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Rosena with with her sisters and her cousins. She and her family lost their home in the Haiti earthquake. (World Concern)
“We want families to be in healthy communities, not in camps. In communities, people can move on with their livelihoods, gain stabilization for their children—and move on from the disaster,” he said.
Another issue faced in Haiti is that following the earthquake, an exodus of people from Port-au-Prince arrived in rural communities. Families have sought refuge with friends and family in rural areas, who have strained to provide them with enough food.
“We are working with these rural agricultural families to be equipped to plant more seed and have better yield through better farming practices,” Sciba said.
Similar to the Red Cross, World Concern received plenty of donations soon after the earthquake, but saw a drop not long after. “Now that other stories are in the news, like the Gulf oil spill, Haiti has all but disappeared from the news cycle—and our donations have slowed way down,” Sciba said, who added they are working to spend their funds wisely.
According to Sciba, they are not just spending money as quickly as possible, but rather focusing on projects that will have long-term effects. He said, “It is our goal to help families rebuild their lives—and that is not by constantly delivering emergency supplies of rice and beans.”
