Tag Archives: emergency relief efforts

Alternative Gifts International rallies Support for Haiti Partners!

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Message: For the poorest region of the western hemisphere the earthquake that struck Haiti 48 hours ago has added another ruthless blow to a civilization that was already struggling for survival. The 7.0 magnitude earthquake has left a trail of unimaginable destruction. Millions of people have lost their homes, countless are injured or feared dead.
The White House has already vowed to support relief efforts, and as expected the American Red Cross and UNICEF were some of the charitable agencies first on the scene. But for Haiti to recover from a disaster of this magnitude, it will take the collective effort of multiple agencies, large and small.
As with any global disaster people all over the world are asking what they can do to help. Lea McCloud, President of Alternative Gifts International (AGI), said, “We have received many emails from our “on the ground” partner agencies in Haiti. They’ve provided first hand accounts of the aftermath, and made requests for monetary donations to purchase water, food, medical supplies and clothing. So if you want to help them, the best way to do that is by donating whatever you can give to our Project 39.”
With five projects serving Haiti listed in their current catalog, AGI has much history there. Lea stated, “Our goals, while working with our Haiti partners, are to help the people of Haiti find sustainable ways to become self reliant—which is what they want. This disaster has set us back in that goal, but it will continue to be our strategy.” Through February 28th 2010 any funds donated to AGI’s Project 39 – Meeting Global Needs, will be designated to emergency relief efforts in Haiti.
For more information about Alternative Gifts International, or to donate, please visit www.alternativegifts.org, or call 1-800-842-2243
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Source: WEBWIRE

Flooding drives Somalis from their homes amid aid funding shortfall, warns UN

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Around 16,000 Somalis have been forced from their homes by severe flooding in the south of the strife-torn country, the United Nations humanitarian arm said today, while underscoring that a funding shortfall is hampering relief efforts.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that recent flooding has devastated areas of southern Somalia, damaging river embankments, collapsing latrines and contaminating shallow wells.

The forecast for the coming weeks predicts a moderate chance of further flooding, with OCHA devising a contingency plan to assist some 450,000 people in southern Somalia.

Despite the mounting humanitarian need in the Horn of Africa nation, there is a significant shortfall in funding for emergency relief efforts, stressed OCHA, noting that while the number of people needing aid had doubled, donations were down 40 per cent.

OCHA reported that to date, the Consolidated Appeal Process (CAP) for Somalia had received approximately $507 million, or 60 per cent of the $850 million requested for this year.

Somalia’s funding crisis also severely impacts the impoverished country’s health sector, which has only received 48 per cent of the $103 million it needs for 2009.

Within that amount, the World Health Organization (WHO) has requested almost $13 million, of which only $3.2 million – or less than a quarter – has been donated.

The lack of funding jeopardizes response to the many health risks in a country suffering from one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, WHO spokesperson Paul Garwood told reporters in Geneva.

WHO’s latest update on Somalia noted the growing number of diseases the Somali population suffers, including diarrhoea, some cases of cholera, suspected measles and acute respiratory infections.