Hurricane Matthew Relief Final Report
Cavaillon, Haiti - On October 4th, 2017, category 4 hurricane Matthew devastated the Southwest peninsula of Haiti. Hundreds of thousands of homes were destroyed, farms were decimated, livestock perished, power lines and cell towers were downed, and approximately 2,000 people lost their lives due to injury and illness during and after the storm.
Admittedly, Konbit Mizik has never self-identified as a disaster-relief organization, but we were presented the opportunity (and responsibility) to render aid when donors from around the world chose us to steward their money to help the victims as a result of a viral post of listing grassroots orgs in Haiti with minimal overhead and local leadership. And we immediately stepped up to the challenge.
We identified the commune of Cavaillon, outside of Les Cayes, as the locality to rebuild. We have a close relationship with Mark Andrew Viard (aka Kiko Tru Rasta) who is a well-known music artist and farm entrepreneur who lives in the area. Together we formed a plan to collect survey data, identify residents in need, and purchase goods, materials, and services from local vendors and workers.
In total, we collected over $26K in donations which we administered to:
provide 200 people with food and sanitation kits comprised of pasta, rice, beans, salmon, hygenic kits, female products, water, and water purification tablets
repair the roofs and structural damage on 75 homes
plant 5 acres of black beans, peanuts, and moringa
On behalf of Konbit Mizik, thank you so much for your support to the victims of Hurricane Matthew. Even though the global media attention has faded, we remain committed to working with Kiko to ensure that the people of Cavaillon have the opportunity to be safe in their homes, and to work and provide for their families. If you would like to support this ongoing initiative, please click our "Donate" button below and specify Hurricane Matthew relief in the instructions during checkout.
With profound gratitude and respect,
Nick Cannell
Executive Director
