A late season Hurricane is heading toward Haiti. The  hurricane forecast shows hurricane Tomas just off the south coast of Haiti on Friday heading straight for the country.  We know the heartache and suffering the people of Haiti have been going through with the earthquake and now the cholera outbreak. A hurricane with its associated flooding and wind will heap more misery on the Haitian people.  We know that God is all powerful and that the wind and sea obey his commands.  So let’s pray this storm out to sea.

Terry W. Snow
National Director
Youth With a Mission-Haiti

The latest news that I have read is that Haiti is likely to avoid a direct hit, but forecasters expect heavy rain to last for days. The heavy rain could lead to deadly flooding, and people are being evacuated from some of the tent cities and moved to more solid buildings.

Let’s remember to keep Haiti in our prayers, and you can check back on this site for more news when we know it, and on the YWAM Facebook page.

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According to updates on Twitter the ambulance crashed and was damaged, but thankfully no one was hurt. Those in the back of the ambulance reported that although the ambulance flipped, the passengers reported that it “felt like they rolled on pillows”.

Although initial reports said that the ambulance flipped and rolled over, those reports were incorrect. The people in Haiti who I spoke to said that there was no indication of a roll over, and the photos below seem to confirm that.

We reported previously about the YWAM Mercy Truck Ambulance being donated to YWAM Haiti after the devastating earthquake that hit the nation in January. Since the earthquake it has been working almost non stop delivering aid and running mobile clinics for the people in Haiti. Only a few days ago we got reports that the ambulance was running strong and saving lives.

When the ambulance was delivered back in February it was reportedly the only ambulance in the nation of Haiti. We can only hope and pray now that they are able to get the ambulance repaired and running again, especially in the wake of the current Cholera outbreak and the approaching Hurricane Thomas. The Haitian mechanics who have looked at the ambulance guess that the repairs will take three weeks, if it is repairable.

We received this statement from YWAM in Haiti after I contacted them to confirm the accident:

The ambulance came a few months after the earthquake and served in Port-au-Prince until emergencies died down. It was then brought to St. Marc to be a part of the New Foundations Clinic. Before it crashed, it brought to the hospital an estimated 40 cholera-hit people that were in critical condition. It also helped volunteers reach an unknown amount of cholera-hit people that were not sick enough to need medical evac.

The post YWAM Ambulance in Haiti Crashes while Transporting Cholera Patients appeared first on YWAM News that Bill finds Interesting.

YWAM Haiti is continuing to work in the area to bring water and help to those areas worst affected by the outbreak. As you can see in the video they are treating people at the clinic as well as transporting water out to the areas that are the worst affected.

You can follow along with the latest update on one of their YouTube video channels here.

The post Haiti Cholera Outbreak–Report from YWAM Haiti appeared first on YWAM News that Bill finds Interesting.

Youth With A Mission has been active around the world over it’s 50-year history in bringing clean potable water to the nations it’s worked in.

Some of the things that Youth With A Mission is currently doing to help provide clean water are:

• Repairing damaged wells and pumps in Haiti after the earth quake
• Proving clean water along with education and health care to the Aluwawe People of the Zambezi Delta in Mozambique (here)
• Building concrete rain water collection tanks in Vanuatu where they have already built nine water tanks in the Northern villages of Efate, where I did my YWAM DTS outreach(here).
• Building and improving wells in southern Sudan (see video below)
• Running a Community Water Technology Seminar through the University of the Nations (U of N) in at least two locations in the world (here),
• Water for Life & Platypus Go-Teams out of YWAM Tasmania to help provide access to safe water through seminars, training and short term missions trips (here).
• Water for Life ministry in Kona, Hawaii as part of the University of the Nations (U of N) which currently has projects to help people develop safe and sustainable water sources in  Kiribati, Indonesia, Brazil, Kosovo and Rwanda. (here)

YWAM work continues to help provide clean water for the estimated 2 billion people around the world who are lacking adequate water supplies and sanitation.

The post YWAM Working to Provide Clean Water appeared first on YWAM News that Bill finds Interesting.

Along with the huts there is also a team of construction volunteers on the ground in Haiti to get the assembly of these houses started. The 200 shelters should be able to provide housing for about 1000 of the homeless. There are plans for more houses to be sent, but there need to be more donations and volunteers for that to happen.

YWAM Haiti is in the planning stages for putting together a temporary tent city to house the many homeless that they are registering in St. Marcs. Most of these people are refugees from Port Au Prince who have moved to St. Marcs after loosing everything in the earthquake. The plan for the tent city is to not only provide food and shelter, but also to provide education and training for the people there to help in the rebuilding of the nation of Haiti.

Here is a short video of what they are hoping to achieve with the hoop homes, including future uses for the shelters once more permanent accommodation is found for the thousands of homeless in Haiti.

You can read a report from the construction crew that just arrive in Haiti here, and find out how to volunteer and donate to the project here.

The post Hoop Homes Are Arriving and Going Up in Haiti appeared first on YWAM News that Bill finds Interesting.

The homes are 15 x 18 feet, with two rooms, one door, two windows, two skylights and a guttering system to collect rain water. The homes only cost about $2000 USD each and Gulf Coast is gearing up to produce more of the homes to meet the current need in Haiti for housing.

If you check out the YWAM Haiti website (www.ywamhaiti.org) the video describes how YWAM is in the process of planning and building tent cities to accommodate the refugees who no longer have homes. It’ll be interesting to see how they fit these new kit homes into the plan.

The best way I have to describe the home is akin to an oversized backyard metal shed. I’ve seen many sheds in Australia converted to offices, retreats and bed-rooms, so it looks to me like a similar conversion. I know that the sheds in Australia can be built to withstand cyclone force winds, so I reckon they have done the same thing with these relief homes.

You can read more about the Gulfcoast Relief Homes here.

The post 30 Kit Homes Shipped to YWAM for use in Haiti appeared first on YWAM News that Bill finds Interesting.

On February 12th the 28 foot ambulance arrived in Haiti, packed with medical and other much needed equipment.

YWAM has been working feverishly in Haiti to provide as much support as needed to the hurting people in that nation. Here are just a few of the things that they have been involved in:

• The above mentioned ambulance
• Registering the refugees who arrive in St. Marc from Port au Prince
• Providing 200 tents for temporary accommodation for refugees
• Renovating an old condemned  hospital so that it can again be used
• YWAM Medical teams working in front of the old capital building in Port au Prince

Many YWAM teams from around the world have joined the staff already in YWAM Haiti to help serve the people there. There is plenty of opportunity for individuals or teams to go to Haiti to help, and of course donations of finances, medical supplies and other needed equipment are very welcome.

You can find out more about YWAM Haiti and how to help here.

The post Mercy Trucks Sends Ambulance to YWAM in Haiti appeared first on YWAM News that Bill finds Interesting.

Esbenshade’s Garden Centre & Greenhouses is putting together accommodation for over 1000 homeless Haitians that will be shipped to Haiti in the coming weeks. YWAM in Haiti will be receiving and assisting with the construction of the huts when they arrive in Haiti. The huts are 14″ x 16″ and cost about $300 each, plus the cost to transport them to Haiti.

You can read more about the emergency huts, and how they will be distributed in Haiti here.

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