A message from the women of Lafon, Haiti, in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa

After surviving the devastating passage of Hurricane Melissa, which hit Haiti's southern coast over the past several days, we are facing an unprecedented humanitarian disaster. This Category 5 hurricane has destroyed everything. It has flattened villages and left many families homeless, their tears mixed with piles of mud. Gardens are destroyed, roads are broken, and everyday life has become an even greater struggle. 

In the Jacmel area where we live, the situation is particularly dramatic: the Jacmel River has completely flooded the area known as Bassin Caïman, isolating numerous families. The people living in this area are completely cut off from the rest of the city, they have no access to food, drinking water, or health care. Right now they are trying to survive with what is available, under the threat of more heavy rains. 

Despite all this, the courage of the Haitian people remains alive.

Faced with this tragedy, the Women's Association for the Development of Lafon (AFADLA) and Cultural Capital Haiti are mobilizing together with the Haitian Red Cross to assess the humanitarian emergency and help the most vulnerable. During the hurricane, we disseminated important information to the community. Now we are launching an appeal for our community to unite for emergency intervention, for us all to come together as a community help people with limited mobility, children, and families who have lost their homes. 

Haiti does not have the financial means to deal with the scale of this disaster alone. The fields are destroyed, the markets are closed, rural families have no source of livelihood. In this emergency, AFADLA is working with many local organizations to create an action plan focused on three important priorities:

• A public health action plan

• An aid plan for farmers

• An aid plan for the most vulnerable children

Because of our track record of delivering results in this community, we know we have the means to carry out effective measures with enough support. But without support, our efforts will remain limited. We need donations, resources, and solidarity to act effectively. 

You can support our efforts with immediate effect by donating to us through Cultural Capital Haiti.

Whatever you can spare will be put to immediate use. As the Haitian proverb says "Giving a little does not mean you're stingy." Every contribution can give a family, a child, a sick person, a better chance for survival. 

Haiti is going through a period of great suffering. Children are crying out of hunger, the sick are waiting for care, and mothers are watching in silence. They feel powerless. They have lost everything they have built. But despite the pain, we refuse to give up. AFADLA continues to support young people through training and community action, but today more than ever, the emergency is our priority: helping children, the sick, the elderly, and the disabled who are struggling to survive. 

Let's help together so that hope can rise again. Because even in the pain, the courage of the Haitian people continues to shine. And as long as there are people willing to lend a hand, life will always be stronger, because with many hands, the burden is not heavy.

––Fabienne Lerine

President, Women's Association for the Development of Lafon

(Translated by Michael Dylan Rogers)