Workers Safe But They Paint A Grim Picture

Workers Safe But They Paint A Grim Picture

TEAR Fund is relieved to hear that its workers on the ground in Haiti are safe even though their headquarters are uninhabitable, however a text communication from a staff member paints a grim picture of the situation in Haiti, said TEAR Fund NZ acting executive director Jon Horne.

The text message read: “Black. Dire. scores perhaps hundreds of bodies strewn on sides of roads. No businesses open. Some places more than half of buildings down. “

Mr Horne said, “We are making progress in establishing communication channels with the team in Haiti, although it is still sporadic and unreliable.”

TEAR Fund NZ has just released an initial $50,000 to help the aid efforts already underway. The response by Kiwis to TEAR Fund’s Haiti relief appeal had been enormous, with a flood coming in overnight. It made you proud to be a New Zealander, said Mr Horne.

Food, drinking water, and medical help are among the immediate needs being poured into the country through TEAR Fund’s Integral Alliance partners and through its child sponsor partner, Compassion International. There is also a great need for shelter and clothing. The Integral Alliance was a group of 15 international relief agencies who coordinated their relief efforts to deliver an effective response to disasters and avoid duplication of efforts, he said.

“For the more than 680 child sponsors around the country, we are making a concerted effort to get information. However, there are a great many people unaccounted for at this stage. We will let our child sponsors know as soon as we can about the children they sponsor.”

ENDS

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