Port au Prince/Cologne. – „Due to the soil erosion, our capital lacks a solid basement. The slums that were built on the hills were completely slipped off within the mudslides”, reports Eduard Aimé from Haiti. “Even the most solid buildings like the presidential palace, ministries or the cathedral were severely damaged”, Aimé continues.
At present, Malteser International is preparing the deployment of a medical team consisting of medical doctors and further medical experts from Germany and France in order to support local Malteser teams on the ground. “The colleagues in Haiti know very well that basic medical care and the provision of clean drinking water are matters of top priority now”, Ingo Radtke, Secretary General of Malteser International, explains. The emergency relief of Malteser International is coordinated within the worldwide international network of the Order of Malta.
For about 15 years already, the Order of Malta has been supporting a hospital in the north of Haiti, the poorest country in the Western hemisphere. The hospital provides 64 beds and has a children’s ward, a maternity unit, an outpatient department and a modern laboratory; it is the only hospital in the region.
The 7.0-magitude earthquake struck Haiti in the late evening on Tuesday, 12 January. According to the latest reports possibly hundreds of people were killed and thousands were injured and are homeless. The quake destroyed an unknown number of buildings and homes and caused significant damage to the infrastructure, roads and the communication system.
Attention editors: Ingo Radtke, Secretary General of Malteser International, is available for interviews (Contact: + 49 221 98 22 - 155)
Join our network of relief and donate:
Donation Account 2020122;
Pax-Bank Köln, von-Werth-Str. 25-27, D-50670 Köln, Germany,
Sort Code: 370 60 193; IBAN : DE93 3706 0193 0002 0201 22; BIC: GENODED1PAX
Reference : “Earthquake relief Haiti”
Or online at www.malteser-spenden.de
