February 4th, 2010 update
HAITI DISASTER RELIEF THURSDAY February 4th, 2010 GREATER CARIBBEAN ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT FOUNDATION
The region of Gressier (southwest of Port-au-Prince at the epicenter of the quake and 80% destroyed), entrusted to us by the ministries of Haiti has now had one month's worth of water and food supplies delivered to most of the citizens including out lying rural areas through the GCEEF-Association ROME Haiti (a Haitian-registered, Haitian-run NGO devoted to medicine) joint effort. The medications and certain supplies to enhance the re-building of the Gressier Clinic, which will be the center of medical outreach and healing for the many needs of this Gressier community are arriving from the United Nations supplies in Port-au-Prince. Meanwhile an informal clinic including Haitian physicians are being held near the village green, and on alternate days by our staff who are still treating hundreds of patients per day in Port-au-Prince clinics. Dr. Thomas Powers is the Chief of Party on-the-ground team leader who is working with a series of other physicians both from the States & Haiti and Haitian nurses. Livio Valenti of our GCEEF team created a map with the villagers of all settlements including mountains so supplies could be delivered. Livio also mediated along with Dr. Tom, the disputes about who would be entrusted within the village to receive the supplies. A French NGO has helped in the exact distribution of water and food with a priest. Livio has coordinated relations and supplies with the United Nations World Food Program and UN Food and Agriculture Association since Jan 17 and has now gone via the UN in New York and Bangkok back to his FAO post in Cambodia. Relations are being established with World Vision and Lutheran Relief which we hope will result bringing more supplies and structures to the clinic and citizens of Gressier in the next few days. Stay tuned and help us if you can. We are planning for training of physicians, nurses, and medical intermediate level personnel since many of the medical educators were killed in the earth quake and there is an immediate need for more Haitian medical people both in the short and long run.
Contributions to help us get transport and equipment for physicians to give treatment to the injured can be sent to our web site on http://www.gceef.org/ and utilize our "donate" button. The contributions really go a long way to help all this effort and are all being used to finance physicians travel and supplies and equipment. There are matching medicines, volunteer labor and some matching airfares. Thanks for helping.