Over the past year, Haiti saw an indescribable amount of heartache and faced countless challenges. For all those who lost friends, family, and their entire way of life, the earthquakeʼs one-year anniversary was a time for mourning and reflection. However, it was also as much about celebrating life as it was about grieving loss. In the J/P HRO Pétionville Camp, over the past year more than 50,000 Haitians who lost their homes in the earthquake have lived in tents on what was once a 9-hole-golf course. In the Pétionville Camp, the demonstrations that took place on the anniversary were both about commemoration, and renewal. Hundreds of residents gathered at the J/P HRO Community School for prayer and song. Hundreds of people quickly became thousands as residents marched through camp carrying banners and chanting in unison. From dawn until dusk throughout camp there was singing, dancing, performances, candlelight vigils, and a palpable feeling of incredible perseverance. At J/P HRO we spent the one-year anniversary in respectful observation and reflection, looking back and taking stock of all our organization has done in Haiti over the past 12 months. We are so proud and grateful to our donors for enabling these accomplishments and for allowing us to enter 2011 with a renewed sense of purpose, encouraged by signs of progress. For instance, the number of displaced people living in tent camps has dropped to 800,000- the first time there are less than 1 million people living in camps since the earthquake. However, we are also combating a deadly cholera epidemic, and millions of Haitians are still struggling without basic shelter, food, water, healthcare, education, or any way to make a living and support their families. J/P HRO will continue to be a leader in responding to the urgent needs of the Haitian People, while relentlessly pursuing sustainable solutions for development. We believe that emergency relief in Haiti goes hand and glove with economic development and reconstruction. Please read about our accomplishments and support our cause, because when you donate to J/P HRO, you are directly improving the lives of Haitians.
