Haitian Disaster

In spite of the mass of information issued by various news and aid agencies, it may remain unclear as to how Rotarians may best help with the disaster in Haiti, so in order to help you decide the most appropriate way you can help, we would like to summarise the situation as we see it in District.  

From all that we hear, it would seem that the people of Haiti are most in need of Shelter, Food & Water, Medical Supplies and Help for the Future, and these would seem to be the best options for you to chose from;  

Water: World Water Works are making terrific inroads with their supplies – you will have seen our update from Hugo Pike in yesterday’s circular email.  Visit their website at: http://www.worldwaterworks.org/ for the latest information.  Donations should be by cheque made out to Worldwaterworks Limited and sent to Hugo Pike, Rotary c/o The White House, Pensford, Bristol BS39 4NE.  You can also complete a Donations Form on the website.

 Water: Aquabox has now appointed 2 Aid Agencies to handle Aquaboxes and they are appealing for funds.  Visit their website at: http://www.aquabox.org/ and make a donation from the site make donations by post to AQUABOX, PO Box 5398, Matlock, Derbyshire DE4 4ZP.  

Shelter: ShelterBox too are managing to get through to the island with thousands of boxes and this will at last relieve the pressure on those that hospital attention.  Visit their website at: http://www.shelterbox.org/news.php?id=230 for the latest news and images.  Donations can be made by clicking on Donate from the home page.  

Medical supplies: Field hospitals and medical supplies are being lifted in by the Red Cross and offer the best choice for this option.  Visit their UK website at: http://www.redcross.org.uk/index.asp?id=39992 for further information or to donate.  

Help for the future: The RIBI Disaster Fund, recently launched, will help to ensure that the survivors of the earthquake have something to look forward to.  Their towns and communities will need rebuilding in the long term and this will require continuing funds.  The RIBI page is at: http://www.ribi.org/news/articles/ribi-launches-haiti-earthquake-appeal  

DG David supports the long term view because this will not only help to rebuild the lives of the Haitians but will also be supporting our fellow Rotarians in District 7020.  Their website is kept constantly up to date with the latest situation and you can visit it at: http://www.clubrunner.ca/dprg/DxHome/_home.aspx?did=7020  

Donations to the RIBI Disaster Fund should be made payable to the ‘RIBI Donations Trust’ and sent to RIBI HQ at Alcester.  Alternatively, UK Bank Transfers can be made to the RIBI Disaster Fund direct to the following account;  

Lloyds TSB
A/c No. 01531124
Sort Code 30-98-26

Please do not be put off by the apparent delays in aid getting through.  The situation on the ground in Haiti is extremely difficult and some of the problems were explained by Hugo Pike in his email of yesterday.  The aid IS NOW GETTING THROUGH and it will soon make a difference. 

The first ShelterBoxes have arrived in Port au Prince and hundreds more are due to arrive later today. The ShelterBox Response Team of David Eby (US), Wayne Robinson (US) and Mark Pearson (UK), who have been in Haiti’s capital since Thursday, took delivery of the first ShelterBoxes at Port au Prince airport yesterday.

The team say twelve of these boxes will be used to build an emergency field hospital at the airport. ‘We are helping build a field hospital with these tents at the airport,’ said Mark Pearson. ‘These are desperate conditions, amputations are happening every half hour. There’s an urgent need for tents at hospitals and this is our first priority.’

ShelterBox Head of Operations John Leach said: ‘The safety of our staff in Haiti is of paramount importance. ‘We are working with the agencies on the ground to ensure that ShelterBoxes are not only distributed speedily and efficiently, but that our team on the ground is able to work in a safe environment.’

Hundreds more boxes are due to arrive into Port au Prince later today from Miami on a chartered aircraft. Thousands more ShelterBoxes are being packed and shipped from ShelterBox HQ in the UK. ShelterBox Founder and CEO Tom Henderson said: ‘The devastation in Haiti has moved everyone here. We now have our boxes on the ground and it’s a privilege to help. The scale of devastation is huge. ‘By the sheer grit and determination of our staff and volunteers we have been able to respond in record time.

Our thanks go to the teams of volunteers, as well as to our donors, who have allowed us to do this. ‘ShelterBox relies entirely on public donations and people’s generosity. We receive no institutional funding and no DEC money. I’d urge, if you can, to help us.’

Public donations are vital to ShelterBox’s continuing work around the world. To make a donation please ring 0300 0300 500 or go to www.shelterbox.org to donate online and get the latest updates on the charity’s response to the Haiti earthquake.