Responding to the Haiti Disaster: An Update

Following the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, Jewish Federation-supported JDC swiftly coordinated relief efforts with its network of Israeli, American and local Haitian partners on the ground. With your support more than $5.5 million was raised to aid the victims of the Haiti earthquake. Please see this brief video that highlights JDC's work in Haiti.

We are committed to laying a solid foundation for Haiti's future. Through JDC, we continue to provide relief services for Haiti's most vulnerable populations, including the displaced, children, and the injured. JDC is also reserving a part of its Haiti relief resources for longer-term projects that alleviate poverty and promote healing and development.

Current activities include:

• Food: JDC-supported efforts are feeding injured Haitians and their families and getting milk convoys to children in areas hardest hit by the quake.
   
• Water: Clean water is essential to keeping victims alive and preventing outbreaks of disease. JDC is sponsoring 115 water tanks and other water supply projects that will ensure clean drinking water for hundreds of thousands of quake victims living in tent camps.
   
• Shelter: JDC funding provided shelter kits containing a family tent, tarp, a hammer and nails, and other essential items for displaced families.
   
• Medical Aid and Supplies: JDC helped equip a field hospital and continues to ensure that doctors, nurses, and medicines reach quake victims in Port-au-Prince and in periphery locations such as Leogane and Jacmel where relief has been slow to reach. With JDC support, a series of shipments that began within days of the disaster put mattresses, blankets, tents, and much-needed medical supplies in the hands of local residents.
   
• Education: To engage and provide psychosocial support for children in tent camps, JDC is funding 10 temporary schools, with instruction by Haitian teachers and university students.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle is proud to be able to respond quickly to emergencies through our international network of partners and through our everyday focus on meeting Jewish philanthropic needs quickly and efficiently when they arise.