I'm just posting this letter, with the additional comment that Fonkoze
is an incredible organization, run with just a handful of people
Stateside, and hundreds of staff in Haïti, so that any dollar you donate
for their efforts goes where it's needed most. They are far more
effective than most other aid organizations, who spend up to 85% on
overhead.
January 19, 2010
Dear Friend,
All
of us at Fonkoze USA appreciate all the prayers, phone calls, emails,
and especially donations that we have received in response to the major
and tragic earthquake that ravaged Haiti just a week ago today. We have
been in touch on a daily basis with Fonkoze's leadership in Haiti which
is now working feverishly to design a strategy to respond to this
unprecedented natural disaster.
We update our website at least daily. So, please continue to visit the website at www.fonkoze.org
for the latest information about the situation on the ground with
Fonkoze and to contribute to the "Relief and Rehabilitation Fund."
Donations
are urgently needed. The courageous staff of Fonkoze are ready to move
forward with a major relief effort followed by an aggressive
rehabilitation program. The staff themselves have, however, been
significantly impacted. Fonkoze leadership met with some 50 staff
members on Sunday, and half of them lost virtually everything they own.
(At least three staff were killed in the immediate aftermath of the
earthquake.) We are planning to give these impacted staff some immediate
resources to stabilize their lives so they can focus on the clients.
Another major funding need is for Fonkoze to establish an Emergency
Operations Center and re-build branch structures in order to serve the
branches and our clients throughout Haiti. The costs related to doing
so are being calculated as we write this update and appeal.
The
ultimate priority is to serve our borrowers and clients by helping them
re-establish their homes and families and their businesses. This will
take time and will build on the successful client rehabilitation efforts
following natural disasters earlier this decade.
To date, we
have received a little over $80,000. While we don't have a good grasp of
our overall financial needs as yet, we anticipate that we will need
more than $1 million dollars in the next few weeks in order to meet the
needs of Fonkoze's clients and staff.
Please make a donation now
to our "Earthquake Relief and Rehabilitation Fund". Please do it today
by mailing a check to Fonkoze USA, 50 F St., NW, Suite 810, Washington,
DC 20001, or make a donation online at: www.fonkoze.org.
We also
encourage you to continue keeping up with Fonkoze's progress on the web
site. There is new updated information on sending money to Haiti, the
status of some of our personnel, the status of branches, and other
information.
Please continue to PRAY, PHONE, PARTNER, and PITCH-IN FOR HAITI.
Sincerely,
Alex Counts, Chair, Fonkoze USA
John Mercier, President, Fonkoze USA
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