Earthquake update from EqualHealth: our Haitian community and how you can help
On August 14, 2021, a 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck Haiti and greatly affected areas in its southern peninsula. Since then, we have been in close contact with our Haitian colleagues from Social Medicine Alumni of Haiti and their partner organizations regarding the support they need to respond to this painful disaster.
EqualHealth was founded in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake with the deep-seated belief that the recovery from the earthquake had to both build towards long-term recovery — starting with the immediate need to expand the health care workforce — and be rooted in health equity. Eleven years on, we could not imagine how much the foundation of EqualHealth would be put to the test in the Haitian context. This earthquake occurs at a time when a tropical storm is projected to hit Haiti soon, Haiti has an interim Prime Minister after the recent assassination of its President, while also facing a surge in COVID-19 cases — and, until just a month ago, it had not received a single dose of the vaccine.
We are deeply grateful for the recent donations to our mutual aid fund, which we will use to help support our partners in Haiti as they respond to this crisis. However, given the layers of structural complexity in accessing health care — and since we also believe that Haiti’s COVID-19 response needs more, rather than less, attention in the aftermath of the earthquake — we also know that more is critically needed.
We therefore make this urgent request for additional funds to support our Haitian comrades — 100% of all donations that are designated for the “mutual aid fund — Haiti” will go directly to our Haitian-led partners organizations in Haiti, ensuring that every dollar will have a direct impact.
As we hold Haiti and our Haitian colleagues in our hearts and mourn as a community, we are also reminded of the utmost importance of our movement for health equity everywhere. We collectively trust in the power of Haiti, a nation that has contributed so much to Black Liberation around the world.
