Dispatch from Haiti: Recovery continues three years on

Guest entry by Cindy Fuchs, Provincial Director, Saskatchewan

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Last month I was given the opportunity to visit Haiti to see the progress of the Canadian Red Cross work there. It was quite an eye opening experience for me. During my 20 years of work with the Red Cross here in Canada I have never had the chance to see what we do outside the country.

I have to say, I have never been as proud of being part of the Red Cross as I was after seeing our work in Haiti.

The Canadian Red Cross work in Haiti is a long-term commitment, focusing on shelter, health and disaster preparedness. Many of the families I met were grateful to the Canadian Red Cross for providing them with the ability to move from a tent to a home which kept them safe during Hurricane Sandy.

I met a woman who was able to start a business to support her family because of donations from Canada and I saw women lined up with their children to get vaccinations at a Red Cross health clinic.

What touched me most was seeing infant twins who wouldn’t be alive without the help of the Red Cross. The twins were only two pounds when they were born and wouldn’t have survived if there wasn’t a doctor and facilities to care for them. 

If you were one of the thousands of people who donated to Canadian Red Cross work in Haiti, I would like to pass on a big THANK YOU from all the Haitians I met. They wanted to make sure I let you know.