November, 2010 Archive

Just got a text message from teams on the ground in Haiti. All flights into Cap Haitian are canceled. Roads are blocked with tires set on fire and looters. ALL travel in and out of Haiti on hold.
Bender’s are stranded there for now. Medical team due to arrive tomorrow is canceled. Pray for safety for our team and others in Haiti.

Text message from Bender’s on Camp experience. “Camp Coq village clinic was chaos today. Cholera outbreak has driven Haitians to fight for WiL filters. The definition of filter distribution in Haiti changed today.”
Another text message: “CHAOS…cholera sending everyone into fighting mobs. People know we are here in Haiti and have filters. Scary, but all well. Had good protection. Box of 100 filters grabbed by a helper who ran. Better than taking all of them. Hopefully they will get into the someone who needs them hands.”
Another update: “No pics today-too unsafe at the moment. They would have taken our cameras.”
Thanks for your help in getting the filters into the hands of thousands of Haitian families.

The following is a series of text messages sent from the Bender family at ground zero of hurricane Tomas in Haiti. “Weather is clearing slightly here – has been raining since 9 pm last night. Roads a mess…need my rubbers to walk around!! Girlz awake until late last night under their mosquito nets worried. They like to all sleep together:). They are persevering with smiles considering all that we are contending with. The hardest part is not knowing situation as there is no communication/media access. Everything is word of mouth or text messages from phone companies. Thousands rebelled and would not evacuate as they truly believed it was a false story and they would loose what little possessions they had. And they would loose the only home they have – a tent. The rains will definitely increase cholera situation – and what is most needed is clean clean water. It’s the only answer. WiL Working with hospital Bon Samaritan to distribute filters to families of cholera patients today and tomorrow. Mother and daughter both have cholera from water – the younger child, Adlner age 4, died here on Monday. If only we had been able to get the family a filter for clean water sooner.”