149. Disaster Relief Fund

149

Disaster Relief Fund

25 January 2010

The National Spiritual Assembly
of the Bahá’ís of Haiti

Dear Bahá’í Friends,

149.1 The Universal House of Justice was greatly pleased to receive your email letters dated 16 and 23 January 2010 expressing appreciation for its prayers and for the relief supplies Counsellors Ehsanollah Hemmat and Rodrigo Tomás arranged to have delivered to you on behalf of the Bahá’í World Centre. The loving and effective measures your National Spiritual Assembly is taking to relieve the sufferings of the people of Haiti augurs well for meeting the difficult and complex challenges ahead. While all the matters you have raised in your letters will soon be addressed, we have been asked to convey the following in response to the guidance you requested regarding further relief aid.

149.2 In order to establish new ways in which the Bahá’í community might assist countries that have experienced major natural disasters, the House of Justice has requested the Bahá’í International Community, United Nations Office, to develop a framework in which assistance, both immediate and longer-term, could be provided to such nations. In light of the enormous challenges now confronting Haiti as a result of the devastating earthquake, the first initiative in this direction will focus on your country. The Office has been asked to immediately contact your Assembly and Messrs. Hemmat and Tomás to create and set in motion a plan of action that would involve the Bahá’ís of Haiti as well as help from outside. Critical to this effort will be the identification and mobilization of believers with the requisite skills and experiences who could offer volunteer services.

149.3 Further, a Disaster Relief Fund has been established at the Bahá’í World Centre to which institutions and individuals may contribute and from which financial contributions to your nation will be channelled as part of an overall strategy. If you receive further enquiries regarding donations to the relief effort, you should indicate that they should be forwarded to the World Centre, earmarked as “Relief for Haiti”.

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149.4 Kindly assure the believers in Haiti that the House of Justice will be offering ardent prayers in the Holy Shrines that all efforts to reconstruct your dearly loved country will be crowned with Bahá’u’lláh’s unfailing assistance.

With loving Bahá’í greetings,

Department of the Secretariat