On January 12, 2010, a massive earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale struck Haiti with its epicenter at the most populated capital city of Port-au-Prince. The earthquake left a trail of devastation killing about 250,000 people and rendering about 1.5 million homeless. The Sathya Sai Organization has one Sathya Sai Center in Port-au-Prince. The home of one of the Sathya Sai devotees was intact and was used as a shelter and base of operations by the Sathya Sai International Organization to render help. Neighboring Haiti is Dominican Republic which also has several Sathya Sai centers. The capital city of Dominican Republic is Santo Domingo. The two countries share the island and have a common border.
Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba in His infinite Compassion and Grace immediately gave His Blessings to help our brothers and sisters in Haiti. Relief efforts by the Sri Sathya Sai International Organization began promptly. An emergency aid committee was formed and planning for relief teams began. The committee commenced working with members from the Sathya Sai Organization of the Dominican Republic and Haiti to enable swift delivery of compassionate and loving care to the victims. With Bhagawan’s Grace and hard work by the devotees of Santo Domingo, Latin America and U.S.A and Canada, relief work began promptly. The devotees from Latin American countries arranged for the procurement and transportation of food and water for the volunteers, the Sathya Sai devotees in Haiti and for other victims.
By January 19, preliminary assessment was done and Narayana Seva began with service to over 500 people. Sathya Sai devotees from Puerto Rico, Venezuela and Santo Domingo then served 1,100 meals and water to patients at a nearby hospital. On January 26 2010, two teams of doctors and volunteers from South America and Central America arrived in Santo Domingo and traveled to Port-au-Prince to set up medical camps. On January 29 2010, a third team of doctors and volunteers from U.S.A. and Canada met the other two teams at the medical camp. The three teams commenced the effective delivery of Sathya Sai Ideal Healthcare and served about 3,500 patients in the first week. In addition, these teams assessed the local needs and available resources to plan future trips.
A third team of doctors and volunteers from U.S.A. and Canada under the leadership of Dr. Hari Conjeevaram then met the other two teams at the medical camp. The joint efforts of all three teams ensured the effective delivery of Sathya Sai Ideal Healthcare. In addition, these teams undertook the task of assessing the local needs and available resources to plan future trips.
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