Note: The following appeal is now closed. You can support our ongoing work by donating to the Canadian Red Cross Fund.
Through the generous support of Canadians, as well as corporate and provincial government donations, over $4.2 million was raised to support this operation.
In early October 2016, Hurricane Matthew, a powerful tropical storm, brought widespread destruction across the Caribbean. One of the worst impacted countries was Haiti, where the hurricane flattened entire communities and destroyed critical health infrastructure.
Red Cross emergency response in Haiti
With support from the Government of Canada and generous donors from across the country, the Canadian Red Cross deployed its
mobile Emergency Field Clinic and 44 humanitarian specialists to help support hard-hit communities in Haiti.
Working in collaboration with the French Red Cross and Haitian Red Cross (HRC), mobile medical teams travelled to 29 isolated, hard-to-reach villages where health facilities were either destroyed or overwhelmed following the hurricane. More than 3,500 people received critical medical care, including 960 children under the age of five, during the three-month operation.
Recovery
Three years after the hurricane, the Red Cross has completed the rehabilitation of three clinics and the construction of a new clinic in communities that were heavily impacted by the hurricane. These clinics have all received medical supplies and equipment that will contribute to an improved quality of care. The local health system is also being strengthened through the provision of training for both Ministry of Health staff and Haitian Red Cross volunteers on infection control, psychosocial first aid and how to manage complications during pregnancy. In order to ensure that vulnerable communities are better equipped to deal with disease and health risks in future emergencies, 75 HRC volunteers received First aid training, and at the community level, 21,728 people were sensitized on hygiene and how to prevent epidemics and transmission of disease. In addition, mosquito nets and water filters were distributed to 8549 households in order to help prevent the transmission of disease.
Finally, livelihoods are being rebuilt through the provision of seeds and training for farmers as well as training for fisherman through partnership with the Swiss Red Cross. In addition, sustainable income generating opportunities for impacted people are provided through a partnership with Entrepreneur du Monde. Project participants (beneficiaries) receive training in entrepreneurship, financial management, and are enabled to start businesses selling high quality and efficient solar lamps and improved cookstoves. The Canadian Red Cross provided the first stock for 75 individuals, who have not only been able to improve their livelihoods but are making high quality energy products available in traditionally.
Updated: October 2019