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Update #17 -- An Urgent Message to Friends and Donors of Fonkoze Re: the Earthquake
Mon., Jan. 25, 2010 – 4:00 PM
There is an amazing success story to be told of how Fonkoze with the tremendous assistance of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the United Nations, the U.S. Department of State, U.S Department of Treasury, The Inter American Development Bank, Multilateral Investment Fund of the Inter-American Development Bank, the U.S. Department of Defense, and many others were able to convey to Fonkoze branches some $2 million that were safely in the hands of the 34 functioning branches throughout Haiti in the hours between 2 AM and 2 PM on Saturday. This cash delivery enabled disbursement of remittance transfers and depositors’ savings, which was essential to helping people start to rebuild. We ae now pitching this story to major media outlets, as a case study in success in the recovery effort. Stay tuned for more details!
We have just received some excellent news regarding Fonkoze branches:
- Kabare Branch is open
- Fondwa Branch is scheduled to open today
- Jakmel Branch will open tomorrow, and
- Twen Branch is scheduled to open on Wednesday
The latest information forwarded to us by USAID and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) paint the following grim picture, as of 24 January:
- Death toll estimated at 112,250 and 194,000 injured (according to the Government of Haiti, or GoH)
- The number of people needing shelter ranges from 800,000 to one million (GoH)
- More than 235,000 people left Port au Prince courtesy of free transportation from GoH, and relocated to the following Departments:
- Artibonite 62,573
- North 13,500
- North West 31,250
- North East 7,700
- Center 14,680
- Grand Anse 30,000
- South 22,425
- Nippes 30,000
- West 22,800
You may view a map of the migration out of Port au Prince at this link.
The best news, however, is that Fonkoze, in spite of the odds, with a strengthened management team, has once again risen to the challenge. That doesn’t mean that all current problems have been solved, but in a carefully planned manner they are addressing the challenges in priority order. There is a ways to go, and with your prayers and financial support, we expect to be even more effective in serving the poor of Haiti and continue to accompany women and families out of poverty.
Contributions to Fonkoze’s Relief and Rehabilitation Fund will be used to:
- Help our staff members return to work so that they can stabilize their own lives and continue to serve our borrowers
- Open an emergency operations center to re-establish banking for the poor and transfer remittances to clients and numerous non-profit agencies serving Haiti
- Acquire equipment and facilities to replace what was destroyed
- Provide financial resources to ensure that new loans are available for women who have lost their businesses and need to re-establish them, and
- Assist clients who lost their homes with house building and repair financing
Donate online at this link using Visa, MasterCard or American Express.
Make checks payable to FONKOZE USA and mail contributions to:
FONKOZE USA
50 F Street, NW
Suite 810
Washington, DC 20001
Fonkoze continues to need your prayers and financial support!
Sincerely,
John Mercier
President
Fonkoze USA