Our Hearts Are with Haiti- How We Can Help

Like I am sure many of you are I have been following the reports out of Haiti and considering how best to respond. Our hearts and our thoughts are with our suffering Haitian brothers and sisters.

Pax Christi NJ has many long standing ties to the Haitian community in NJ and to Haiti itself. Our members, including Fr. Jack Martin, Fr. Gene Squeo and Tonie Malone, over the years have:

Founded and supported the Haiti Solidarity Network of the Northeast
*Visited Haiti on medical mission trips
*Helped establish micro-finance programs through Fonkoze
*Established the “Rule of Law Project”
*Supported re-forestation projects
*Established and fostered parish twinning programs

I trust that you will continue to support the work of our members and help provide some comfort our brothers and sisters in Haiti now that their need is so great.

Here are some ways that you can help.

1) Donate money –particularly to those organizations that have a current, significant and long-standing presence in Haiti. Some of those organizations include:
Catholic Relief Services
Partners in Health,
Jesuit Refugees Services,
Fonkoze

2) Advocate for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians currently in the US. DHS has temporarily halted deportations, but TPS would allow Haitians in the US to temporarily legalize their status. This would allow them to apply for drivers licenses, work permits and would help release those being held in detention on immigration violations.

3) Pray – prayer is one of the most powerful tools we have. Pray often that the suffering people of Haiti will be comforted and encourage others to do the same.