The image is taken from a poster distributed to our projects. It reads, "What is cholera? It is an infection we can catch or that we have in our intestines due to bacteria."

Due to the continued spread of cholera and violent protests in the northern cities, all normal project activities at Mission of Mercy's projects in Haiti are currently on hold to allow projects to focus on education and preventative measures.

Click here to donate to the Children's Crisis Fund. 

Cholera has been confirmed in the communities where our projects are located, but thankfully none of the children in our projects have fallen ill so far. Crowds protesting the presence of UN peacekeepers have grown increasingly violent, causing schools and roads in northern cities like Cap Haitien to close.

Temporarily refocusing project activities allows our staff and children to stay safe until tensions abate. In the meantime, each project has identified 2 or more individuals to visit families in their homes to check on the children and determine that the families understand and are following the measures to prevent cholera infections.

In lieu of regular activities, each project will become a resource center. Families will come to the project twice a week to receive soap, bleach, and rehydration treatment supplies if necessary. Community-wide hygiene classes for children and mothers will continue, with special emphasis on food preparation and proper waste disposal.

Donations to our Children's Crisis Fund have helped us provide these materials. To help us continue meeting this critical need, please consider donating to the Children's Crisis Fund.

All of our projects have water filters and will provide clean water for families who can’t access or afford clean water. Our project directors also underwent training to help identify and treat those suffering from cholera-like symptoms.

Mission of Mercy continues to monitor the situation closely. Our Medical Mercy director, Dr. David Beyda, will travel to our projects in northern Haiti at the end of next week to evaluate the health of the communities as well as the resources available to them. We have several doctors and hospitals to which we can refer patients; Dr. Beyda will evaluate their needs as well.

A Medical Mercy trip scheduled for January 2011 will continue as scheduled. Their plans and priorities may change as we learn more about the needs of our friends and partners on the ground.

As we receive more updates from the field, we will keep you posted. Thank you for your prayers for Haiti. Here are some updated prayer requests:

• Pray for safety for our children and their families as fear and anger are running high
• Pray that the body of Christ be evident in our communities as families care for one another
• Pray protection for our staff and volunteers as they visit families in the rural areas where medical treatment is not readily available
• Pray against corruption so we can keep our projects supplied with the necessary items to prevent the spread of cholera
• Pray for our staff in the Dominican Republic as they try to assist our Haitian staff with both support and supplies while monitoring their own projects and communities
• Pray that the current violence would not hinder the upcoming elections on Nov. 28th in Haiti

We are so grateful for your partnership in prayer and support. Thank you!