CANADA CENTRAL DISTRICT

NCMC HAITI EARTHQUAKE RELIEF DONATIONS: MATCHING FUNDS

Feb-12-2010 Update from Church of the Nazarene Canada:

Below is an explanation of how Haiti Earthquake Relief donations are being matched by the Government of Canada. This information is important for anyone who is considering making a donation to help Haiti during this time of recovery, or for anyone who has already made a donation through Nazarene Compassionate Ministries Canada (NCMC).

1) How can a person wanting to make a donation to NCMC's Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund ensure that their donation will be matched by the government?

The Government of Canada will match ALL Haiti Earthquake Relief donations that are made by private individuals and churches through ANY registered Canadian charity.

2) How will the Government of Canada actually match these donations?

First, NCMC will declare to the government how much money they have received for Haiti Earthquake Relief.

The government will then match these declared donations by putting government money into their own Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund.

Since the government's Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund will be equivalent to the money which has been raised by those private, declared donations, all donor money will thus be matched.

**Please note that NCMC's declaration of funds will not include the donations which are designated for Canadian Foodgrains Bank (CFGB). Those funds will already be matched 4:1 through CFGB.**

3) What will happen to the money that the government has put in their Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund?

In order for a charity to access money in the government's Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund for use in their own programming, a Canadian charity is required to submit a proposal between 20 and 40 pages in length to the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). CIDA will go through the process of reviewing all of these proposals, and then they will select some of the charities to receive a portion of the money in the government's Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund.

Therefore, a Canadian charity who submits a proposal may or may not be selected to receive a portion of the money, and therefore, may or may not have use of those matched funds. However, each donor's contribution has still been matched. It's just a question of how those specific funds will ultimately be used.

NCMC has been suggesting to Nazarene donors and churches that they designate their donations for "CFGB" so that their donation will be matched 4:1 by CIDA. We are asking that this money be sent to the National Office. The money is transferred from the National Office to the Canadian Foodgrains Bank as it is needed for projects. The 4:1 matching occurs at the time of the programming of the funds.

NCMC is also in need of "undesignated" funds to help with the cost of shipping and clearing of containers, as well as other projects in Haiti. For example, NCMC has been offered the use of generators, which are greatly needed in Haiti at this time. NCMC also may have access to a block-making machine that builds the blocks which are required for making earthquake-proof buildings. It takes funds to ship and transport these important items to where they are needed. Additionally, NCMC has been asked to help fund other smaller projects, and to assist with the training and capacity development of the Haitian National Staff to help them manage all of these projects.

If you would like to make a donation, please make your cheque payable to "Church of the Nazarene Canada", designate it as "Haiti Earthquake Relief" and mail it to the following address:

Church of the Nazarene Canada
20 Regan Rd., Unit #9
Brampton, ON L7A 1C3

You can also call the National Office at 1-888-808-7490, or donate at www.ncmc.ca.

UPDATE ON DAMAGE AND LOSS OF LIFE AFTER HAITIAN EARTHQUAKE

Jan-29-2010 Update from Church of the Nazarene Canada:

To date, about $140,000 has been given by Canadian Nazarenes. Much of that has been designated for "Canadian Foodgrains Bank" (CFGB), with more funds arriving daily at the National Office. Goods are also pouring into the Compassionate Resource Warehouse in Victoria. Thank you for your very generous response!

Some of the initial donations have already been committed to an immediate relief project through Canadian Churches in Action (CCA). CCA is a partnership of several Canadian churches and church agencies, including NCM Canada, involved in non-food disaster response in Haiti. CCA is in the process of submitting a proposal to the Canadian government to receive matching funds for this project.

Additionally, NCM Canada, along with at least seven other CFGB members, is planning a joint CFGB response in Haiti. CFGB has sent two staff members to Haiti to assess the food situation and make the initial connections with partners on the ground including NCM Haiti. Details of both these initiatives will follow as plans unfold.

Dell Marie Wergeland is the contact for shipment of goods to the Compassionate Resource Warehouse. Please contact her directly at werge@telus.net.

Regarding Work and Witness Teams

NCM Caribbean shares the following message in response to this query:

"We are grateful for your availability and willingness to help. We are continuing the process of assessing the specific needs and how the Church of the Nazarene in Haiti can best respond to this tragedy. We expect that the immediate search and recovery efforts will take awhile before we can begin to work on longer term recovery efforts. If you are interested in being notified when response teams are needed, please email ncm@caribnaz.org. We've had many people email and call about the need for immediate response teams after the recent earthquake in Haiti."

