By now, many of you have heard accounts of the damage done in the town of Jeremie, Haiti by Hurricane Matthew. Thankfully, all of our team members survived the storm without injury. We are slowly starting to put together a complete picture of all of the destruction. It is dire. Nearly all of Tek4Kids’ 18 Haitian staff members lost their homes. Several of our schools lost their roofs. Much of our electronic equipment was destroyed by water damage, including laptops and inverters. Fortunately, one of our team members was able to store our iPads in a safe place, so we will not have to replace them. We estimate it will cost upwards of $100,000 to replace the damaged equipment, rebuild the homes of our staff and repair the schools, while we do our best to continue to provide shelter and clean water for those we can.
Tag: Hurricane Matthew
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Assessing Damage and Moving Forward in Jeremie
Tek4Kids founders Gary and Cathy Boice recently traveled to Jeremie, Haiti to assess the damage caused by Hurricane Matthew and continue making plans for our response to this disaster. Priorities included providing housing assistance for our teachers and staff, distributing purified water to the community, determining if laptops, inverters and other equipment can be salvaged and assisting our partner schools in reopening.
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Devastation in Jeremie, Haiti
On Tuesday, October 4, Hurricane Matthew made a direct hit on the coastal city of Jeremie, the town in western Haiti where our Tek4Kids staff and partner schools are located. We have been unable to make direct contact with our staff in Jeremie, but we have heard accounts of the extensive damage from other sources. Many homes are destroyed and many other buildings, such as schools and businesses, had roofs ripped off. Most crops were completely wiped out. Roads and bridges in the area have been washed away. Food supplies and clean water will be scarce and Jeremie’s citizens are very isolated from the rest of the country; a cholera outbreak is a real concern. We are anxiously waiting to hear how our Haitian team has fared through this tragedy. When we are able, we will begin the rebuilding and relief work they will so desperately need. Please stay tuned for details on how you can help support the rebuilding of Jeremie, Haiti through Tek4Kids. We thank you very much.
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