October 14, 2021
On August 14, 2021, a massive 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck southern Haiti, causing devastation in this underserved area of the Caribbean. The earthquake damaged or destroyed 120,000 homes, injured 12,000 people, and caused 2,200 deaths, leaving 650,000 people in need of humanitarian assistance. Unfortunately, the Institut Brenda Strafford, part of The Brenda Strafford Foundation, a registered Canadian charity, is in southern Haiti and was significantly affected by the earthquake.
Serving the people of Haiti in partnership with the Ministry of Health since 1982, Institut Brenda Strafford is Haiti’s largest charitable medical facility specializing in eye, ear, nose, and throat care, providing 5,000+ consultations in a regular month. However, many buildings at The Institut and homes of our 108 staff were damaged by the earthquake. While some services were disrupted by the earthquake, our dedicated staff went into action, providing emergency medical care under tarps and tents in the moments immediately after the earthquake. Numerous people in the community were forced to take shelter in makeshift tents or unsafe houses, with some of our staff taking refuge on the Institut’s grounds.
Two months after this tragic event, The Brenda Strafford Foundation and The Institut remain committed to helping people in Haiti. The Foundation is also supporting The Institut’s staff as they continue to provide medical care for others, while trying to recover from significant losses in their own lives.
The Brenda Strafford Foundation and Institut Brenda Strafford are grateful to the following partners and organizations for their support in our earthquake response efforts:
Figure 1. Partnerships with humanitarian agencies including UNICEF, FONTEN, and Samaritan's Purse have enabled us to acquire tents for the provision of medical and surgical services. Here one tent is being use for visual acuity testing.
Figure 2. Repairs in progress at the Outpatient Clinic.
Figure 3. Reopening the Outpatient Clinic. Earlier this year, donor support helped us to replace the roof of the Outpatient Clinic – now one of the first spaces we have for safe use after the earthquake.Figure 1. Partnerships with humanitarian agencies including UNICEF, FONTEN, and Samaritan's Purse have enabled us to acquire tents for the provision of medical and surgical services. Here one tent is being use for visual acuity testing.Figure 2. Repairs in progress at the Outpatient Clinic.Figure 3. Reopening the Outpatient Clinic. Earlier this year, donor support helped us to replace the roof of the Outpatient Clinic – now one of the first spaces we have for safe use after the earthquake.
Figure 4. In 2020, Institut Brenda Strafford opened the new Pre-Consultation Area, made possible by generous donations. This new space was one of the few buildings at the Institut not severley affected by the earthquake. It was able to be quickly re-purposed, enabling us to provide emergency shelter, medical care and surgeries in a safe and dignified space during our disaster response.While the road to recovery will be long and challenging, we are extremely grateful for the ongoing generosity of our donors and supporters to ‘Help Us Help Haiti,’ as we continue to strive to provide high-quality, compassionate, and dignified medical services to those in need.
We are committed to our people and will match all donations made towards “Staff Relief” to assist our team members in rebuilding their homes – doubling the impact of your donation!
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