Haiti orphanage survives earthquake

The Fedja orphanage, supported by the Craft Guild and its business partners, is still standing following the earthquake in Haiti.

The orphanage, just 50 miles from the epicentre, got shaken up but remained undamaged from the impact of the tremors – unlike the nearby village of Mirebalais where homes were devastated.

In the summer of 2008 the Craft Guild of Chefs and many of its business partners pledged their support to the Global Vision charity to build the orphanage for children in Haiti. The Craft Guild gave the £600 it raised in a raffle at its AGM lunch to the venture, Electrolux promised to fit a fully operational kitchen in the building, Villeroy & Boch donated tableware and Tilda pledged a substantial supply of rice.

At the time of the earthquake, the kitchen was being installed and chefs from the US hotel group Embassy Suites were working on site. The kitchen, which has been described as a "godsend", is now the focal feeding point for the whole community.

While the children are safe, thanks to the team's foresight in being sparing with its food and water, more aid is still needed. Tilda is already planning to ship more rice to the island and foodservice controller Mark Lyddy says he is currently liaising with the company's American operation and is waiting for the go ahead. "We have to deliver the rice to a US location first and then it will be sent on to Haiti," he explains.

• To offer help or to get further information, visit www.gvcm.org or contact the Craft Guild's HQ on 0208 948 3870

Words: Sheila Eggleston

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