City To Donate Funds To Haiti Emergency Relief

City to Donate Funds to Haiti Emergency Relief

The City of Sydney will donate up to $175,000 to help the victims of the Haiti earthquake.

An earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Ritcher Scale devastated Haiti on Tuesday 12th January 2010 and latest news reports estimate up to 150,000 lives have been lost.

Council held an extraordinary meeting this morning and agreed to provide $100,000 to the humanitarian organisation Mdecins Sans Frontires, which is offering emergency medical assistance to the victims of the Haiti earthquake. With 400 projects in around 60 countries, the City will be directing its donation towards Mdecins Sans Frontires Australia's pool of general funds to allow the organisation to respond to various humanitarian crises around the world.

Another $10,000 will help the Exodus Foundation's Overseas Disaster Resources to meet the cost of transporting containers of urgently needed items requested by Haitian organisations to Haiti from Sydney. The remaining $40,000 and up to $25,000 in in-kind support will be directed to funding local community-based organisations and other charities already on the ground in Haiti.

"This disaster has impacted countless lives in Haiti and it's important the City of Sydney shows leadership and compassion to our world neighbours in this time of tragedy," said Lord Mayor Clover Moore MP.

"We hope the City's donation will help support the rescue and aid mission and long term recovery in Haiti, which was already the poorest and most underdeveloped nation in the Americas."

Mdecins Sans Frontires was already based in Haiti running three programs providing emergency obstetric care, trauma surgery and other medical services. All three medical facilities were damaged in the earthquake and the organisation suffered casualties amongst its staff. The international humanitarian organisation is expanding operations in Port-au- Prince and surrounding areas to respond to the serious urgent medical situation.

The City is also encouraging members of the public and staff to donate to organisations on the ground in Haiti including those involved in long-term development and recovery. Konbit Pou Ayiti (KONPAY - Creole for `Working Together for Haiti'), established in 2004 to focus on Haitian solutions to environmental, social and economic problems, is one such organisation still operational in Haiti. More information on its response to the earthquake and making donations is available from its website www.development.konpay.org

Media Contact:
City of Sydney: Leanne Lincoln 9265 9910 or 0434 320 768
[email protected]

Mdecins Sans Frontires Australia: Sally McMillan 8570 2611 or 0447 482 379
[email protected]


SOURCE: City of Sydney