Where your Haiti relief dollars go: A report from the JDC, our partner in Haiti

It is hard to believe that more than three weeks have passed since Haiti was devastated by what is now being called the worst natural disaster of the century. For those fortunate enough to survive, the catastrophe is still unfolding. More than one million people are homeless. Water is scarce; medical teams and supplies are in short supply.
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Here is the latest news on the Joint Distribution Committee's (JDC) ongoing relief efforts:

JDC has embarked on a partnership with local Haitian NGO ProDev Foundation to place 115 water tanks in Port-au-Prince that will provide clean drinking water to hundreds of thousands of quake victims living in tent villages. JDC is also funding several water supply projects through the International Rescue Committee to provide sources of clean, potable water in Port-au-Prince and the surrounding community.

To view a full summary of JDC’s current relief efforts in Haiti, visit the Crisis Response page of our global website and view a photo slideshow of our work in Port-au-Prince.

To donate to Haiti relief through UJA of Hamilton, click here.

Israel Experience Scholarships Available

Financial support is available to Hamilton/Burlington/Oakville area students intending to participate in extended programs in Israel in 2010. The Ralph Travis Israel Experience Scholarship Fund was created to honor the life, generosity and memory of Ralph Travis; a community member who was truly devoted to Israel and to strengthening Jewish identity in our community’s children.

The scholarship is awarded as an entitlement to Jewish students from the Hamilton/Burlington/Oakville area, sixteen years or older, enrolling in recognized Israel Experience programs. Applications for other education programs in Israel may be considered on an individual basis.

The scholarship may have a value of up to $500 per student, depending on the number of applications and availability of funds. Participating families are expected to be in good standing with United Jewish Appeal.

For information regarding recognized Israel Experience Programs, please go to www.canadaisraelexperience.com.

Applications available at 905-648-0605,ext 306 or can be downloaded here. Application deadline for summer 2010 programs is April 30th.

A Community's Response to the Crisis in Haiti

The Canadian Jewish community is playing an important role in Haiti relief efforts. Our people have a long history of aiding those in need and this situation is no different. Every single one of our Canadian federations and regional communities have been actively supporting this cause. To date, Canadian Jewish Federations have collected over $900,000 and that amount keeps growing steadily.

The funds collected are being chanelled to several international partners who are active on the ground in Haiti. In particular, IsraAID and the JDC, international organizations with whom we work on an ongoing basis, are playing a very active and instrumental role in the relief effort.

If you have already contributed, thank you. If you have yet to make your contribution, we encourage you to consider helping out, in any way that feels right for you. The need for help will endure longer than the immediacy of the event itself. Please click here to make a secure contribution on-line.

May we continue to serve a a light unto the nations.

Haiti Earthquake Update

This report comes to you from the Joint Distribution Committee, one of the two organizations providing relief in Haiti with your UJA dollars


Millions of lives—and the future of a nation—are still in jeopardy.

One week after a catastrophic earthquake struck Haiti, global relief efforts are battling the clock and multiple aftershocks to meet the vast humanitarian needs of the Haitian people. The good news is that JDC and its partners on the ground are reaching victims every hour with critical medical, nutritional, and material relief.

Supporters of JDC are directly responsible for this progress to date:

As of January 20, JDC has received more than 8,000 individual gifts—exceeding $1.5 million—for Haiti relief. An additional $2 million has been raised for JDC Haiti relief by the Jewish Federations of North America.

Within days of the disaster, JDC-supported relief agency Heart to Heart International and its team of doctors and nurses were on the ground providing critical medical aid first in Port-au-Prince and later in Leogane, an isolated town where little other assistance has reached.

The Medical Corps of the Israel Defense Forces, another JDC partner, is operating a field hospital in Port-au-Prince that is saving lives and administering vital medical care. JDC helped equip the hospital with high-demand orthopedic devices and infant incubators for its neonatal unit. This effort has been widely reported in the news, including on CNN, FoxNews, and Israel's Channel 2

Working in collaboration with the Afya Foundation, JDC sent a container of mattresses and much-needed medical supplies to Zanmi Lasante/Partners in Health, a renowned local NGO. A second container is being shipped on Friday and a third will follow.

JDC's work and impact will be felt long after images of the devastation disappear from the news. As with the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, JDC will reserve a large portion of funds raised for Haiti relief for intermediate and long-term rebuilding and reconstruction programs. The goal is to effect sustainable improvements in health, education, and employment throughout the island nation.

Israeli IDF Hospital in Haiti

CBS TV features an Israeli IDF Field Hospital in Haiti which they call the "Rolls Royce" of Medicine in Haiti.

Hamilton Jewish Community opens its heart to Haiti

Thanks to our community's generosity, UJA has now raised over $5000 towards disaster relief in Haiti!

Donations to United Jewish Appeal's Haiti Disaster Relief Fund can be made by clicking on this link or by calling 905-648-0605, ext 306.

100% of the funds raised by UJA Federation of Hamilton are being directed to the Joint Distribution Committee and IsraAid. Donations to United Jewish Appeal's Haiti Disaster Relief Fund are eligible to be matched by the Canadian government. Matching dollars will be allocated to Canada's Haiti Earthquake Relief Fun.

UJA Federation opens Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund

On Tuesday, January 12, a powerful earthquake battered the Caribbean nation of Haiti, devastating the capital city of Port-au-Prince. Thousands are feared dead from the immediate impact, with thousands more injured and an estimated 3 million Haitians may face hardship in the aftermath.

As the poorest country in the Western hemisphere, Haiti is simply not prepared to handle such a catastrophe and the Caribbean nation is appealing for international aid.

HOW YOU CAN HELP: In response to the devastating earthquake in Haiti, UJA Federation of Hamilton has opened a Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund to aid the people in Haiti who are in desperate need. To donate please click here.