Kalebe Augustin smiles as he sees the walls and floors of the new orphanage taking shape. Soon, the 62 orphans in his care will have a new home and a new school.

On January 12, 2010, the orphanage run by Kalebe and his brother, Kerlo, was one of the thousands of buildings flattened by the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti. It was swallowed and crushed in less than a minute of the terrifying shaking.

The home was located in Léogâne, near the epicenter of the quake. Up to 90 percent of the buildings were destroyed in the area. Hundreds of orphanages and schools still lay in ruins 18 months later.

“We lost everything,” Kalebe said. “Nothing was salvageable. The children slept on the ground and in tents. We kept praying and tried to exist around the ruins. Miraculously, the Lord kept every child safe—not one died. Those months following the quake were very hard. We prayed every day for help. We prayed that God would send us help to take care of them.”

DON'T FORGET US: A nurse who has made five trips to Haiti with Samaritan's Purse reflects on the two-year anniversary of the earthquake.

The brothers’ prayers were answered when a Samaritan’s Purse assessment team came upon the debris and disarray. We decided to help and began to build temporary shelters and bunk beds for the children. We then started to construct a new school and orphanage to provide living quarters for more than 100 boys and girls, as well as a fully furnished school to accommodate 200 children. It will exist as an institution where Christian education and values will be instilled.

“It is like fresh water to my heart,” Kalebe said. “I still can’t believe we are being given a second chance. It is the plan of God to be here and this will be a place of God for the children. It feels like a dream. We prayed and God answered through the kindness of Samaritan’s Purse.”

The new orphanage and school is just one of the many ongoing Samaritan's Purse programs that show that God has not forgotten the people of Haiti in the two years since the earthquake.

In addition to helping orphans and other children, the construction project is providing livelihoods. It will put at least 50 Haitian people to work and expose them to the Gospel as they work alongside Samaritan's Purse staff and volunteers.

Livelihoods are also being provided through a program that gives literacy, healthy living, Bible, and business/entrepreneurial skills to 360 women, as well as a recycling program that is focused on reducing the volume of trash in Haiti. We are partnering with churches to select participants, who are trained in small business practices. In the first days of collecting trash in the slums of Cite Soleil, the beneficiaries collected nearly 2,500 pounds of plastic and earned over $50 a day.

Our rubble removal program utilizes a fleet of machines and trucks to clear away buildings that were destroyed or damaged beyond repair, leaving the landowner with a site ready for reconstruction. The rubble is used to rebuild roads that are in poor condition. Each family whose site is cleared receives a Bible and prayer. Since we began, the rubble team has removed nearly 125,000 cubic meters of debris and prepared 291 sites for rebuilding.

We are continuing to operate a medical clinic in Cite Soleil, staffed by volunteer medical personnel from around the world. This clinic has provided medical care, health education, and the truth of Jesus Christ to over 69,000 patients.

More health needs are being met through the Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition program, which is focused on providing training and education to pregnant women and mothers of children under 2. Community health workers are trained by national staff to provide education in prenatal care, postnatal care, nutrition, and Biblical parenting.

We are providing clean water and sanitation training in 31 communities. Each community will be mobilized to work together with Samaritan's Purse to provide a drilled borehole with hand pump, a shower, a laundering pad, and seven household latrines. To add to the value and impact of the activities, the Clean Hands/Clean Hearts approach incorporates Gospel lessons in parallel with practical hygiene education.

Evangelism remains a vital component of all we do in Haiti. In addition to supporting our many programs, the ministry team shares the Gospel through soccer tournaments and community activities, including Jesus film showings and drama skits.

Please pray for the people of Haiti as they continue to recover from the disaster, that the love of God will be seen through our work, and that doors would be opened and hearts prepared to receive the truth of Jesus Christ.

Two Years Faithful

A look at what God has enabled Samaritan's Purse to accomplish since the deadly quake.

*Completed program

Shelter & Construction Projects
15,010* Shelters distributed to date
75,050* Beneficiaries of SP shelters (based on an average family size of 5)
5* Community centers constructed through Volunteer Teams
2 Permanent orphanages rebuilt through Volunteer Teams
13 Temporary schools, orphanages, police stations, and hospitals constructed
171 Volunteers have participated in construction projects through SP Volunteer Teams

Medical
76,707 Patients treated at Cite Soleil General Clinic and Mobile Medical Clinics (MMC)
9,600+* Patients treated at Baptist Haiti Mission immediately after the earthquake
23,210* Cholera patients treated at all SP Cholera Treatment Centers and Units (CTCs and CTUs)
109,517 Total number of patients treated since the January 12th earthquake
1,037 Volunteer medical professionals have served with Samaritan’s Purse in Haiti

Maternal Child Health
6,592 Mothers trained in maternal and child health and nutrition
758 Community health workers trained in maternal and child health and nutrition

Livelihoods
1,000* People trained in income generation
496* Certificates awarded for graduates of women’s artisanal/adult learning program
6,043* Households received seeds and agriculture tools
1,000* Household gardens created
11,601 Lbs. of plastic collected through the Ramase Lajan collection centers in Cite Soleil

Rubble Removal
124,865 Total cubic meters (m3) of rubble removed (includes heavy equipment, CFW and FFW)
291 Sites prepped for reconstruction (buildings cleared)
12+ Kilometers of road rebuilt using rubble

Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene
68,957 People trained in hygiene education and cholera prevention at CTCs and through TOTs
13,967 People trained in hygiene education using the PHAST curriculum
36* Water filtration systems installed to provide clean water to communities
101 Permanent latrines constructed
1,402 Temporary latrines constructed

Food
12,938* Total metric tons of food distributed through SYAP and WFP programs
6,935* Students, teachers and cooks fed through the WFP school feeding program
29* Schools received food assistance

Ministry
7,802 Decisions for Christ through the Franklin Graham Festival, Medical Teams, and Chaplains

Samaritan's Purse , Haiti , Community Development , Not Forgotten