Eight Weeks After Deadly Quake, Haitians Are Still Suffering

PADF-OAS-HUFH urge support to rebuild lives

WASHINGTON, March 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Eight weeks after the catastrophic earthquake that killed more than 230,000 people in Haiti, the Pan American Development Foundation and its partners renewed their call for financial support so they can help Haitians rebuild their homes and take care of their families. www.PanAmericanRelief.org

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"March 12 marks the eight-week anniversary of the quake. More than a million Haitians are homeless and urgently need our help," says Jimmy Jean-Louis, the actor and spokesperson for PADF's disaster relief and recovery efforts. "Please call toll free (877) 572-4484 to contribute to the relief and recovery efforts."

Jimmy Jean-Louis, who plays the "Haitian" on NBC's hit series "Heroes," is returning to his homeland on March 12 to participate in recovery efforts. It's his second trip since the devastating 7.0 quake. Immediately after Jan. 12, he spent a week in Haiti distributing relief supplies and assisting families.

To date, more than 300,000 people received food, water, shelter, medicine and other supplies from PADF and its partners thanks to individual, corporate and multilateral donations.

Although providing relief will continue for a few months, PADF and its partners Hollywood Unites for Haiti (HUFH) and the Organization of American States (OAS) have initiated recovery and reconstruction in key areas of Port-au-Prince. With additional funding, it would like to expand to the Southeast province.

Among key activities that PADF-OAS-HUFH are undertaking in Haiti:

Employment: Working with its network of community groups, 3,000 people are clearing rubble and cleaning streets in the capital. Haitians to earn money to support their families and help to rid the city of the debris that chokes a number of streets. It would like to expand the program to the communities in the Southeast province.

Supplies: PADF continues to distribute relief as the crisis continues.

House "tagging" & repair: Teams of structural engineers are being deployed to evaluate homes to determine if they are safe, need repair or should be demolished. Twenty thousand homes will be evaluated during three weeks. U.S. structural engineer and earthquake expert Kit Miyamoto and his team are training Haitian engineers to conduct the field work. For homes that need repair, PADF will provide guidelines and materials to make them safe.

"The goal is to move 70,000 people from these temporary camps into safe homes before the rainy season," says John Sanbrailo, PADF's executive director.

Individual and corporate donations to PADF-OAS-HUFH's Haiti relief, recovery and reconstruction efforts are encouraged by calling toll-free in the U.S. (877) 572-4484 or visiting www.PanAmericanRelief.org. Text HEAL to 50555 in the U.S. to donate $5.

About HUFH

Hollywood Unites For Haiti is a non-profit charitable aid organization based in Los Angeles that is lead by Jimmy Jean-Louis. www.hufh.org.

About the OAS

The Organization of American States (OAS) is the world's oldest regional organization and today is comprised of 34 countries from Latin America and the Caribbean. www.oas.org

About PADF

PADF is a non-profit organization established in 1962 to promote, facilitate, and implement social and economic development in Latin America and the Caribbean. In the past year, it had more than 5.6 million beneficiaries in 18 countries.

PADF is one of the largest non-governmental organizations in Haiti. With nearly three decades of work on the ground, PADF now manages a large portfolio of activities ranging from community-driven development to protecting human rights.

Its headquarters is in Washington, D.C., and has field offices in Haiti, Colombia, the Dominican Republic and elsewhere. www.padf.org

SOURCE Pan American Development Foundation