United Way Impact Story
This past weekend, Haiti was hit by a magnitude 7.2 earthquake that crumbled homes and buildings and killed more than 1,200 people. As relief organizations on the ground and around the world rush to help those directly affected, we at United Way of Massachusetts Bay are also thinking about our Haitian neighbors, coworkers, and friends right here in the Greater Boston area.
“I feel tired, so sad and helpless being here and seeing what’s going on in Haiti,” said Djena Jacques, a United Way employee from Haiti, “The last earthquake happened in January 2000, and in April and August 2000 I was in Haiti for a total of 4 weeks providing training for professionals on PTSD. Although it was tough, I felt like I was giving back to my country. I had to attend a series of trainings from January until April here with the Haitian Mental Health team and I was blessed to have the flexibility from work to be able to go.
“I feel like Haiti can’t catch a break.” Djena continues. “It’s such a beautiful country, it is devastating to see what’s happening there, politically speaking and through mother nature, which is out of anyone’s control. Nevertheless, the people of Haiti exude strength, togetherness and resiliency. Our motto is “L’union fait la force” which means “Unity is strength”, I am happy to see that a lot of organizations around the world are unifying to help Haiti, and a lot of local leaders are organizing and working hard to provide support and meet the basic needs of the people of Les Cayes. A lesson we learned from the last earthquake is that we are more aware of which organizations to send donations to that the people will actually receive.”
Boston has the 3rd largest Haitian community in the country (after Miami and New York). As we stand in solidarity with our Haitian neighbors, we want to share a few ways you can help the organizations providing immediate relief to those most impacted by this tragedy. As we continue to watch the tragedy unfold, we are closely monitoring ways people can help, and will continue to update this page as new information becomes available.