Haiti earthquake: call for solidarity funds

On January 12, 2010 Haiti suffered a magnitude 7.0 earthquake, along with numerous aftershocks. Two months later, as many as 300,000 people were thought to have lost their lives and more than a million were homeless.

Friends of the Earth Haiti distributing food in Port-au-Prince.

In addition, the streets remain extremely dangerous and we are extremely sad to report that on March 12, the brother of Friends of the Earth Haiti’s Director was shot while sitting in his car in the centre of Port-au-Prince. He died immediately.

Friends of the Earth Haiti (Haiti Survie) continues to assist in the relief effort and your support is still urgently needed. Friends of the Earth Haiti plays a vital role within Haitian civil society, and more broadly the Caribbean. They carry out invaluable work on food sovereignty, deforestation and desertification, climate change adaptation, as well as international finance.

In the aftermath of the earthquake, however, their work is focussed on the immediate relief effort. Working alongside other local non-governmental organizations they are running mobile clinics to help the sick and injured, as well as distributing food, water and other essential items

Medical assistance

Friends of the Earth Haiti has put in place three mobile clinics that are being run by 45 Haitian doctors and nurses - many of whom have returned from the United States. The medics have helped more than 4,000 people in the two months since the earthquake. Of those assisted more than two thirds were women and children.

There is also a rural clinic now in place to cater for the thousands of people who have fled the capital.

In addition to injuries, the medical team has treated many other ailments related to the present conditions people are living in, such as ‘flu, pneumonia and diarrhoea. Friends of the Earth Haiti has also been able to provide drugs to local hospitals and will continue to do so as long as stocks last.

food assistance

Together with ADFE (the Association for the Development of Fort Liberté and its surroundings), Friends of the Earth Haiti has provided food to more than 1,000 families with an average of five people per family. 54,125 kilos of food has been distributed so far, including 8,100 kilos of beans, 6,105 kilos of oil sardines, 4,000 litres of oil and 20 kilos of salt, as well as milk for the children.

The food is locally produced wherever possible. In every open-air camp committees have been created to manage and prepare the food.

Water distribution

During the last 2 months the group has distributed around 20,000 liters of drinking water in three camps and around 45,000 liters of water to deal with hygienic and domestic needs.

The group has also arranged for two drinking water tanks to be installed in the camps. These are used to store drinking water.

Other assistance

More than one million people are still living in the streets or in open-air camps, with only tents or flimsy shelters made from bed sheets to protect them from the worsening weather. Friends of the Earth Haiti is building 260 20m2 wood and plastic shelters in three camps, and is contributing construction materials to help build shelters to serve as schools.

Friends of the Earth Haiti has also distributed hygiene kits and water sterilization products to families in the camps, and has been asked to help distribute new shoes to victims.

What next?

Friends of the Earth Haiti is calling for an urgent and broad assessment of the current situation, from a humanitarian, political and socio-economic perspective, to determine how to address these dire circumstances effectively and equitably.

The group is disappointed that the Haitian government’s Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA), due to be presented to UN donors on March 31, is not based on a decentralized consultation with affected people. They are also concerned that an institutional crisis may be imminent, given that parliamentary elections are currently scheduled for May but may be technically impossible under current circumstances.

Friends of the Earth Haiti's work

The group continue to strengthen their core work. This will now include helping small scale farmers get back on their feet in the damaged rural zones which will in turn increase the availability of locally grown produce in the country.

All the relief efforts carried out by Friends of the Earth Haiti are done in coordination with partners to reduce costs and avoid any duplication of tasks.

To learn more about the important work of Friends of the Earth Haiti, please look at both our annual report and their group page.

donate

Please consider making a contribution today to assist Friends of the Earth Haiti in their emergency response to the situation and the subsequent rebuilding efforts.