January 12
4h53 pm: an earthquake of magnitude 7.3 strikes Port-au-Prince, capital of Haiti, and other cities and boroughs. A few hours after the main tremor, it is estimated that the seism provoked more than 50,000 deaths and hundreds of thousands of injured.
January 13
First news from the YMCA of Haiti: the Secretary-General and his family are healthy and safe.
The global YMCA movement is preparing its response. YMCA Canada and the YMCAs of Québec call upon all the YMCAs in Canada to contribute funds of emergency aid for the YMCA of Haiti.
January 14
We are getting some news from the YMCA of Haiti through SMS: the youth center and the YMCA office in Port-au-Prince are completely destroyed.
January 15
The World Alliance of YMCAs launches an appeal to solidarity to support the Haitian people.
January 16
The YMCA of the Dominican Republic undertakes discussions with the Dominican government and various organizations of which UN and the Red Cross in order to take part in a humanitarian convoy towards Haiti.
January 18
The YMCA of the Dominican Republic invites all staff and volunteers to give blood. It also encourages its members and participants to give at least a bottle of water.
A Support Group for the YMCA of Haiti is organized. The group will join together the YMCA of Haiti, the YMCA of the Dominican Republic, the Latin American and Caribbean Alliance of YMCAs, YMCA Canada (through the YMCAs of Québec), YMCA USA, Y Care International and the World Alliance of YMCAs. The Support Group will help with planning the aid to the YMCA of Haiti and its rehabilitation, and to gather the resources needed for the realization of the plan.
January 20
We are told that two volunteers were slightly wounded during the earthquake while helping the young girls and boys to leave the Konbit youth Center. Two other people close to the YMCA are missing.
YMCA youth centers in Kenscoff and Camp-Perrin are still standing. Homeless and people who would not dare to sleep in their houses are accommodated in the Kenscoff center.
January 23 & 24
12 employees and volunteers of the YMCA of the Dominican Republic take part in a humanitarian convoy towards Haiti. With the assistance of tens of volunteers and employees of the YMCA of Haiti and 6 local policemen, 425 boxes of food and basic goods are distributed to the families of the communities where the YMCA works in Port-au-Prince, Nan Foumi and Kenscoff.
January 25
35 boxes are distributed to two orphanages of Port-au-Prince.
January 28
50 boxes are distributed to families in Camp-Perrin.
January 31
Today took place the funeral of a YMCA volunteer whom perished under the rubbles.
February 1
The Support Group for the YMCA of Haiti recruited an expert in humanitarian crisis management to support on the field the Secretary-General. This expert also has several years of experience in Haiti, and speaks French and Creole fluently in addition to English.
February 3
The office of the YMCA of Haiti is temporarily relocated in Petion-Ville. Files, office supplies and material still under the rubbles of the Konbit Youth Center will be carried to the new office in the coming days.
February 8
The YMCA of the Dominican Republic is working on preparing a second convoy towards Haiti.
The YMCA of Haiti awaits some large tents, which will be used as mobile YMCA activity centers. These centers will offer to the families and to the children a save and friendly place to share their stories, to express their sorrow, their emotions and their fears or, simply, to chat with friends and have some fun.
