COVID-19 Emergency Response

Thank You for Your Life-Saving Generosity During the Pandemic

We can never thank you enough for the generosity and solidarity that you’ve shown some of the most vulnerable families and communities in Haiti as this pandemic unfolded across our world.

Your support is providing critical, life-saving, virus-prevention resources like masks, hygiene kits, family garden kits, emergency cash assistance, and the kind of accurate information that people need to protect themselves and their loved ones from COVID-19.

The Voices of Those Benefiting from Your Extraordinary Generosity

Before we share with you all that you and so many generous and caring souls have made possible in Haiti, we want you to hear directly from some of those who have benefitted from your extraordinary generosity.

“The First Organization to Provide Virus-Prevention Materials to the Very Poorest”

On Lagonav Island, a member in a local chapter of our Adult Survivors of Child Slavery Network said:

“So many of our members have remarked that Beyond Borders is the first organization to provide virus-prevention materials to the very poorest communities. All of us are so grateful for this initiative.”

“Gives us more Courage and Determination to Save Lives”

In southeastern Haiti, a community activist in our SASA! Network to prevent violence against women and girls said:

“The support you are providing gives us more courage and determination in our work to save lives and prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our community. There are not enough words for us to thank you for all that you are doing during this pandemic.”

“Despite the Circumstances, it was a Moment of Joy for Those Receiving a Hygiene Kit”

And in Port-au-Prince, a member of our Child Protection team distributing hygiene kits shared this:

“Despite the circumstances, it was a beautiful moment of joy and happiness for those receiving a hygiene kit. Not one of them failed to tell us how happy they were to receive this. Some also took the opportunity to ask if we’d be back with more supplies in the days to come. We avoided making any promises then and there, but I can tell you that it is something our team was already thinking about.”

Your Generosity and Solidarity Provides Courage, Determination, and Joy

The courage, determination, and -- despite the circumstances -- joy that those with whom we work experienced are all made possible by you and your generosity and solidarity during this pandemic. Thank you for making this COVID-19 response work in Haiti possible.

By the Numbers: The Life-Saving Virus-Prevention Resources Delivered with Your Support

The goal of Beyond Borders’ COVID-19 Emergency Response is to deliver life-saving virus-prevention resources to some of the most-vulnerable and isolated communities we work with in Haiti.

Here’s a look at what your support made possible in Port-au-Prince, in southeastern Haiti, and on Lagonav Island:

Hygiene Kits: 2,426 kits were distributed thanks to you. Kits include a bucket with a tap and soap for home hand-washing stations. Some of those who received kits also received a supply of disinfectant. After the initial distribution, teams returned to top up the kits with additional soap and disinfectant.

Handsewn Masks and Hospital-Grade PPE: Thirty members of Beyond Borders’ Adult Survivors of Child Slavery Network, Child Protection Brigades, and Community Activists with our SASA! Network to prevent violence against women and girls volunteered to make 10,000 masks with materials purchased thanks to your support.  An additional quantity of hospital-grade personal protective equipment (PPE) for people working in two hospitals -- one on Lagonav Island and one in southeast Haiti -- was also purchased.

Disinfectant: Health clinics and the only hospital on Lagonav got more than 1,250 gallons of disinfectant, thanks to support from you and people like you.

Family Garden Kits: To help stave off a spike in the number of families facing hunger and food insecurity, 220 families on Lagonav island received family garden kits that included seeds and seedlings for sweet peppers, carrots, cabbage and beans.

Emergency Cash Assistance: 110 families on Lagonav received weekly cash stipends and 25 families also received support to replace animals that died, and to restock small businesses selling basic foodstuffs -- the cost of which have risen significantly since the pandemic began.

Virus-Prevention and Violence-Prevention Messaging: Your generosity has also made it possible to get life-saving virus-prevention information out to some of the most vulnerable populations via a Community Megaphone Campaign.

Thanks to you, thousands of people in 32 communities in metropolitan Port-au-Prince, southeastern Haiti, and on Lagonav Island now have the knowledge they need to stop the spread of COVID-19 and protect themselves and their neighbors from this deadly virus.

The campaign is led by women and men in Beyond Borders’ Adult Survivors of Child Slavery Network, Child Protection Brigades, and SASA! Community Activists working to prevent violence against women and girls. These teams -- with more than a decade of experience in public education and mass communication -- are using their expertise to get critical virus-prevention information out to communities who might otherwise go without it.

And because domestic violence often spikes in times of crisis, teams are sharing child protection and preventing violence against women and girls messaging too. In Jacmel, our team has recorded six radio spots and four videos and a six-part violence-prevention dialogue for sharing on WhatsApp and other social media outlets.

Finally, with your support, Beyond Borders contributed to the printing of children’s Creole language books by the Matènwa Learning Community Center -- our primary education partner on Lagonav Island -- explaining the coronavirus and prevention measures. The contribution covered the cost of 2,380 books that were distributed to families with children in Beyond Borders’ Schools Not Slavery Network.

An Uncertain Future

The situation in Haiti -- like in many other countries -- remains uncertain. Testing remains difficult to come by for most, as does medical care. You can follow the latest COVID-19 reporting from Haiti on this website: https://www.coronahaiti.org/ created and updated as a public service by a network of Haitian bloggers.

Thank You -- Your Solidarity is Making All the Difference

Thank you again for your extraordinary generosity and solidarity. You’ve made so many life-saving virus-prevention response activities possible for some of the most vulnerable and remote communities in Haiti.

Your continued solidarity with the people of Haiti during this pandemic will make all the difference. In the days and weeks to come, we’ll be reaching out to share the next phase of Beyond Borders’ COVID-19 response.

In the meantime, if you have any questions about what you’ve read in this report, please contact Brian Stevens, Beyond Borders’ Donor Engagement Director, at b.stevens@beyondborders.net or (305) 450-2561. 

Links:

• Watch a video of mask-making on Lagonav Island.
• Like us on Facebook to see the latest from Haiti.
• We've earned a 4-Star rating from Charity Navigator.