International relief and development agency World Vision has been awarded a $19 million grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development to help families and communities in Haiti affected by the devastating January 12 earthquake in Port-au-Prince.
USAID's Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance selected World Vision for the year-long grant to provide shelter, economic recovery activities, and water, sanitation and hygiene activities at six spontaneous settlements in Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas. The localities covered will include Delmas, Croix-des-Bouquets and Petionville.
"Thousands displaced from their homes by the earthquake still lack adequate shelter, clean water and sanitation, needs that are growing more urgent as the rainy season approaches," said Richard Stearns, president of World Vision in the U.S. "World Vision is pleased to be chosen by OFDA as a partner for expanding this critical work in Haiti."
The grant will enable World Vision to scale up its response to three critical needs still facing survivors—shelter, water and sanitation, and economic recovery—and achieve the following:
- Provide transitional shelters for 5,000 displaced households.
- Assist adults in the camps with cash-for-work activities such as clearing sites and preparing foundations for shelters, daily latrine cleaning and maintenance, and other needs that may include rehabilitating basic infrastructure such as roads and public spaces.
- Provide and maintain bathing and hand-washing facilities and latrines through a six-month sanitation and hygiene promotion project.
In the five weeks since the earthquake, World Vision has provided 4,300 metric tons of food to more than 819,000 people, distributed shelter supplies to thousands in camps, opened five mobile clinics and distributed medical supplies to 11 hospitals, and reached 32,000 people with survival items such as basic hygiene kits, cooking sets, blankets and mosquito nets. To help protect and care for children in camps, World Vision has established safe places for children to play and learn in 7 locations, with additional sites planned.
The Christian humanitarian agency is one of the largest private relief and development agencies in Haiti, with 30 years of experience and 800 staff serving across the country prior to the quake. As a leading aid group in the current response, World Vision is committed to partnering with local government officials and communities, the United Nations and other NGOs to ensure ongoing coordination of the emergency response and the prioritization of children's needs in the recovery and rebuilding phases.
"We are still very much in the emergency response phase of this massive effort," said Eddy Brown, humanitarian emergency affairs director for World Vision, who has been working in Port-au-Prince. "It is critical that we reach children and other vulnerable survivors before the coming rains and hurricane season threaten their wellbeing again."
"Rebuilding Haiti will take years, not months," said Brown. "World Vision has worked in the country for 30 years and is committed to help Haiti's families recover for the long term."
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