Haiti to receive €30m funding from charities

16 January 2011

Almost €30 million in funds raised in Ireland by charities following the Haiti earthquake last year will continue to be invested there over the coming years.

Irish charities have also raised significant sums through their international arms, and have received contracts or funding from the EU and UN to provide health programmes, shelter and other aid in the Caribbean country.

Concern, which raised €33.7 million for the disaster-hit region, has worked in Haiti since 1994.The organisation is providing ongoing support to 130,000 people in camps and host communities in Port-auPrince, as well as the rural area of Saut-d’Eau and the island of LaGonave.

The charity spent €18 million there last year and, according to regional director Brid Kennedy, a further €16 million will be spent this year.

‘‘We are not setting out to raise more money, apart from planned giving from donors. Irish people have been so generous: we initially set a optimistic target of €5 million last year, and exceeded that by €3.8 million," said Kennedy.

‘‘We will also be drawing down from our EU fund of €11 million.

We could spend a lot more though, and progress is still slow through transitional shelters." She said that, this year, the charity was going to focus on livelihood protection and getting people working.

‘‘Education around cholera is important too, as 3,700 people have died since the outbreak there last October, but it is difficult dealing with a population with such a low level of education or understanding or awareness of bacteria," said Kennedy.

Goal has undertaken an $11 million contract with the US government (USAID) and is currently building 2,000 transitional shelters, and several hundred latrines and hand wash blocks, to accommodate and improve the living conditions of some of the 1.3 million people displaced from their homes in the earthquake.

Trocaire, which received €5 million of its €8 million in fundraising through parish collections, is spending this on a five-year recovery programme in education, health and housing. Plan Ireland’s parent organisation has spent over €17 million in Haiti.