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Building in Port-au-Prince after the January 12, 2010 earthquake. View IRD's photos from Haiti. Gallery I | Gallery II

UPDATE — March 12, 2010 — IRD has been awarded more than $6 million to help with transitional shelter, sanitation, and infrastructure in Leogane, Haiti.

- Latest News:IRD Awarded over $6 Million to Help Haitians Rebuild
- Voices from the Field: IRD's Blog on its Program Work
- All information about IRD's program work in Haiti

International Relief & Development (IRD) established a presence in Haiti on January 18, in order to provide emergency assistance in response to the 7.0-magnitude earthquake that struck Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas on January 12. The field team includes experts in rapid response and assessment, refugee camp management, infrastructure, and health, who are focusing their initial efforts on providing basic humanitarian aid, such as water, food, sanitation, medicines, and shelter materials.

IRD has made arrangements to ship and distribute medical supplies, antibiotics, anti-diarrhea medicines, oral rehydration salts, water purifiers, respirator masks, solar-powered lights, and additional humanitarian aid. To date, IRD has received more than $9.5 million worth of relief commodities.

IRD has received more than $200,000 in cash donations from individual and corporate donors. This money is being used to immediately purchase basic humanitarian aid for the people of Haiti, to implement IRD’s current shelter and sanitation programs, and to help cover airfreight and shipping costs to deliver commodities to Port-au-Prince.

IRD is concentrating its efforts in the Leogane district, the area closest to the earthquake’s epicenter with 90 percent destruction. Every resident of Leogane has been sleeping outside in makeshift shelters and completely relies on humanitarian organizations for food, water, and shelter. IRD is working with local Haitian partners in order to quickly distribute aid to those most in need. In addition, IRD is coordinating with local authorities and other humanitarian organizations to ensure each project is appropriate and effective.

While the immediate focus is on basic humanitarian relief efforts, IRD is also concerned with the long-term stability and reconstruction of Haiti. Civil stabilization and community development, including work on larger sanitation systems and water infrastructure, are the next focus of IRD’s efforts.

IRD has provided substantial emergency support to Haiti in the past. In advance of the 2009 hurricane season, IRD shipped more than $4 million dollars worth of oral rehydration salts and pharmaceuticals for people in Haiti. The previous hurricane season had left the Haitian people vulnerable to life-threatening diseases that rapidly spread with the consumption of contaminated water. The salts and pharmaceuticals were distributed by ADRA Haiti and Food For The Poor, and UNICEF Canada. IRD also distributed a shipment of shoes in Port-au-Prince in December 2009. World Vision donated the 1,200 pairs of shoes, worth $49,704, to IRD for shipment to Haiti through America’s Relief Team and Harvest International.

Cash contributions continue to be critical to the relief efforts in Haiti:

An estimated 3.5 million individuals have been affected by this disaster, and the number of deaths is expected to be at least 100,000. The IRD Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund has raised nearly $200,000 to help the people of Haiti. Those who wish to donate can also call 1-866-595-1100, or text REBUILD to 85944.

You can stay up-to-date on the latest Haiti Earthquake Relief Efforts by following us on Twitter @ird_relief, or become a fan of us on Facebook under the name International Relief and Development. You can also read more about the team's experiences in IRD's blog, Voices from the Field, or see the photo gallery of the assessment and the team's time in Haiti.

To request an interview, please contact Melissa Price at press@ird-dc.org or 571-366-1596.

Highlights
- School and Hygiene Kits for Haiti
- Give the Gift of Light
- 3/12/10 - IRD Awarded over $6 Million to Help Haitians Rebuild
- 2/25/10 - IRD Conducts Initial Infrastructure Assessment in Leogane, Haiti
- 2/20/10 - Improving Sanitation Before the Rainy Season
- 2/10/10 - IRD Provides Shelter for 1,000 Families in Leogane, Haiti
- 2/09/10 - Relief Team Works to Expand Assessment
- 1/22/10 - Remarks at IRD-wide Haiti meeting from Dr. Arthur B. Keys, IRD President and CEO
- 1/16/10 - Grateful for the Rescue of Former Staff and Friends, Saddened by Loss
- 1/15/10 - Providing Aid in a Challenging Environment
- 1/13/10 - IRD Sends Emergency Response Team to Haiti

Situation Reports
- White House Statement on Haiti 3/10/10 (external site)
- IRD Haiti Factsheet 2/24/10
- Haiti Earthquake OCHA Situation Report 22
- Haiti Earthquake USAID Factsheet 38
- Displacement and Population Figures