Australians help raise $US1m for Haiti

• Plan International has raised $US1 million already for relief and rebuilding effort

• Plan communications and disaster staff available for interview on the ground in Haiti

• Plan's senior press officer blogging from on the ground in Haiti

• Plan in Australia disaster experts available for interview

Donate online to Plan's Haiti Earthquake appeal or call 13 7526 or +61-3-9672-3600

Plan International raises $1 million already for relief effort

CHILDREN’S charity Plan International has already raised $US1 million in emergency aid around the world to help the victims of the Haiti earthquake – but much more is needed.

The Australian office of Plan International has raised more than $A100,000 of that amount from generous donations from the Australian public, with more donations coming in and yet to be counted.

The first wave of the operation will provide water, food, hygiene packs and counselling to children and adults in the various makeshift camps in Port-Au-Prince, Jacmel and other quake-affected regions of the devastated Caribbean island.

However, a lack of information about the situation of children continues to represent a major cause for concern. Children are without doubt among the most vulnerable group in this situation. Expert estimates suggest that 46 per cent of Haiti’s nearly 10 million people are under 18 years of age.

Plan International’s Director of Humanitarian Response & Disasters, Roger Yates said the money would save the lives of children in the region.

“The situation out there is utterly beyond anyone’s imagination. The needs of the children and their parents are immediate and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future,” he said.

“Fortunately Plan has a lot of local knowledge, having worked in Haiti for more than 35 years, so we are in a strong position to help communities survive, recover and rebuild.

“This new money will be a real help but it’s vital everyone gives what they can as the need will be far greater in the coming weeks and months.”

Plan will be focusing on helping and protecting vulnerable children from threats such as abuse and trafficking, and working with communities in recovery to support them in keeping children safe and protected and to ensure that their special needs for food, shelter, play, education and protection are factored in from the very outset of relief efforts.

Plan Haiti Director Rezene Tesfamariam, speaking from amidst the chaos, said it was a race against time to save people trapped under the rubble.

“There are people still alive underneath - you can hear them crying for help, but time is running out. It is beyond the means of individuals to reach them,” he said. "As part of my work I have been travelling round the city to find out where we can provide assistance and I see dead bodies lying in the street everywhere.”

Plan, which has been in the country since 1973, is working closely with government, emergency services and other organisations to respond to the immediate needs of children in the region and to assess the situation.

Plan staff reported severe damage in Jacmel and Croix-des-Bouquets, two of the areas where it operates.

Plan’s Australian office is appealing for funds to help protect children and provide the help and support they will need.

“Our priority is assisting children and their families and getting people at risk into safe accommodation wherever possible. Easing the emotional damage, which is not as obvious, will be very important, as will ensuring child protection,” says Plan in Australia’s chief executive Ian Wishart.

Donate online to Plan's Haiti Earthquake appeal or call 13 7526 or +61-3-9672-3600

Plan staff available for interview on the ground in Haiti

Senior Plan International communications and disaster staff are currently in Haiti and available for interview.

Senior press officer Stuart Coles is available for interviews and is also sourcing unique stories to provide to the media.

Plan Haiti Country Director Rezene Tesfamariam, who was in the country when the earthquake struck, is available for interviews.

Plan disaster expert Dr Unni Krishnan is on the ground in Haiti and available for interview. He has extensive experience of earthquake response in India, Iran, China and Kashmir and work in Haiti, and is an acknowledged expert in psychosocial support

To organise interviews with any of the above people, contact:

Steve Theobald
Media and Public Relations Manager
Plan Canada
T: +416-920-1654 ext 211
M: +416-568-6525
Email: Steve.theobald@plan-international.org

Plan's senior press officer blogging on the ground in Haiti

Plan International Senior Press Officer Stuart Coles is blogging while in Haiti. Media may quote from his blog. Read about Stuart's experiences of responding to the disaster as part of Plan's team.

Plan in Australia disaster experts available for interview

Plan International Australia has two disaster experts available for comment:

Disaster Manager Rohan Kent
Rohan is in contact with all key staff in Haiti and the regional office in Panama and is completely across the situation from hour to hour. He is available for interview.

Child protection in Emergencies specialist Amalia Fawcett
Amalia is a specialist in the unique threats and dangers that children face in a disaster situation. She was recently deployed to Samoa after the tsunami to train local NGOs in how to protect children in the aftermath of the disaster. She can give a unique perspective on how Plan will be responding to protect children in Haiti. Amalia is available for interview.

To speak to either Rohan or Amalia, contact:

David Cook
Media Officer
Plan International Australia
Mobile: 0448 816 900
Email: David.cook@plan.org.au

OR

Megan Brown
Communications Manager
Plan International Australia
Mobile: 0411 035 388  Work: 03 9672 3656
Email: megan.brown@plan.org.au

ENDS

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IMPORTANT NOTES

• Stuart Coles will soon have stories, footage and photographs from Haiti available for media use.

• Plan, has operated in Haiti for 37 years and currently has projects in the following areas: Beudet, Cayes-Jacmel, Croix-des-Bouquets, Dolney, Fort-Liberté, Frères, Jacmel, Lavallée, Ouanaminthe, Trou-du-Nord.

• Children will be the hardest hit by this disaster. Homes and schools have been destroyed. Children are still trapped under rubble while others are wandering the streets traumatized.

ENDS