Haitian AIDS Organization Crushed By Earthquake

by Rhonda J Mangus | January 18, 2010 at 06:24 pm

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According to the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, Haiti's largest AIDS organization SEROvie was crushed by the recent 7.0 earthquake. Fourteen men who worked for, or were aided by, SEROvie, are among those killed; only two people from SEROvie survived.

SEROvie is an Haitian community organization that offers to men and sexual minorities, as well as their families, free programs for health promotion, prevention of HIV and AIDS,and other sexually transmitted infections.

The message of the men’s tragic death came from an email SEROvie’s leader Steve La Guerre managed to send to the IGLHRC asking for help.

“We were having our usual support group meeting on a quiet Tuesday afternoon when the worst happened.” La Guerre wrote. “The sound is unforgettable. I can’t even describe the horror as the ceiling and the wall of the conference room started to fall and the chaos started.

“It is now more than ever that SEROvie and ACCV (Civic Action Against HIV) are needed to provide the quality services we provide to our beneficiaries: food, clothes, and any type of help,” La Guerre continued. “Light a candle for these souls and for Haiti. Lord help us.”

The IGLHRC has set up a specific fund for SEROvie:

To support them directly, visit IGLHRC. The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation recommends the Rainbow World Fund which touts itself as the world's only lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender based international humanitarian aid charity. The San Francisco-based charity which has partnered CARE, a global humanitarian organisation, for on-the-ground relief work in Haiti has supported ongoing projects in the Caribbean nation focusing on improving nutrition and developing access to safe drinking water since 2004.