Immediate aid for victims of the Haiti earthquake

The number of dead has now risen to 1,800, with over 5,000 injured. Some 1.5 million Haitians are thought to have been affected by the earthquake in the South-West of Haiti, in particular in Jeremie and Les Cayes.

Rescue operations underway

Efforts are still underway to rescue survivors. In the affected areas there is widespread devestation – destruction of hospitals, schools, churches and homes. Many Haitians are sleeping in the open air, in part for fear of further tremors. Towns and countryside alike have been badly affected. There is a desperate need for international aid.

NPH is delivering aid

NPH’s emergency aid is focussed on the essentials: water, food, shelter, medical supplies and care, and transport for supplies and for the injured.

50 beds at St. Luke Hospital dedicated to the injured

St. Luke Hospital has reserved 50 beds for the first seriously injured victims being transported by air from Les Cayes and Jeremie. The majority of the injured are being taken to hospitals in Port au Prince, and NPH is providing them CT scans and x-rays free of charge.

Medical supplies for local hospitals

Thanks to the contacts of the St. Luke Foundation in the affected areas, NPH is able to deliver medical supplies to the few hospitals that exist. This aid will continue for as long as necessary.

NPH local medical presence

The local medical team of the St. Luke Foundation is caring for the people affected in Les Cayes and Camp Perin from temporary clinics based in camps.

For a local perspective, we recommend you read a personal take from Father Rick Frechette of the St. Luke Foundation.

Support for isolated areas

NPH is contacting medical personnel attending to the injured in areas that have been cut off such as Duchity, Pestel, Baraderes, y Petit Trou. We will supply the medical aid needed for their care.

Via Bishop Dumas in the areas of Anse and Veau, and via Bishop Decostes in the Jeremie area, we are establishing how to deliver emergency aid to those affected.

A roof for 250 families

After initial inspections we have established that there is an urgent need for shelter, especially now that tropical storms are reaching Haiti. We are selecting the most vulnerable families affected by the earthquake, in Petit Trou and Nippes.

NPH will focus chiefly on bringing emergency aid to people in the countryside, who to date have largely not benefited from international aid. Our initial aim is to support 250 vulnerable families.

NPH families affected

Many of local teams working at the Key Germain programme for children and adults with special needs have family members who have lost everything because they lived in the affected areas. They need NPH’s support in the shape of food, shelter and water. Your donations will help to cover the basic needs of at least 15 families.

Follow-up impact measurement

All money donated to NPH Ireland will go to support people affected by the earthquake. NPH will be doing follow-up studies to establish the benefit to affected people of our work.

Challenging conditions for aid delivery

Conditions could scarcely be more difficult for delivering aid: shortage of supplies, damaged roads, control of some areas by armed gangs, difficulties of coordinating international aid, lack of qualified personnel and ongoing violations of children’s human rights, etc.

NPH has the skills and experience

Thirty-five years of experience in Haiti, including with similar emergencies such as the 2010 earthquake, have given NPH the experience to give the benefit of your donations efficiently and effectively to those affected by the earthquake. An essential factor in our ability to deliver is our local team of Haitians, committed to the mission of NPH in their country.

Your role in this humanitarian drama

We need your support in the face of this overwhelming humanitarian drama, made worse by the tropical storms now making landfall in Haiti.