11 January, 2011
ANSE-A-PITRES, Haiti. – Fourteen years ago when the Batey Relief Alliance (BRA) launched its first international aid mission targeting the Dominican Republic’s sugarcane plantations rural “bateys”, it was to reactivate these communities via delivering the highest quality health services to medically-deprived and economically-disenfranchised populations plagued by extreme poverty, disease and hunger. Today, through BRA’s comprehensive development programs in Health and HIV/AIDS prevention/treatment, water/sanitation, agricultural/cooperative development and food security, and microcredit, more than 100,000 people are now actively involved in the socio-economic development of their communities.
On January 12, 2010, the most impoverished nation in the Western Hemisphere was hit by the region’s most devastating earthquake killing more than 300,000 people and leaving 1.5 million homeless, hungry and sick. In a swift response to the tragedy, BRA expanded its humanitarian effort to reach the already forgotten children and families and now thousands of internally-displaced people (IDP) in far-reached and economically-isolated quake-affected communities near the Southeastern border region with the Dominican Republic. BRA dispatched hundreds of volunteers, partnered with mission groups, and mobilized millions of dollars worth of medicines and relief supplies to deliver life-saving emergency aid to thousands of victims. “We responded to a tragedy that did not involve only the earthquake, but also of a proud people that has been for too long abandoned and disoriented in a circle of poverty,” said Ulrick Gaillard, BRA’s CEO.
To respond to the long-term need of 95,000 residents and the additional 10,000 IDP in the border communities of Anse-a-Pitres, Belle Anse, Thiotte and Grand Gosier severely affected by the quake, hurricane Tomas and now the cholera epidemic, BRA secured more than $1 million in grants from key partners like USAID, Direct Relief International, Public Services International, Breedlove Dehydrated, Americares/National Cancer Coalition, UNFI and individual donors to develop new programs in women’s economic empowerment, food security, preventive health and HIV/AIDS and Water/sanitation.
In collaboration with Haiti-based NGOs such as FONKOZE, Partners in Health and Catholic Medical Mission Board and other local groups, BRA installed a new water extraction/purification center; upgraded the local medical clinic; and mounted a Cholera Treatment Unit to control the spread of the epidemic and treat patients with the disease and other health problems; distributed emergency food to 64,800 people; and trained 600 women in finance management to obtain microcredit loans to rebuild their economically-shattered communities.
