2573 Haiti
austraLasia #2573
 

Haiti - Help!

ROME: 14th January 2010 -- General news services and regular updates from ANS as soon as 'inside' news has come available, has kept confreres as up-to-date as is possible on the general and Salesian front, but Fr Klement, as Missions Councillor, has asked every possible agency, including austraLasia, to ensure that information gets through and possibilities for helping - and even more importantly, ways of doing so, are broadcast.  In the US, which is running the relief effort on behalf of the Salesian Society worldwide, the Salesian relief effort has been given place in the 'first five' of such efforts by Catholic Aid Agencies in the country, an acknowledgement of the worldwide resources that we can bring to bear on the situation.
    And these resources are pouring in.  One Province in the region (the geographical region in which Haiti is located) has already donated a substantial five figure sum, just to give an indicator.
    What is the current situation amidst a set of circumstances where hard fact flow is very, very difficult? (every means is being used including contacts via nearby Santo Domingo, FaceBook, voicemail....).  We know that 85 year old Bro Hubert Sanon died and that the Rector of the same institute at Enam was seriously injured.  A third Salesian, initially presumed dead or seriosuly injured, was eventually extracted from the collapsed building.  But some 200 youngsters were in the building also and many of these are feared dead.  Keep following ANS to pick up whatever news we can find on that situation.  ANS has also reported that two young Salesians were at the University at the time and had not been located.  As news comes through about them, you will find it in ANS.
    The Salesians began in Haiti in 1936 and just ten years later, Bro Hubert Sanon was the first professed Haitian Salesian Brother. Since then Salesian work in Haiti has developed under the difficult circumstances of that country and runs some of its finest educational and social work institutions. There are also Haitian Salesians abroad either studying or in at least one case as a missionary (Fr Jacky Doyen in Istanbul). Spare a thought for these men who, if even the best of Salesian resources and efforts are struggling to get accurate news, are understandably under enormous emotional pressure without knowing what has become of family and friends.
    The coordinated effort of Salesian Mission and development Offices worldwide is focused on New Rochelle.  Hans Jurgen-Doerrich from Bonn is there to help Fr Mark Hyde and his team with the Salesian Missions Emergency Relief Team.
    A special bank account has been set up for wire transfers:
    Citibank
    Don Bosco Relief
    Account Number: 9959015692
    Swift: CITIUS33
    ABA number: 021000089

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 AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific.  It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome.  For queries please contact admin@bosconet.aust.com . Use Bosconet-wiki to be interactive. RSS feeds - just go to Bosconet, click on austraLasia 2009 in the sidebar. You will see the RSS orange icon in your browser address bar - add it from there.  Or be interactive with the EAO blog Cetera Tolle. Avail yourself of the Salesian Digital Library at http://sdl.sdb.org


Title: australasia 2573
Subject and key words:
Date (year): 2009
ID: 2000-2099|2573