Norwegian Church Aid's (NCA) Emergency Coordinator in Guatemala will travel to Haiti today. Three staff from the head office in Oslo will also arrive in country tomorrow afternoon.
The most pressing issues are to ensure access to safe water and protection of the local population, especially women and children who are especially vulnerable in this situation. We are coordinating our response with our international alliance, Action by Churches Together (ACT), and our partners on the ground, said Anne Kristin Sydnes, NCA's Director of Department of International Programmes.
NCA has an extensive program in Haiti, including a project in the slum areas where the earthquake has hit the hardest. The organisation is now working on sending a significant amount of emergency supplies, including water purification equipment and tents.
It is extremely tragic that the poorest country in the western hemisphere is again struck by a natural disaster. The country is not equipped to deal with an emergency of this scale and will be totally dependant on international assistance. NCA has worked through local partners in Haiti for over 20 years and will continue this work after the cameras are turned off, said Sydnes.
NCA works in Port-au-Prince, the area which has been hardest hit. We work with water, health, schools, youth and women in the slum areas. Our program is implemented through 6 Haitian partner organisations, three of which are especially skilled in assisting in disasters such as this.
NCA will send a team to Haiti on Wednesday to follow up on the emergency response. The team will be made up of two water and sanitation advisors, Luke Doktor and Manfred Arlt, and one of our communication advisors, Arne Grieg Riisnæs.
Contact
Anne Kristin Sydnes, Director Department for International Programmes, tlf +47 977 14 303
Johan Hindahl, Head of Division, tlf +47 93 24 24 62
Ingvild Skeie, Programme Co-ordinator Haiti and Dominican Republic, tlf +47 991 62 730
Arild Isaksen, Head of Division Emergency Preparedness, tlf +47 913 70 599
Henriette Bjerke, press contact, +47 932 42 491
Jorunn Strand Askeland, Press Contact, +47 93 242 463