Latest Caritas Food Shipment to Haiti - February 1

Food aid reaches Haiti

Haiti aid continues to flow. Trócaire's Conor O'Loughlin reports from Haiti.

Trócaire to reach 50,000 people with vital supplies

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Latest news on the Haiti crisis

Our response to the Haiti crisis is coordinated through the Caritas network.

Michelle Hough reports on the Caritas relief effort in Haiti

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Haiti Earthquake: the Background.

As donations continue to pour in from a generous Irish public, Trócaire and our partners have already managed to reach around 5,000 people in Haiti with emergency medical supplies such as gauze and syringes, hygiene kits and water.

As the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti is ill-equipped to respond to the earthquake and desperately needs international assistance.

Trócaire partner Caritas Haiti runs over 200 hospitals and medical centres in Haiti. They are also skilled in the provision of clean water and sanitation which will be crucial in this response.

Trócaire partner Caritas Haiti runs over 200 hospitals and medical centres in Haiti. They are also skilled in the provision of clean water and sanitation which will be crucial in this response.

Trócaire's speedy response was possible because we have worked in Haiti with partner organisations for a number of years, said Trócaire Emergency Director Maurice McQuillan. “Trócaire and our partners in Caritas, the umbrella group of Catholic development agencies, have worked in Haiti for 20 years and were already in place when this disaster struck. This meant we could act very quickly to help those most in need,” he added. “The number of agencies coming to Haiti now to help means that coordination of all our efforts is key. The generosity of the Irish people  is incredible and Trócaire can channel 100 per cent of this money to the local groups in Haiti with whom we’ve worked for years. These organisations have hundreds of people already in Haiti, who know the country and know the best way to coordinate an effective response to this horrific natural disaster. This means we can help thousands more in the coming days.”

The earthquake, being billed as one of the world’s ten deadliest, struck on the evening of January 12. “On January 14 we were able to help people who had survived and who were in makeshift camps because they had lost their families and their homes,” Mr McQuillan said. “Our partner Catholic Relief Services worked with the Catholic Medical Mission Board to deliver basic medical supplies to hospitals in the city.”

Head of emergencies for Caritas International, the confederation of Catholic aid agencies worldwide, Alasdair Dutton, is in Port au Prince. "The devastation can only be described as colossal,” he said. “There are buildings that have totally collapsed into heaps of rubble next to others that remain standing. Those that still have houses standing remain in camped out in the street; they live in fear of the tremors that still happening.   On Saturday a large tremor was felt, an experience I never want to feel again.”

Mr Dutton said: “There is no escaping the smell of the dead mixing in the air with the dust and the debris, in the Haitian humidity. There is also no escaping the blank-eyed fear that you see on all faces, as you walk amongst this ruined city, psychological trauma is etched on their faces. There is no one in this place who hasn't been touched by the misery unleashed by this earthquake."

Trócaire’s work in Haiti has for many years focused on helping communities prepare for natural disasters such as this one. “In the event of a natural disaster it is always the affected communities themselves who respond first, before the international aid and news crews arrive. Haiti has a vibrant tradition of community volunteerism and our work has involved training local committees in the area of disaster preparedness and we believe that this work will have paid dividends in the last twelve hours and has saved lives.”

 “Our partners are on the ground responding and Trócaire will support them further with whatever funds or personnel necessary,” Mr McQuillan said. “Haitians have proved themselves to be brave and resilient throughout recent years of natural disasters and political instability but they will need our help to get through this difficult time.”

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Latest news on the Haiti crisis

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Download our new Haiti Earthquake Disaster resource for Post-Primary
(Powerpoint file).

and

Tales of Disaster (pdf file)

Tales of Disasters is a resource for primary schools which helps children to understand why natural disasters occur and the impact they have on communities. The films treat issues sensitively and the characters are easy to relate to. DVD and activity book available from Trócaire.