Greetings everyone,
--
It has been a LONG time since I used this email distribution list to provide updates about Thriving Villages. There are some very important updates:
Since Hurricane Matthew the situation in Pestel has turned dire. Pestel was in the direct line of the hurricane. The destruction of livestock, housing, and the environment (e.g. fruit trees, crops) has been enormous. The mangroves (think: fish nurseries) appear to have been destroyed as well.
Cholera (a deadly vomiting/diarrheal infectious disease) has broken out again in Pestel since the flooding has washed the cholera bacteria all over the place. Yesterday's devastating report was that there are 125 active cases of cholera with 12 deaths since the hurricane.
We have been reaching out to a lot of organizations that might respond to the disaster in Haiti. Obviously they are all busy. But we have heard from some of them, and yesterday we received the most wonderful report that UNICEF (UN's children's fund) arrived in Pestel with cholera response supplies!!! You can read the article here which mentions Dr. Seneque (misnamed Dr. Cedec). https://blogs.unicef.org/blog/fighting-cholera-after-hurricane-matthew/
This is an incredibly awesome answer to prayer!!!!
Sister Fidelis and Dr. Paat will be flying down with a medical team today to Haiti to try to reach Pestel. Miriam Frederick and a team is heading out to Pestel today. Please pray for the safety of all!!!
We are in contact with a couple of Disaster Relief organizations to try to encourage them to engage in Pestel. Please pray for a positive response soon.
We will be posting more information our Facebook page, so please follow along there: https://www.facebook.com/ThrivingVillages/ We will plan to use the Facebook page as our primary way of communication. If you would like periodic updates, please let me know and we can send you them by email in batches.
Through Julia Morley we are hoping to re-engage Variety International and other donors on behalf of Pestel. There are great immediate needs as well as pending, more slow-growing disasters (starvation, lack of water, lack of housing, worsening cholera epidemic). While we cannot possibly respond to all of these needs, we will try to faithfully do what we can to shine the light on the people of Pestel in their great time of need, and facilitate involvement of organizations who are willing to respond.
Please pray now for the people of Pestel, those who are trying to respond to their great needs both in Haiti and here.
With a heavy but hopeful heart,
Ben
President, Thriving Villages International
Thriving Villages website: www.thrivingvillages.org
Thriving Villages blog: http://thrivingvillages.blogspot.com/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ThrivingVillages
"Pay special attention to these issues:
love for one another;
absence of desire to be thought of as someone special;
and the impeccable performance of mundane tasks." Teresa of Avila
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