2021 Haiti Earthquake

 

On Saturday, August 14 at 8:29 a.m., a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck about 12 miles NE of Saint Louis du Sud in the south of Haiti.

While the earthquake most severely impacted the southwestern region, tremors reached across the entire country and were even felt as far as Cuba and Jamaica, reminding many of the catastrophic earthquake of 2010.

 We have been continuously checking in with our partners. Of the close to 50 music programs we support across the country, five are located in the impacted area: 

  • AMI Annex - Demizaine

  • Cemuchca Annex - Petite-Rivière-de-Nippes

  • École de musique (EM) Crescendo - Paillant

  • EM Gérard Duperville - Miragoane

  • EM Othello Bayard - Aux Cayes

Of these five programs, only the Cemuchca Annex incurred structural damage, with a portion of their building having collapsed. Based on preliminary communications, we are relieved to report that, so far, everyone associated with our programs has survived, though many have lost their homes, and certainly music programs and education will be disrupted for a significant time.

Guided by Haitian voices on our board and on the ground, we are committed to devoting our best efforts to helping our partners mitigate the impacts of these events.
Music can be a key part of responding to tragedy, bringing solace, healing, and community; helping people look to the future with optimism, purpose, and hope. 

At BLUME Haiti, our longstanding mission is to help strengthen and reinforce the music ecosystem across Haiti through direct support of musicians and music programs. We operate with transparency, honesty, and respect; we distribute funds directly to Haitian individuals and programs so that they may best decide their allocation, whether it is to feed families and students, to repair homes and buildings, or to purchase vital supplies.  

In this time of heightened concern and apprehension throughout the entire country, we hope you can help us increase our support for teachers and programs, especially those located in the areas most impacted by the earthquake and by Tropical Storm Grace.

Thank you in advance for any support you can give today to the people of Haiti in these extraordinary circumstances.

 BLUME Haiti is a member of the Haiti Response Coalition, a cross-sector platform for sharing information and organizing collaborative action for a stronger Haiti. Organizations locally and internationally are working together to understand the needs on the ground and to share accurate and useful information for those looking to offer support. Here are two in particular we would like to share with you:

  • Zanmi Lasante (Partners in Health - Haiti)
    Founded in 1987, PIH is the largest nonprofit healthcare provider in Haiti employing 5,300 local doctors, nurses and community healthcare workers to serve 4.5 million people. PIH already has teams in the affected areas of the country. Our connection to Zanmi Lasante goes back to 2011 when the Sainte Trinité summer camps were hosted in Cange, volunteers were housed in PIH dorms and some of the clinics and other facilities were used for rehearsals and gatherings.
    Click here to learn more and support PIH’s earthquake relief efforts.

  • FOKAL (Fondasyon Konesans ak Libète)
    Fokal, founded in 1995, a Haitian foundation with an exceptional track record of managing funds, offers a large spectrum of activities in the fields of education, arts and culture and development to communities throughout the country. Having experience in dealing with support in a time of natural disaster since Hurricane Matthew struck the south in 2016, FOKAL will channel funds to local grassroots organizations that are the true first responders on the ground, especially in more isolated areas. We have connections to FOKAL through their support of various music programs and through our board member, Jonathan Perodin who is employed there.
    Click here to learn more and support FOKAL’s earthquake relief efforts.

As we continue to gather information about the latest developments in Haiti, we will do our best to share this with you. Like us on Facebook, and follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter for up-to-date reports.