Summary of Activities Related to the Rotary International Donor Advised Fund for Haiti Earthquake Relief
On Tuesday January 12, 2010 at 4:57 pm a devastating 7.0 earthquake ravaged Haiti at the centre of population, Port-au-Prince, and surrounding areas. The effects were felt throughout the country and resulted in an estimated 316,000 deaths, 1.2 million more homeless, still in tents, and 400,000 more orphans.
Rotarians in District 7020 and many other Districts stepped up within hours to assist due to the Satellite phone system that was part of their Disaster Preparedness Program. Coordinated by PDG Richard McCombe 169 flights were sent in with supplies as designated by Dr. Claude Surena, Chair of Disaster Relief in Haiti and for Rotary, and other Rotarians in Haiti. Also containers of supplies were sent in. Rotarians in The Bahamas, with Rotarians from Florida, coordinated the process of supplies to Haiti after the earthquake worth an estimated $18 million.
The Rotarians in the 19 Rotary Clubs in Haiti are to be commended for their exceptional efforts to help their communities. In order to assist the local Rotarians in their long term efforts a Donor Advised Fund for Haiti Earthquake Relief was set up at The Rotary Foundation as the account to raise funds and to coordinate long term rebuilding for Haiti. The four account holders of the DAF, RID John Smarge, PRIVP Eric Adamson, PRID Robert Stuart and PRID Barry Rassin, set the priorities for the fund as Children and schools, prosthetics and sustainable housing. They have worked with the Rotary Haiti Task Force with all projects.
The DAF has approved 9 matching grants, 12 non-funded projects and 78 funded projects.
The projects that have been funded are as follows:
A. Disease Prevention & Treatment
- Generator for a Super Kitchen (feeding 4,000 per day)
- Plumpy Nut for a school (Providing nutrition to children)
- Nutrition Unit for the mountains – Albert Schweitzer Hospital
- Cholera Prevention
- Immunizations for 2,000
- Biomedical Repairs to 4 hospitals
- Jaipur Limb Buildings and equipment and vehicle
B. Water & Sanitation
- 150 Wells
- 80 Water Tankers
- Water Reservoir – 200,000 gallons
- Toilets – 5 projects for 106 toilets
- Biosand Filters – 1,000
- Water Filters – 1,000
C. Maternal and Child Health
- Clinic for Mothers and Children
- Vehicle for midwives
- Midwife Training program
D. Basic Education and Literacy
- Building 40 schools
- Supplies to 22 schools
- Secondary teacher education program
- Art Training
- Computer training
- 29,526 children will be able to go back to school
E. Economic and Community Development
- Building three bridges to help communities to access civilization
- A Microcredit program
We have received assistance from Thousands of Rotarians and Rotary Clubs and Districts from 60 countries around the world. Up to this point in time we have received about $2.2 million into the DAF and have leveraged those funds to produce all the projects with a total input of funding for the rebuilding of Haiti of $6.5 million with NO funds going to administrative cost.
The Clubs in District 7020, the home of Rotary in Haiti, has funded about $750,000 worth of the projects and has assisted directly with 30 of the projects. The Rotary Foundation has been extremely helpful in coordinating matching grants with our DAF Committee as well as the Haiti Task Force while providing the nine related matching grants.
In addition to the above, since the earthquake The Rotary Foundation has provided a total of 49 matching grants with a value of $766,192 in cash and $723,302 in DDF for a total of $1,489,494.
What was accomplished by Rotary in Haiti has only been possible because of the generosity of Rotarians around the world from our own District to the other Caribbean Districts to the USA and to Japan and so many other countries. Truly Rotarians are dedicated to helping internationally when there is a need.
Barry Rassin
RI Director 2006-2008