Development and Peace has just announced its support for a cholera-prevention campaign in Haiti. The organization is sending $123,000 to Caritas Haiti for this program, which is working with 3,000 families currently living in internally displaced people (IDP) camps in Port-au-Prince, the capital.
Cholera is spread by bacteria in the food and water. Preventing cholera is a major challenge for people living in the camps, where the health infrastructure ranges from rudimentary to non-existent. The situation could worsen in the wake of Hurricane Tomas. According to government health authorities, cholera has cost the lives of 500 people in the past two weeks and more than 8,000 have been hospitalized.
Volunteers supervised by Caritas Haiti’s medical team will distribute 3,000 hygiene kits (towels, buckets, soap, diapers, etc.). They will also hand out information leaflets and organize awareness-raising sessions. Water-purification tablets will be distributed in various camps, including those of Tabarre, Canapé Vert and Carrefour-Feuille. The program will last three months.
Development and Peace raised $20 million from the Canadian public in the aftermath of the January 2010 earthquake. The organization has been conducting a comprehensive reconstruction program with its local partners, including Caritas Haiti.
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For more information please contact:
Kelly Di Domenico, Communications Officer
514 257-8711 ext. 365
kelly.didomenico@devp.org