DISASTER IN HAITI

After the terrible tragedy in Haiti with over 200,000 people expected to have lost their lives, please see below charities that are currently working to help those effected by this disaster, Your support will be very much appreciated

ActionAid – The situation is still chaotic, with transport and communications links so badly damaged that delivering aid is a serious challenge – but ActionAid staff are working round the clock to get help to those who need it most. As the operation gears up, staff in Haiti have been joined by emergency specialists from the UK, Brazil and Guatemala. Today in Mariani we are distributing cases of reinforced protein peanut butter giving a meal to at least 2,550 people together with vital medicines. We’ve also just secured flour, oil and corn for distribution in the next 24 hours.

ActionAid has ordered 3,000 tents, 20,000 thin blankets, 1,000 boxes of powdered milk, 2,000 boxes of sanitary towels, 1,000 boxes of diapers, 15,000 units of toothpaste and brushes, 9,000 foam mattresses, 20,000 rehydration packs, 10,000 pairs of pants for women and girls – from the Dominican republic …we’ve also just secured a warehouse to receive the goods. ActionAid will prioritise vulnerable women, children, the elderly and people with disabilities. Click here to support the work of ActionAid with a regular donation from your pay.

British Red Cross – Over the weekend, relief supplies and personnel continued to arrive in Haiti and the surrounding area. Thousands of survivors have been sleeping outdoors, desperate for food, clean water and shelter. Air and sea ports in Haiti were damaged by the earthquake. The airport in Port-au-Prince has now reopened and is working at full capacity. However, the high volume of arriving planes means that many are being rerouted to Santo Domingo airport in neighbouring Dominican Republic.

A British Red Cross team of logistics experts arrived in the Dominican Republic on Saturday. They will ensure that relief supplies arriving at the airport in Santo Domingo are processed and forwarded to the affected areas in Haiti as quickly as possible. Click here to support the work of the British Red Cross with a regular donation from your pay.

CAFOD – As a clearer picture emerges of the devastation from Haiti’s earthquake, we have increased our pledge to £300,000 to support the vital humanitarian relief efforts of our Caritas partners.

Matthew Carter, head of CAFOD’s humanitarian department, says: “The earthquake, the most powerful in Haiti’s history, has devastated the country’s already impoverished infrastructure, with hospitals, electricity and water supplies being severely compromised. Our partners on the ground have already been able to deliver tents, blankets and first aid to some of the most vulnerable people. The money pledged will support our partners to continue this work and reach many more people in urgent need of life saving humanitarian aid.” Fr Antonio Sandoval, Caritas Latin America regional co-ordinator, has arrived with an eight-person relief team to the ruined capital of Port-au-Prince. Fr. Sandoval and his team have identified 25 distribution points for food in Port-au-Prince and two points in Jacmel, Haiti’s major cultural and artistic centre of one million people to the south of Port-au-Prince. The team will be travelling to parishes to speak with priests to coordinate with them the distribution of food and water. Click here to support the work of the CAFOD with a regular donation from your pay.

Oxfam – The Oxfam team in Port-Au-Prince is working on assessments now. This is the essential first step in emergency aid delivery. Oxfam has linked with the UN and other aid agencies on the ground. The UN, many of whose own offices were levelled, has regrouped its headquarters near Port-au-Prince’s stricken airport.

Oxfam also has already sent up to 10 tonnes of water, sanitation, health and shelter equipment, valued at around £70,000. It also has pre-positioned stocks in Panama on stand-by. Oxfam plans to scale-up aid delivery are now being finalised. The destruction continues to severely hamper aid efforts. Click here to support the work of the Oxfam with a regular donation from your pay

Save the Children – We’re delivering vital aid to children and families. Our priority is to save children’s lives by providing shelter, clean water, food and medical assistance. We’re already distributing medical supplies to hospitals and clinics, which are low or have run out of supplies. We are working in partnership with a local partner. We’ve established 7 field hospitals providing children and families with life-saving health and nutrition services.

We’re supporting families with essential household and hygiene supplies such as blankets, cooking pots and plastic sheeting to meet their basic needs. We’re working to ensure children are protected from abuse, exploitation, and family separation. We are providing food and livelihoods support to approximately 50,000 families in the worst-affected communities. This will include providing 25,000 families with food rations for three months and working with 25,000 through cash-for-work projects. Click here to support the work of the Save the Children with a regular donation from your pay

In the town of Jacmel this evening 2,500 kitchen kits and 5,000 1 litre bags of water will be distributed to enable the local population to prepare the food supplies by the World Food Programme. Click here to support the work of the UNICEF UK with a regular donation from your pay.

DEC Alternatively you may wish to support the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) through your pay, the DEC is the umbrella organisation which launches and coordinates responses to major disasters overseas. Click here to start giving now.