Haiti (MNN) — Hurricanes and tropical storms hit Haiti with a one-two punch. While it's been weeks since the Gonaives region was hit, Bright Hope International says the needs there are still great.
Craig Dyer with Bright Hope International says out of the eight hurricanes, five of them were of high intensity, and this has had a terrible impact on the people of Haiti. "Right now, as best we can estimate, there are about 1,000 families that are still in shelters around the city of Gonaives. There's about three-quarters of a million people who are receiving some sort of food aid, and of course pastors and churches have all been in the center of that. And that's who Bright Hope goes to, to help."
Dyer describes what they're doing to help. "Bright Hope has been sending food relief in, funds to be able to get water, also funds to build shelters for the families, and it's just made a tremendous impact on the people of Haiti."
One woman says she's thankful for what Bright Hope has done for her family. The storm destroyed her home. They ended up having to spend four nights on the mountain with no roof over their heads. While her family is homeless, she's now staying at a local church.
Dyer says, "This is the kind of desperate person that we're trying to help. We're trying to help a person that's engaged in a church. They've gone to the church for help, and we want to be able to tool the church and resource the church to be able to give them the type of aid that they need in their desperate hour."
Dyer is asking people to help Bright Hope financially, because "when we can empower the pastors and give them the opportunities to minister to people in the way that they need it at that moment, it's a powerful tool for sharing the love of Christ."
If you feel God's call to give, Dyer says, "Go to our Web site at BrightHope.org. There's a video there that actually shows some of our distribution. And then, we're taking a Thanksgiving offering right now, throughout the Thanksgiving weekend and into the early part of December — an offering that'll help those who are in the most need."
