Bishop Smith explains.... “On several occasions, Sister Mary Hardiman told me about the plight of the people among whom she has been working for many years. Getting these much needed funds to her and to Trócaire’s partners on the ground will play a useful part in helping the Haitian people to rebuild, not just buildings but lives and livelihoods. "I am very grateful to all who have organised and contributed to the fundraising events.” Ration voucher in an camp for displaced persons. Note the local dialect of the french: "Tremblement de Haïti, Aide pour manger" (Earthquake of Haiti, Help for eating). The Diocese of Meath will issue a report in the coming months on how the funds received in this appeal have been spent. Haiti information update (Monday 18 January 2010) The Diocesan Office received an email from the Holy Union congregation, who have been in contact with their Sisters in Haiti. The following is an excerpt: “We were so relieved to be able to talk to the Sisters. They are safe and sound, despite having felt the tremors and all the chaos that then happened. They sleep at night in the fields with all the other people beside a nearby factory. The Sisters say that what you see on television could never reflect the horror of the reality. “During the day, the Sisters help out at a make-shift medical centre. The most serious problem at the moment is that there’s no water and this will lead to many more serious problems until it is solved. “During one of the nights, there was an aftershock of the earthquake in the field as people slept at 4am. At first, there was fear and terror but very soon everyone broke into singing and praying. Mind you, although they call it a field, she says that it is stones the people sleep on.” Haiti information update (Friday 15 January 2010) The Diocese of Meath mourns the terrible suffering of our brothers and sisters in Haiti. The earthquake that ravaged Haiti has already claimed thousands of lives including the Archbishop of Port-au-Prince. It has destroyed countless homes, churches, schools, and other buildings and has left millions without the most basic necessities of life. Our faith compels us to pray for and reach out to our brothers and sisters in their time of suffering. Donations can be channelled through our diocesan office for delivery directly to Sister Mary Hardiman, an Irish Holy Union Sister whose work includes caring for orphans, elderly, prisoners and people suffering from HIV / AIDS. Bishop Smith is in regular contact with Sister Mary and supports her work on an ongoing basis. Trócaire are also involved in providing aid through Caritas Hiati which runs 200 hosptials and medical centres. They are skilled in the provision of clean water and sanitation which will be crucial in this response. As Justin Kilcullen says "our partners are experienced and prepared to respond to humanitarian disasters in Haiti as a result of the frequent hurricanes there but the extreme levels of poverty across the country mean that funds are desperately needed to help the people of Haiti cope in the aftermath of this earthquake.” Support can be given to Trocaire through their website www.trocaire.org. Prayers at Masses this Sunday should include a mention of all families who have been bereaved, displaced and left homeless. Please also remember the important work of Emergency Services personnel from around the world who have travelled to help the families of Port-au-Prince and whose organisational skills will be much needed in the coming weeks, months and years.

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Further details please contact

Irene Connaughton
Secretary
Bishop's House
Dublin Road
Mullingar
Co. Westmeath
Tel:  +353 44 9348841