World Vision to support 50,000 families in Haiti after Hurricane Matthew
• In the week since Hurricane Matthew hit, World Vision provided assistance to 942 families.
• The international NGO plans distribute emergency food aid to 15,000 families for the next two months.
• Health prevention efforts will focus on reducing vulnerable children’s exposure to Zika, Dengue, Malaria and Cholera
Port-au-Prince, Haiti— Christian International relief and development organisation focused on child protection, World Vision began preparing for the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew before the storm hit by prepositioning supplies. The prepositioned supplies enabled the organisation to respond to the needs of those affected just hours after the storm had ceased. In the days since, and in light of the significant damages (especially in the southwest part of the country), World Vision has initiated an intense operation to distribute and ensure access to clean water and food as well as to assist in the prevention of diseases.
The organisation aim to reach 50,000 families (250,000 people) affected by Hurricane Matthew—a Category 4 hurricane that left more than 1,000 people dead and displaced 1.4 million.
The organisation plans to allocate approximately $14.4 million (USD) to help 250,000 people after the disaster. Authorities estimate that more than 1.4 million people have been displaced by the storm. World Vision urges those who have been moved and are able to contribute to the organisation’s ongoing efforts to protect children and their families in Haiti.
World Vision is concentrating its response in the areas of Nippes, Port-au-Prince and the Island of La Gonave in the southwest of the country, where the storm’s devastation was the greatest. Preliminary reports indicated between 80 and 90 per cent of the houses in the southwest were significantly damaged or destroyed. As a humanitarian organisation, World Vision has already initiated the distribution of supplies to those affected. The aid includes: restoration kits for roofing (15,000 units), baby kits (15,000 units), and kitchen kits for food preparation (15,000 units) among other supplies.
"We always want help come quicker in an emergency. But, we appreciate that the distribution is flowing swiftly. Food insecurity is a situation that will also affect Haiti [in the coming weeks and months], especially because of the massive destruction of crops in some areas," said John Hasse, National Director of World Vision in Haiti.
In the coming weeks, World Vision will intensify its efforts and in addition to the distribution of aid will be setting-up 27 Child Friendly Spaces to help children recover psychologically and to protect those who are at risk to be separated from their parents. World Vision is also planning to provide food aid for 15,000 families for two months and will distribute water filters to 10,000 households in order to help prevent a cholera epidemic.
In coordination with other aid agencies such as Caritas, CARE and the Red Cross, World Vision will prioritise its efforts and response where vulnerable children and their families were most exposed to the effects of the hurricane.
Precisely because Haiti is particularly vulnerable to unexpected weather conditions, World Vision had prepositioned emergency supplies and resources in different parts of the country to enable an immediate response. This helped the organization be in a position to help more than 900 families in the first hours after Matthew had passed.
Through its emergency relief efforts following Hurricane Matthew, World Vision is expecting to reach up to 250,000 people.
World Vision has been working in Haiti for 38 years. Before the hurricane hit, World Vision already had programmes in 200 rural and urban communities in Haiti that serve more than 900,000 people across the country, including 58,000 sponsored children..