news & events
Haiti Update
Emergency workers from ACT International carry a water bladder into a crowded soccer stadium in the Santa Teresa area of Petionville, Haiti. Photos by Paul Jeffrey/ACT Alliance. |
MRDF is continuing to respond to the devastation caused by Haiti's worst earthquake in 200 years. Three weeks after the disaster, donations are assisting survivors with emergency shelter, sanitation facilities and medical care.
The earthquake left tens of thousands of people dead, and destroyed much of the infrastructure of a country which was already the poorest in the Western hemisphere. Over one million people are now homeless in what the UN is calling ‘the worst disaster it has ever faced'.
MRDF immediately sent £20,000 in response to the earthquake, and launched an appeal for funds. Over £270,000 has so far been donated by individuals and churches across the UK. Funds from the appeal are being channelled through the Methodist Church in Haiti and Action by Churches Together (ACT) International.
Donations are helping to provide food, blankets, tents and latrines to many survivors, as well as a water purification system in the Belair neighbourhood of Port-au-Prince. This is giving 10,000 homeless Haitians access to crystal clear drinking water – the first clean water they have had since the earthquake struck, and a crucial step in the fight against cholera and other diseases.
Donations to our appeal are also helping to provide emergency medical care to hundreds of patients, with surgery going on around the clock. Most of the cases are bone fractures and amputations. Our appeal is also supporting a malnutrition clinic where mothers and children can get nutritious milk and food such as spinach, rice and beans. The most severely malnourished children are being given ‘plumpy nuts', a specially formulated paste full of essential vitamins and minerals.
As well as supporting the relief efforts, our emergency appeal is providing counselling to some of the survivors and will also focus on rebuilding homes and schools in the long-term.
Simeon Mitchell, MRDF Fundraising, Marketing and Campaigning Director, said: ‘Our supporters have once again responded with speed and generosity, and we are deeply grateful. In view of the widespread devastation and chaos, every donation is significant and is helping to make a very tangible difference to people in Haiti. As with all of our emergency appeals, we will be supporting work in Haiti in the long-term, enabling people to recover from this disaster and rebuild their lives.'