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Container for Haiti hurricane victims packed
Caricom Deputy Secretary-General Lolita Applewhaite greets John Fernandes Company Limited Marketing Representative Peter Peroune
Donations for the container being packed with relief supplies for Haiti’s hurricane victims were yesterday handed over to the CARICOM Secretariat.
Coordinated by the Secretariat’s Staff Association, the Haitian relief effort saw the CARICOM Youth Ambassadors of the Republic of Suriname, CARICOM Secretariat and its members of staff, the Rotary Clubs of Georgetown, Rotaract and the Guyanese business community providing donations.
The 20ft container contains relief supplies, including clothing, school and stationery supplies, food products, water, household items and toiletries, which were all donated.
Suriname’s Ambassador to CARICOM, Manorma Soeknandan, yesterday handed over the donations of the Youth Ambassadors of Suriname.
The much-needed relief supplies will be shipped free of cost to Haiti by Seaboard Marine through their local agent, John Fernandes Company Limited.
The container was also donated by John Fernandes.
Haiti, Cuba, Jamaica, The Bahamas, the Cayman Islands and the Turks and Caicos Islands have all experienced the ferocity of the hurricanes. However, Haiti took the hardest blow.
A recent estimate placed the death toll at 426 and the total agricultural losses were reportedly more than US$180 million.
Several CARICOM countries, including Jamaica and The Bahamas, rendered assistance to Haiti.
The effects of the tropical storms and hurricanes on the region were highlighted at the 14th Special Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM in Barbados on September 10 last.
The leaders discussed the situation and pledged support to Haiti and other CARICOM states affect by the hurricanes.
On Friday last, the Rotary Clubs in Guyana donated $1M to Haiti to assist in the relief efforts.
Assistant Governor Keith Williams said that the organization will also be shipping a consignment of drinking water to that country.
An appeal for help was made to Rotary Guyana by the organization’s counterparts in Haiti.
Haiti was struck by Tropical Storm Fay on August 15 and 16 last, by Hurricane Gustav on August 26 last, by Tropical Storm Hanna on September 1, and by Hurricane Ike on September 6 and 7.
Tens of thousands of homes were destroyed or damaged during the topical disasters, leaving persons homeless and hungry.
Several regional and international organizations have been mobilizing a response to the humanitarian crisis.
In a show of solidarity for people of Haiti, Secretary-General of CARICOM, Edwin Carrington, and other Community officials including CARICOM Assistant Secretary-General Foreign and Community Relations, Colin Granderson, visited Gonaives and Porte du Paix.
These were the two most affected areas within the hurricane-ravaged country.
The Secretary-General and his team also held discussions on relief and reconstruction efforts with the Prime Minister of Haiti, Duvivier Pierre- Louis.
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