Presidential Palace ruins. (photo courtesty of God's Littlest Angels)
Haiti (MNN) ― Port-au-Prince was home to a considerable orphan population before Tuesday's quake turned it into a wasteland. Three years ago, UNICEF estimated 380,000 orphans in Haiti.
Now, with the death toll rising, Bethany Christian Services Vice President of Marketing and Communication Marc Andreas says there's another grim reality surfacing. "There's going to be a mounting number of casualties, and likely, unfortunately, an increased number of orphans. But it will take a long time for us to fully assess the number of opportunities and see how many additional children will need help in Haiti."
Bethany is still trying to mobilize their response. "There are two partners there. One of them--we're confident that all the children are fine; the other--we have not yet heard from."
One of Bethany's partners, God's Littlest Angels (GLA), is collecting donations and will be sending a shipping container to Haiti as soon as possible. The orphanage needs fresh supplies of powdered formula, diapers, baby wipes, baby cereal, infant Tylenol, infant and children's vitamins, and baby care items such as lotion, powder, baby shampoo.
According to GLA's Facebook page, they also hope to be able to assist the surrounding community with clothing, medical supplies, household items, and hygiene items such as soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, blankets and towels.
It's a situation gone from bad to worse. Survivors, stripped of what resources they had, may be turning in droves to ministries like Bethany. Andreas says, "First, we'll ask for prayer, and secondly, financial donations will be very helpful at this time. We're going to be gathering funds to put them to the best use in helping children."
If you can give, Bethany Christian Services has set up a fund for earthquake recovery in Haiti. Please go to www.bethany.org/donate and select "Haiti - Earthquake Recovery."
Pray for open doors. Andreas says, "Sometimes, people open up to an opportunity for the Gospel in a way that's new and really changes someone's heart."
