5 minute read
Going the Distance
By Scott Harrup
Convoy of Hope receives expressions of thanks from around the world. Rita Davenport’s email came with a copy of her mother’s obituary after Wilona Henry, 87, passed away from complications of COVID-19.
“Our windows came in today,” Rita wrote. “Mom would have been so excited to know they are now in.”
When Rita and Wilona’s home in Lake Charles, Louisiana, was devastated by Hurricanes Laura and Delta last August and October, Convoy of Hope responded, addressing short- and long-term community needs following both disasters.
Hurricane Laura had barely died down when Convoy of Hope's Disaster Services sent multiple vehicles to quickly create a distribution site at Glad Tidings Church in Lake Charles. By early September, the team had delivered more than 1.6 million pounds of disaster relief supplies to 19,000 families in 16 cities.
“When the storm was setting its bullseye on Lake Charles,” said Glad Tidings Pastor Paul Burke, “I didn’t even have to reach out to Convoy of Hope. Directors at Convoy of Hope were already reaching out to me. I can’t say thank you enough.”
Convoy’s immediate response was just the first step. By November, with Lake Charles and other communities forging ahead after both hurricanes, Convoy worked with The Home Depot Foundation to provide materials to repair devastated homes. Local contractors reduced their fees to assist. Volunteers from Christian Aid Ministries and the Fuller Center Disaster Rebuild Group provided labor.
Eventually, Rita and Wilona’s home joined more than 40 other homes (with additional projects still in transition at press time) that received some level of repair. This could include new roofs, windows, or other structural components. Major electrical appliances were also given to some families because post-hurricane power surges were destructive.
Lake Charles joins communities worldwide that have experienced Convoy of Hope’s rapid response and long-term presence. Some of those responses have helped expand existing Convoy initiatives or even become a factor in establishing new ones.
Within 48 hours of Haiti’s catastrophic earthquake in January 2010, Convoy of Hope team members were on the ground evaluating the situation. Convoy already had a feeding plan in place for 13,000 Haitian school children. By maximizing existing resources and warehouse space and rallying faithful partners, Convoy made Haiti the staging ground for dramatically growing its recently established Children’s Feeding program.
In time, an important key to that growth came from a new initiative— training Haitian farmers to radically increase their yields through modern agronomy strategies.
In 2020, that dual approach to combatting food insecurity translated into more than 387,000 children around the world being fed every school day and 15,351 participants being trained in agriculture. Convoy of Hope's rapid response to Haiti’s crisis 11 years ago continues to find expression in its Children’s Feeding and Agriculture programs.
Similarly, Convoy of Hope hit the ground strategically in Ethiopia in 2010 to offer marginalized women an opportunity to attain financial security. Today, the Women’s Empowerment program is helping thousands of women and girls around the world (see page 4). Many women in the program are now successful owners of their own local businesses.
Whether a crisis is personal or communal—the crippling impact of poverty or the devastation of a natural disaster—Convoy of Hope’s short- and long-term intervention means lives are being changed for the better.
“We provide hope,” says Gwen Johnson, Partner Services director for Convoy of Hope Disaster Services. “And we never discount even small acts—every little thing helps people on their path to recovery.”
2020 Hurricane Laura Response Timeline
August 26 Disaster Services response team leaves Convoy of Hope after tracking Hurricane Laura. August 27 Laura makes landfall in Louisiana. August 27 Response team arrives in Lake Charles. August 27 & 28 Distribution site and temporary warehouse are set up. August 29 More supply trucks arrive at hub. Distribution begins at hub and team members serve affected neighborhoods. August 31 Help 4,700 people; commit 20 truckloads to response.
Out of the Rubble
Convoy of Hope has helped children and farmers in Haiti not only recover from the devastation of 2010’s earthquake, but also thrive.
Jacques lived at a Port-au-Prince orphanage throughout his childhood. When he was interviewed by a Convoy of Hope reporter at age 16, he was ecstatic. “Because of Convoy of Hope, I have two meals a day,” he said. “Sometimes I even have three!” Jacques planned to study engineering, explaining that such a role would one day enable him to care for his own family. “I want to build something I can pass on.” A worthy goal in a nation where the quake and aftershocks collapsed or damaged 250,000 residences and 30,000 commercial buildings.
Rosena had been a subsistence farmer with her family until she started farming with Convoy of Hope. After completing training in the Agriculture program, she began to reap abundant, disease-free crops. “This has changed my life,” she told Convoy. “I can feed my kids and sell the extra harvest to buy them what they need.”
Building a Movement
Thanks in large part to the skills she learned through Convoy of Hope's Women's Empowerment program, Betelhem started a laundry business in 2018. Now, she’s generating enough income to care for her six children and disabled sister, invest in her company, and save.
Convoy is helping mothers around the world provide for themselves and their families—affording them increased opportunities to celebrate life’s precious milestones with the dignity every person deserves.
September 2 Deliver 1.1 million pounds of disaster relief supplies in total; help 26,690 people. September 4 Distribute 1.3 million pounds of supplies in total; serve 37,680 people; 191 volunteers assist. October 20 Distribute 2.5 million pounds in total; serve 132,562 individuals. November 1 In partnership with The Home Depot Foundation, long-term recovery projects commence. May 2021 Convoy of Hope recovery projects continue in Lake Charles.
