LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Providence-Haiti Outreach receives flood of donations

Posted

To the Editor:

I hasten to acknowledge with profound appreciation the excellent and timely coverage of the devastation caused by the Gustav and Hannah hurricanes on the Catholic mission site in Marigot, Haiti. Your reporter, Emily Donohue, did a commendable piece of journalism which gave impetus to another kind of flood – of compassionate and generous donations to help the victims there.

These donations were sent immediately (by wire) to Father Serge Pardo, a long-time friend who is administrator of the mission site and school. He, like our board, was deeply grateful for the assistance in trying to meet the emergency assistance needs of the people. He seemed most distressed at the lack of clean water – which has caused countless children to suffer from dysentery, diarrhea and other infectious diseases.

As we receive more donations we will forward them to him that he may hire a huge water tank truck in Port-au-Prince to bring desperately needed clean water to his area in the Diocese of Jarmel.

At a recent emergency meeting of our Board of Directors, we voted to rebuild the destroyed school. We are not going to allow those “two blowhards – Gustav and Hannah” to wipe out the only chance for poor children to have an education. They are truly “the least of our brothers and sisters”; they are counting on us!

Faithfully yours in Christ,

Father Francis J. Guidice

Director, Providence-Haiti Outreach