14 January, 2010
NEW YORK. – Amid destruction, resulting from a 7.0-magnitude powerful earthquake that hard hit Haiti on January 12th, the Batey Relief Alliance (BRA) is already putting in place a collaborative relief effort to address immediate needs of the country’s population. Click HERE for more details.
Help for Haiti
BRA’s CEO, Ulrick Gaillard said that his organization’s short-term objective is to relieve immediate sufferings in the surrounding Port-au-Prince and SouthEast Department areas, including Jacmel. Their long-term plan, however, is to repair basic services, deliver sustainable healthcare and clean water, and provide training and economic opportunities to women.
BRA’s existing capacity in the region includes two fully functional medical centers in Southeast border of Haiti and in neighboring Dominican Republic’s batey, trained emergency response staff (medical, water, nutrition), availability of emergency supplies and food, agriculture staff for replanting and recovery efforts, water/sanitation experience, including well projects for border and batey populations, and duty free privileges with government for humanitarian deliveries into Haiti. “Our immediate focus is to work with the Haitian Diaspora and our strategic partners to channel support to where it is most needed and deliver emergency supplies,” added Gaillard.
But Gaillard cautioned that individual donations of in-kind goods to ship into Haiti, while they are important, are not the best approach at this time with almost all Haiti’s airports, ports and government offices shut down. BRA will use its DR headquarters to receive and purchase goods and transport them into Haiti by crossing the border.
Help Haiti. Donate alternatively. DONATE to Batey Relief Alliance.
BRA’s immediate need is to raise the most funds as possible. The organization encourages everyone from any part of the globe to visit its website at www.bateyrelief.org, click on DONATE NOW, and make a gift. For those who wish to mail in their checks, to make them payable to Batey Relief Alliance, P.O. Box 300565, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11230.
BRA’s CEO narrowly escaped tragedy
Gaillard traveled the week before the earthquake to Haiti for a post award meeting with USAID and to sign an agreement with Haiti’s Ministry of Health to operate a medical center at the border region (click HERE). “I left Port-au-Prince just one day before the earthquake. Had I posted my return, I would have probably not made it. But my heart breaks tremendously for the thousands who perished,” concluded Gaillard.
Contact BRA at bra@bkreative.net or (917) 627-5026.
