Archbishop Dolan Advises U.S. Bishops on CRS Activities in Haiti
“I want to let you know how your support is being used and to respond to some concerns you may have heard about CRS’ operations in Haiti,” Archbishop Dolan said. “Having visited Haiti and often receiving frequent reports from our people on the scene, I can assure you that we can all be extremely proud of the work our agency is doing.”
In the months since the earthquake, CRS has accomplished a great deal. It has fed more than 880,000 people, while continuing to operate feeding programs that were in place before the earthquake that regularly benefited 10,000 vulnerable children through orphanages and child-care centers. School feeding programs are benefitting more than 24,000 students in over 100 schools.
At the St. Francis de Sales hospital that CRS helped to reopen and continues to support, surgeons brought in by CRS have performed more than 800 emergency surgeries and about 60,000 outpatient consultations. CRS has installed hundreds of latrines and hand-washing stations, drainage, potable water tanks, and inflatable water bladders in 10 sites in and around Port-au-Prince.
It has established child-friendly spaces for unaccompanied children in two of the largest and densely crowded camps, serving nearly 2,000 children, and provided more than 5,000 families with vouchers that allow them to choose the types of seeds and fertilizers they want – an approach that also benefits local seed supplies and stimulates local markets.
“These accomplishments would be remarkable under normal circumstances as part of an on-going program,” the Archbishop continued. “To me, the fact that they have been done under most difficult circumstances by staff, most of whom were directly hurt by the earthquake, is remarkable.”
Archbishop Dolan also spoke of the news accounts, many unfortunate and unfairly criticizing the most active aid agencies, including CRS, for not quickly spending the majority of the donations they have received for Haiti earthquake relief.
“We take scrupulous care that all donated funds are used in the most responsible and accountable way possible, both for immediate relief and long-term development,” he said. “We must always balance good stewardship with the desire to respond as quickly as possible.
“CRS responded with remarkable speed to the initial crisis,” he continued. “Since the emergency began in January, we have spent, distributed or made available over $19 million of supplies, personnel and assistance. But we are also carefully planning how it will use a significant portion of donated funds for long-term redevelopment. CRS has a five-year strategy that will involve comprehensive programs focusing on the areas of Port-au-Prince, the southern peninsula including the towns of Jacmel, Leogane, and the northern border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic.”
All of this is being done with nearly all of the funding received from generous people across the United States.
The Archbishop pointed out the longstanding CRS policy that, aside from a small percentage to cover administrative costs – only five percent per year – “all money collected for a specific emergency, such as the Haiti earthquake, must be used for that purpose.”
The Archbishop also made sure to note that an accounting of all donations received from the U.S. dioceses in support of the CRS relief and recover efforts to the Haiti earthquake would be shortly provided.
“This report will include both the Special Collection for Haiti Earthquake Relief Efforts and all other support from individuals and organizations within your diocese,” Archbishop Dolan said.
He also offered the opportunity for any of his fellow bishops to visit the country to see for themselves the work that CRS has been doing.
