A request for humanitarian relief to Haiti

My name is Hugues Balde and I am the pastor of the Haitian Church in Tallahassee located at 1920 South Monroe Street.

I am also a city employee who has been working as an electrical engineer III for the past seven years. You are probably aware of the humanitarian efforts being made by different sectors to help the Haitian people in need after the 7.2 magnitude earthquake devastated the southern region of Haiti, followed by a category 5 hurricane a week later. 

After assessing the extent of the damage in the southern region of Haiti that has been affected by the earthquake, I took the initiative of reaching out to people in Tallahassee, including other pastors, to see how we could make a difference in people’s lives in Haiti. The Tallahassee Democrat newspaper was a great help by covering the disaster in Haiti on its front page; because of that, we have started collecting donations from people in the community to help Haiti. 

The situation in Haiti is extremely difficult for the people there. What they need the most right now is shelter. People are still living under trees and outdoors in the affected southern region in Haiti. We came up with a more sustainable plan that could make a difference in people’s lives in Haiti. 

Our plan is to construct a two-room studio per family affected by the quake. A civil engineer member of the church, who is familiar with Haiti’s construction standards, has already designed the plan for the project. These two-room studios will constitute a great help for the people of Haiti. The average cost for the two-room studios is estimated at $9,755.00, including labor.

I am extending the opportunity to you, or anyone you could recommend, to join us in this Good Samaritan cause. We cannot certainly say how many families we can help get back on their feet; this determination will depend on the amount of money collected. We keep records of anyone who donates for the successful completion of this project, and we promise to publish in the same newspaper evidence before and after we start the project.

I am also in contact with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean (ROLAC) to coordinate our efforts even if we could work independently. 

To donate, you can write a check to Eglise Bateau de L’Evangile, which can be mailed to P.O. Box 10137, Tallahassee Fla. 32302.

Best regards,

Hugues Balde

B.E.E.E, M.S.E.E, Pastor

Hugues.Balde@talgov.com; 917-698-2128