October 2, 2008

ACDI/VOCA Distributes Food & Other Items to Hurricane-affected Communities in Southeast Haiti

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press contact: Perry Letson
Phone: (202) 879-0269
Email: pletson@acdivoca.org

PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI—OCTOBER 2, 2008—The United Nations recently reported that 657,105 Haitians were affected by the destruction of Hurricanes Fay, Gustav, Hanna and Ike in late August 2008. Within the Southeast Department where ACDI/VOCA manages a U.S. Agency for International Development PL 480 Title II food security program, the Direction of Civil Protection (DCP) estimated that 22,000 people were affected, especially in the communes of La Vallée, Bainet and Côtes de Fer.

An emergency survey revealed that affected families lost not only their homes, but also much of their livestock and crops which were nearing harvest. Many can no longer afford to feed their families. Coupled with escalating global food prices, the loss of agricultural production does not augur well for the region, nor the capital, Port-au-Prince, which relies on rural production to supply its food needs.

Up to two weeks after the catastrophe, these communes remained inaccessible due to damaged roads and flooded rivers. On September 18, a reconnaissance team from ACDI/VOCA and the Bureau of Nutrition and Development (BND), a local nonprofit organization and implementing partner of the food security program, arrived in La Vallée, Belle Anse and Bainet to assess the situation and provide humanitarian assistance. The mayor, local authorities and the DCP assisted the team to identify disaster-affected families.

Table 1 describes the breakdown of emergency distributions that took place from September 21–23, 2008. ACDI/VOCA and BND distributed an eight-day food ration of U.S. government-donated food provided through USAID along with hygiene kits, water purification tablets, plastic sheets and jerry cans (obtained through the International Organization of Migration (IOM) and UNICEF) to 1,124 families affected by the hurricanes. Additional distributions occurred in the town of Jacmel and in Côtes de Fer. The collection and distribution of provisions were coordinated by the United Nations Office Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA).

Beneficiary families were extremely grateful to the U.S.. During a distribution in La Vallée, Mrs. Jere, the grandmother in one of the impacted families, brought her 12-month-old granddaughter, Julienne, to receive assistance after they lost their home. The baby girl came to the distribution site with a piece of sugarcane which her grandmother had given her to ease the hunger. After receiving the food and other items, she wanted to convey the following message: “Thanks to the American people, I’ll be able to feed my granddaughter well today!”