Please continue to pray for the people of Haiti as rescue and recovery efforts continue in the country following the devastating earthquake on January 12th. Below is an initial listing from the Caribbean Regional Communications Office of specific issues that you can lift to the Lord as you remember Haiti in your prayers.

We know that as many as 3 million people have been affected, and it is suspected that thousands have died. Haiti is home to approximately 120,000 Nazarenes, and it is through these wonderful people that the message of hope and salvation has been given to Haitians all across the land.

In the South Central District, the superintendent reports that 17 churches are down and that many pastors' homes have been destroyed.

In the Central District, the Church of the Nazarene in Boutin is reported to be down. The Tabarre Church reports that 8 people have been injured and many of their members have lost their homes.

The Nazarene Church of Bel-Air has many of their members missing. There is still no report on the total number of people that have died, but three people have been confirmed as dead.

The Nazarene Church of Lastic knows of one of their members who is still missing. All they know is that her house is down and they have not been able to find her.

The Petion-ville Church of the Nazarene reported that their church has lost members and that 75% of the members have lost their homes.

People are now sleeping outside of their houses because they are scared that their houses may collapse on them. After the first earthquake there was a damaged house that later collapsed and killed six people on Delmas Road.

Food is becoming scarce and water is hard to get. Diesel is also running out.

Dr. J.K. Warwick, General Superintendent, writes,
"We have a responsibility to respond to this crisis with tangible gifts of love and support. First, you can pray. Pray for the Haitians who have experienced this disaster and for all the emergency responders. Pray that order will be maintained so that relief efforts can proceed and pray for wisdom for all those who are implementing rescue operations. Second, you can give financially. If you can give a gift of any size, please prayerfully consider doing so. You can make contributions to Nazarene Compassionate Ministries."

In Canada, donations for Haiti are being accepted at the National Office. Please make your cheque payable to "Church of the Nazarene Canada", designate it as "Haiti Earthquake Relief", and mail it to:

Church of the Nazarene Canada
20 Regan Rd., Unit #9
Brampton, Ontario
L7A 1C3

You can also call the National Office at 1-888-808-7490, or donate at www.ncmc.ca.

Update on Matching Funds
Canadian Nazarene donations will be matched by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) through Canadian Foodgrains Bank (CFGB). It is a 4:1 match, which exceeds the 1:1 match currently being offered by CIDA. Therefore, NCM Canada will support relief and rehabilitation projects through CFGB. A conference call was held this week to begin coordination on a joint CFGB response in Haiti. Pray for our partners in Haiti who are still tirelessly digging up bodies, looking for the missing and burying the dead.

NCM Response in Haiti
Right now, the focus of the work of the Nazarene church in Haiti is on medical response in partnership with Heart to Heart International (HHI). Due to security reasons, the church cannot do mass scale of food/relief distribution. We need the help of the military for crowd control. Even transporting goods from the airport to the seminary or local churches would be risky for our people. The seaport is still down and unusable, but food distribution is part of the plan, as is trauma counselling. Our leaders are currently on the ground, assessing the situation and seeking military support.

Local church leaders are very much involved in doing what they can to help. There are approximately 350 people in the Nazarene seminary right now, as well teams from HHI and other organizations. The perimeter wall of the seminary collapsed due to the earthquake, so even the campus is at risk for looting. Therefore it is a priority to rebuild the wall to make the campus safer, as it is being used as a staging area for food/relief and other responses. The challenge is where to get these materials.

A team of NCM personnel are now in Haiti to help coordinate the NCM response and to further support our Nazarene brothers and sisters who are ministering to their people.

Some Nazarenes are asking about Work and Witness and other teams needed for Haiti. NCM Caribbean shares the following message in response to this query:

"We are grateful for your availability and willingness to help. We are continuing the process of assessing the specific needs and how the Church of the Nazarene in Haiti can best respond to this tragedy. We expect that the immediate search and recovery efforts will take awhile before we can begin to work on longer term recovery efforts.

If you are interested in being notified when response teams are needed, please email ncm@caribnaz.org. We've had many people email and call about the need for immediate response teams after the recent earthquake in Haiti."

In the next few months our seminary in Haiti and other locations will become staging grounds for scores of Work & Witness teams to build churches and homes and to repair the Nazarene Seminary in Haiti. More information will be available at www.nazarene.org and through your local church as details are worked out and logistics are put in place.