CWS is working with the ACT Alliance and with local partners in Haiti and the Dominican Republic to provide aid such as CWS Kits and Blankets, tents and food packages, medical supplies, construction of temporary water systems, and water purification materials.
CWS office for Latin America and the Caribbean had a staff person on the ground in the Dominican Republic within 48 hours of the earthquake, and shortly after had coordinated presence in both Port-au-Prince and Santo Domingo. Together with our local partners, we were poised to set in motion systems to provide immediate assistance, including CWS emergency aid stored in a warehouse in Santo Domingo.
CWS is working with the ACT Alliance and with local partners in Haiti and the Dominican Republic to provide aid such as CWS Kits and Blankets, tents and food packages, medical supplies, construction of temporary water systems, and water purification materials. In the first three weeks alone, CWS provided more than $700,000 worth of aid and material resources to assist Haitian families affected by the quake. Long-term CWS work will focus on food security in rural areas.
CWS is also expanding its work with disabled people in Port-au-Prince in concert with our partner Service Chretien d’Haiti. Says SCH executive director Ernst Abraham, “There is much to do in Port-au-Prince to guarantee that persons with disabilities are getting their needs met. They are not able to go and stand in the large distribution or water lines to get aid… Our staff and trained volunteers are personally delivering the kits, food and water.” Some 2,500 people are being assisted in this effort. Assistance also includes psychosocial support; art, music and theater activities for emotional support; a monthly cash voucher for each family for 12 months; and access to wheelchairs and prosthetics.
In addition, some 100 at-risk children who have been part of the CWS-supported House of Hope program, in Port-au-Prince, are being provided with one hot meal a day for at least the next month. They and their families are also receiving other emergency and relief items, with CWS support.
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Photo: Paul Jeffrey
