HAITI UPDATE (02.02.10)

02/02/2010

OTTAWA (Feb. 2, 2010) - The HUMANITARIAN COALITION's members continue to provide support to the hundreds of thousands of people still enduring severe conditions in post-earthquake Haiti.  Three weeks since the earthquake struck, aid is reaching those in need, while protection and equal distribution of supplies continue to be priorities for the agencies.

All of the HUMANITARIAN COALITION member agencies are undertaking assessments of regions not directly affected by the earthquake, which have become home to many who fled Port-au-Prince, including Gros-Marne and Gonaives in Haiti and the border region of the Dominican Republic.

Over the past several days the aid activities of the members of the HUMANITARIAN COALITION have included:

  • Distribution of 25 and 50 kg bags of rice to 1,700 displaced people a day in the Delmas district of Port-au-Prince.

  • Water and sanitation programs being increased to reach some of the smaller sites in Port-au-Prince where people have taken refuge, with plans for work to begin next week at three sites housing 5,000 people. 

  • Distribution of plastic sheeting to 4,000 families (20,000 people) and 1,000 tents and house repair kits for people whose homes are not beyond repair.  

  • 2,857 medical consultations in the past week, including 660 children under 5 years of age through mobile clinics; 70 health workers were trained in Leogane and another mobile clinic was established in Jacmel. 

  • 17 Child-Friendly Spaces established in Jacmel and Port-au-Prince, benefitting more than 10,000 children over the past 10 days.  Child Protection programs will soon be starting in Leogane as well. 

The HUMANITARIAN COALITION, with the joint efforts of its members, CARE Canada, Oxfam Canada, Oxfam-Quebec and Save the Children Canada, provides a widespread and effective response to emergencies, with a combined presence in 120 countries. In Haiti alone, the HUMANITARIAN COALITION has more than 600 aid personnel on the ground, ensuring that the donations of Canadians reach those in desperate need in an efficient, effective and coordinated fashion.

To donate to the HUMANITARIAN COALITION, call 1-800-464-9154, visit humanitariancoalition.ca or send donations to the HUMANITARIAN COALITION, PO Box 65035, Ottawa, ON, K2G 5Y3