That picture of sorrow and movies of individuals operating in flooded, muddy streets are among the many photos despatched to the non-profit group Hands Together, which has been working in Haiti since 1986 with a Philadelphia native on the helm.
Father Tom Hagan moved to Haiti in 1997 to work full-time on serving to the folks of one of many world’s poorest nations.
“Within the space I work, the folks eat mud. That is all they’ve,” mentioned Hagan.
It is a far cry from the place he grew up.
“I grew up within the Northeast (Philadelphia) space and went to a highschool referred to as Father Choose,” he mentioned with a smile.
As he traveled to totally different areas of the U.S. to lift funds for Palms Collectively, Father Hagan was away from Haiti when the newest earthquake hit.
He is attempting to make his approach again there now with flashbacks of the 2010 earthquake, which he skilled first-hand, nonetheless in his thoughts.
“I nonetheless get up at night time typically, enthusiastic about that,” he mentioned.
This time, the earthquake broken a special space.
“Most of them had been easy dwellings that went down,” mentioned Hagan. “The issue is it’s the identical space that at all times will get hit with the hurricanes.”
It is space he is aware of nicely by his work with Palms Collectively. Hagan describes being stopped by gunmen and gangs, who terrorize folks throughout the nation, when doing one thing so simple as bringing a caravan of provides to a distant space.
Palms Collectively additionally trains and employs Haitians, oversees tasks to dig water wells and funds greater than a dozen faculties.
“We now have 15 faculties and we’re the one free faculties within the nation,” mentioned Hagan.
He typically does his work alongside Palms Collectively Government Director Douglas Campbell. The Lafayette Faculty alum did a service undertaking that impressed Hagan to create Palms Collectively many years in the past.
“I would wish to say that our roots go very deep down there (in Haiti),” mentioned Campbell.
It is the rationale Campbell and Hagan each knew that the response to the latest earthquake needed to be swift.
“After the primary earthquake (in 2010), we had been in a position to assist the folks instantly, inside minutes,” Hagan mentioned.
As the newest earthquake falls out of the nationwide headlines, Hagan desires to remind everybody that Haiti nonetheless wants assist. Many nonetheless have not recovered from the earthquake eleven years in the past.
Palms Collectively has gotten help of individuals and parishes throughout the nation, together with his hometown of Philadelphia.
“There are good, good folks in Philadelphia,” he mentioned.
Palms Collectively has been serving to the folks of Haiti recuperate from catastrophe by offering all the pieces from the fundamentals to the extras that may assist rebuild. That features what the group calls “micro-grants” of $250.
“You give the lady of the family 250 American {dollars}… she’s going to know what to do with it,” mentioned Campbell, including that the group helps folks to purchase constructing supplies for his or her houses and offers meals kits.
For the Northeast Philadelphia priest, it is his cross to bear– bringing assist to Haiti.
“The principle factor is to empower them too,” mentioned Hagan.
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