Latest News Blog

Click here to find out more about how Rotary is providing shelter for Haitans

Rotary International Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund    Click here to DONATE

The Rotary Foundation has established the Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund for U.S. Rotarians who want to donate toward recovery efforts after a powerful earthquake rocked Haiti on 12 January.

The Haitian Red Cross is estimating that more than 50,000 people are dead and millions more injured after the quake, the impoverished nation’s strongest in 200 years, crumbled government buildings, hospitals, schools, and shantytowns. Most of the capital, Port-au-Prince, is in ruins.

A ShelterBox response team of two U.S. Rotarians and one from the United Kingdom has already mobilized to deliver 500 containers of supplies to the affected areas. Also, more than 100 Aquaboxes are being delivered to Haiti to provide safe water.

Claude Surena, a member of the Rotary Club of Petion-Ville and president of the Haitian Medical Asscociation, is sheltering more than 100 people in his damaged home in Port-au-Prince. He is also leading the efforts of the 17 Haitian Rotary clubs to ensure that the ShelterBox containers will be deployed effectively to the thousands left homeless.

The Rotary Club of Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles, has committed US$50,000 to clubs in the affected areas.

"Rotarians are working hard and fast to get help to those in Haiti," says Past RI Director Barry Rassin, of Nassau, Bahamas, who has previously coordinated relief efforts in the country. "We're at the same time working on long-term efforts."

More than $75,000 has been donated to District 7020 in the Caribbean, according to Past District Governor Dick McCombe. The district will be coordinating much of the Rotarian relief effort through its Haiti Task Force, set up two years ago to administer all financial aid to the nation.

A six-member team of Rotarians from District 5890 (Texas, USA) has reported in safe after landing in Haiti for a humanitarian mission 45 minutes before the quake struck. They were scheduled to be there a week but will likely return early.

Dawn Johnson, president of the Rotary Club of Verrettes, L'Artibonite, Haiti, says the infrastructure couldn't handle a quake this massive.

"The government is highly centralized in Port-au-Prince, which is now entombed in rubble," says Johnson, who was in the U.S. while the quake struck. "The scale of this disaster is so huge. It is way beyond anything Haiti has ever dealt with before."

Johnson plans to return to Haiti at the end of the month. Her club is already working on getting clean water to victims.  "I cringe a little at what I might see when I get back."

RI President John Kenny and Rotary Foundation Trustee Chair Glenn E. Estess Sr. have sent a joint letter conveying Rotary's condolences to victims of the quake and asking for more information on how Rotarians can help.

 Click here to DONATE and view BREAKING NEWS!

• ShelterBoxes are being frantically packed to go to Haiti
  ShelterBox Response Team (SRT) members Dave Eby (US), Wayne Robinson (US) and Mark Pearson (UK) are on the ground in Port au Prince, Haiti.
  
  The team arrived in the island’s capital on Thursday, January 14 and have already been in contact with government officials, ACTED and Rotarians in the country. The Response Team, who are completely self-sufficent, have set up base with the help of a Haitian Rotarian.
  
  Speaking from Port au Prince, David Eby said: ‘We’re working hard to resolve security, logistics and communications. The city is totally devastated. Our host told us, “There is no more Haiti.”’
  
  The situation on the ground remains fraught with the damaged infrastructure in Haiti hampering the aid effort but ShelterBox is doing everything within its power to ensure aid reaches Haiti imminently.
  
  ShelterBox’s Head of Operations John Leach said: ‘We spoke with our team in Haiti this morning and already they’ve been working with other aid agencies and the government to assess where ShelterBoxes are most needed.
  
  ‘Our priority is now getting logistics in and doing all we can to get it on the island. We’re sending a ShelterBox Logistics team into Miami to work and coordinate logistics into Haiti from there.’
  
  ShelterBox’s Logistics Manager Richard Lewis added: ‘We’re doing everything we can to make sure emergency aid reaches the people of Haiti.
  ‘
  The situation is changing by the minute and we’re exploring every single avenue available to us in order to make sure the aid gets on the ground as quickly as possible.’
  
  Need grows
  
  The ShelterBox Logistics team, made up of SRT members Mark Dyer (US), John Lacquey (US) and Ian Neal (UK), will meet a consignment of ShelterBoxes being flown into Miami, USA and run the logistics into Haiti from there.
  
  930 ShelterBoxes have already been dispatched and are en route to Haiti while another 1,000 are being packed today at ShelterBox HQ by ShelterBox’s team of volunteers.  Virgin Atlantic are supporting the relief effort by flying hundreds of the ShelterBoxes on their planes.
  
  Sir Richard Branson, President of Virgin Atlantic, said: ‘Everyone who has seen the sheer destruction in Haiti over the last few days will have been moved to help in any way they can.
  
  ‘We will fly in as much aid as possible so that the agencies on the ground  can respond to the needs of everyone in Haiti whose lives have been devastated by this tragedy.’
  
  With the need in Haiti growing each day, there are millions of people in need of emergency shelter. ShelterBox Founder Tom Henderson says support at this time is crucial.

9 Charter Members, Club name selected, first project initiated.

Special invite to selected group of potential members