As children and adults exit the gates at at Quisqueya Chapel-Convoy of Hope's main food distribution point in Port-au-Prince-joy and adulation seem to erupt within them in the form of wide smiles.
"Merci, merci," says one boy as he runs down a rutted road holding two bags of Feed My Starving Children food-which Convoy of Hope distributes-over his head. "Merci."
In only one week Convoy of Hope has distributed more than 294,296 meals and installed 30 water purification units. At least 1 million pounds of food and relief supplies are also in the pipeline for delivery.
Please help us continue to feed victims.
"Our relief workers in Port-au-Prince are working tirelessly, and at great risk to themselves, to bring real help to the victims of this disaster," says Hal Donaldson, president of Convoy of Hope. "Our leaders on the ground are saying that security, fuel shortages, and a scarcity of food and water remain critical concerns."
Convoy of Hope and its partners have made a long-term commitment to Haiti.
"As we demonstrated with Katrina, the 2004 tsunami, and other disasters, we don't leave an area once the cameras disappear," said Donaldson. "We'll continue to focus on the relief and recovery effort as long as resources allow. Of course, our ongoing program of feeding 11,000 kids each day will remain a priority."
Kary Kingsland, vice president of Disaster Relief for Convoy of Hope, said the organization is increasing its fleet of vehicles and personnel on the ground to increase capacity.
Expenses are mounting, please help us increase our response.
"Having worked through many disasters, our team understands the importance of establishing supply lines and methods of transportation," he said. "Each disaster is different, but with the magnitude of destruction and devastation in Haiti, Convoy of Hope will be in the country for a long time."
That's good news for the people Convoy of Hope aims to help in the coming days, weeks and months. One Haitian man who now lives on the street with his wife and children after the earthquake destroyed their house, could be speaking for millions of Haitians, "I'm alive and we're still on the earth," he said. "So, we'll do what we can to survive."
Convoy of Hope will continue to do what it can to help the man, his family and countless others in Haiti not only to survive, but to start rebuilding. A couple bags of food and clean water is an excellent place to start doing that ... Just as the little boy who couldn't stop smiling and saying, "Merci," affirms.