Haiti’s deadly earthquake: US$50,000 gifted to Haiti, more support coming – President Ali

In an effort to aid the Government and people of Haiti in their recovery from last month’s devastating 7.2 magnitude earthquake, Guyana has already pledged US$50,000 to that Caribbean nation.

This is according to President Dr Irfaan Ali during an interview with reporters on the sidelines of an event on Wednesday. He noted that after being informed that the Haitian Government would prefer cash donations, instructions were given to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation to immediately release the funds.
In addition to pledging funds, the Guyana Government has also opened a Humanitarian Relief Fund to collect donations from stakeholders to assist Haiti. However, up to last week, there was no money in that account.
Nevertheless, the Head of State told reporters on Thursday that Government will be donating another tranche of relief funds along with the money in the account.
“So, I think in another week and a half, [we’ll] see what comes in the account, but the Government will definitely be making another tranche with whatever is in that account to Haiti,” Dr Ali said to reporters.
Days after the August 14 earthquake, the Guyana Government announced that it had established a humanitarian account with Republic Bank Guyana Limited to raise funds for Haiti. The account (96235619938) has been set up in the name of the Civil Defence Commission (CDC).

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When contacted on Thursday, CDC Director-General, Lieutenant-Colonel Kester Craig, told Guyana Times that when the account was checked last week, there were no funds. He noted that no further checks have been made to ascertain whether donations were made since then.

However, the CDC Head posited that there is no time limit as yet regarding how long the account will be kept open.
“The country is impacted, and they will always need support, so we don’t have a definite date when [the account] will close. So, it will remain open,” he stated.
The Office of the Prime Minister had said it would be working closely with civil society, the Private Sector, and other partners to quickly raise funds for a coordinated, substantial relief response to the affected people of Haiti.
The OPM had said that Guyana’s resolve to stand in solidarity with its Caricom brothers and sisters across the region in good and bad times remains steadfast.
“As we have done in the past, we will combine energies and resources to meet this latest humanitarian challenge to bring comfort and relief to our Haitian brothers and sisters as quickly as possible. We ask that Guyanese in the diaspora join our efforts to provide substantial relief through our collective response,” the statement detailed.
The earthquake has left over 2,000 persons dead, more than 12,000 injured, and hundreds of thousands of buildings as well as infrastructure in the southern region of Haiti destroyed. The country has also experienced at least 600 aftershocks since the mid-August quake.
The devastation was further compounded by flooding from Tropical Storm Grace. Hours after the earthquake, President Ali had a telephone conversation with Prime Minister of Haiti, Dr Ariel Henry, and the Chairman of Caricom (Caribbean Community), Gaston Browne, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, during which he assured them that the Government of Guyana would provide assistance to aid the relief and recovery efforts.
In addition, Guyana has been participating in special Caricom meetings to discuss the political and humanitarian situation in Haiti.
Only last Friday, one such meeting was held by the Bureau of Heads of Government of Caricom, at which Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Hugh Todd represented Guyana.
The Haitian Prime Minister updated regional leaders on the situation in the country, indicating that his Government was dealing with three priorities simultaneously. These are relief and reconstruction following the earthquake; the need for credible and transparent elections; as well as delivering justice through the complex investigation into the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.
Prime Minister Henry outlined the effects of the aftermath of the earthquake and the passage of Tropical Storm Grace, which affected the entire southern peninsula of the country on 16 August. He pointed out that the needs would be clearer after the Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA)is completed in five weeks.
The Haitian leader also commended CARICOM for its early moral and material support.
The Bureau was of the view that the Community must be at the forefront of ensuring that the Member State has a fresh start as it recovers from the extensive devastation of the three events. It noted, too, that the crisis presented a good opportunity to rebuild Haiti, and offered the assistance of the Community in those areas in which Member States have expertise, such as the elections process, judicial and investigative support for the inquiry into the death of President Moïse, and the restoration of the democratic institutions. Support was also offered with respect to curbing the crime and violence in Haiti.
A number of Member States have pledged financial donations to address the immediate needs of the country, and there has been agreement on the need for a sustained development effort over the long term to give Haiti a fresh start. The need for a robust and well-coordinated humanitarian response and vaccination effort was also highlighted. (G8)