Floresta Seeks $220,000 to Restore Haitian Farms Ruined by Storms
September 19, 2008
- Aid targeted at preventing further devastation with careful planting
- First $56,000 in donations to be matched by anonymous donor
SAN DIEGO – In an effort to break Haiti’s cycle of hurricane disaster by focusing on reforestation, the San Diego-based global charity Floresta has put out a call for immediate aid to farmers who face utter devastation from several recent storms.
Floresta has planted nearly 250,000 trees in Haiti over the past 10 years, helping thousands of the world’s poorest people stop the erosion and deforestation that is a leading cause of poverty. “When storms strike the United States, we can turn to government aid. But Haitians get virtually no help, relying on the kindness of strangers,” explained Doug Satre, director of outreach at Floresta, an organization that has worked at the intersection of poverty and the environment since 1984. The charity serves thousands of villagers in six countries. “The increasingly violent weather patterns worldwide will put even more people at risk of losing their farms and their lives because hillsides stripped of trees can rapidly turn into massive mudslides. But catastrophic flooding is preventable with proper planting and agricultural training,” he explained.
Funds collected in the next several weeks will be used by Floresta to help Haitian farmers buy seeds to replant their fields in addition to replacing animals and farm equipment lost to flooding. “We need $220,000 to rebuild farms and homes while helping people to better prepare for the next, inevitable storm. Many of the world’s poorest nations need to adapt to climate changes by planting living barriers that match the topography. Farmers can stop erosion while growing fruit trees and crops to feed their families at the same time they restore the land,” Satre added.
An anonymous donor will match the first $56,000 in donations. Those wanting to contribute can give though Floresta’s website at www.floresta.org or call Floresta’s San Diego office at 1-800-633-5319.
About Floresta
An international Christian charity that works in areas where poverty is caused by deforestation, Floresta restores the environment and empowers the poor. For 24 years, Floresta has provided solutions to meet the complex economic, environmental and spiritual needs of impoverished farmers in developing countries by planting 3.8 million trees, revitalizing thousands of small farms, and making over 3,500 small business loans.
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