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GCAP National Coalitions respond to situation in Haiti
“It's amazing that this is happening to a people so poor and who have suffered so much, where scarcities are so huge and where there isn’t even any kind of leadership,” writes Magaly Pineda of GCAP Dominican Republic which has been involved with supporting neighbouring Haiti deal with the unfolding humanitarian disaster following last week’s earthquake.
“In addition to the disaster, chaos is huge and people are dying because there is no basic help to lift rubble, in a country where machines are rare,” she reports.
GCAP Coalitions across Latin America have responded to the crisis by lobbying their Governments to urgently send experienced rescue and medical teams to Haiti.
“Our Haitian brothers and sisters have told us that what they most need and what the civil society should demand of their governments is for them to show solidarity by sending heavy equipment and mobile hospitals to rescue and care for people and to start debris removal,” writes Humberto Jaramillo of GCAP Mexico.
“We must emphasize that the painful and dramatic accounts of our Haitian colleagues, as well as those of some journalists already in Puerto Principe, illustrate that the destruction of service infrastructure has been almost complete. These events coupled with extremely high rates of poverty, marginalization and inequality of Haitian society, have resulted in an unprecedented social and humanitarian emergency, in addition to the almost total disappearance of the Haitian State and Government, which in turn puts the autonomy and the right to self determination of Haiti at great risk.”
GCAP Coalitions will
continue to lobby Governments to ensure ongoing support for the relief effort
in Haiti as well as to ensure that the relief is reaching those who most need
it.
CALL TO URGENT ACTION FOR HAITI! WHAT YOU AND GCAP CAN DO
For more information on how to support the Haiti emergency relief efforts being lead by civil society groups in the Dominican Republic please contact info[at]whiteband.org
To sign a petition calling on Governments, the IMF, the World Bank and other bi-lateral creditors to cancel Haiti's so-called Debt go to http://one.org/international/actnow/haiti/
