World Vision - Haiti Earthquake Appeal

World Vision - Haiti Earthquake Appeal
Madeleine Wilson, member of World Vision's humanitarian and emergency affairs team

Hi, I'm Madeleine Wilson, a member of World Vision's humanitarian and emergency affairs team. I'd like to give an update on our response to the earthquake that struck Haiti on 12 January 2010. The 7.0 magnitude earthquake caused unprecedented devastation and destruction. The death toll is over 230,000 and 1.3 million people are homeless.

Thanks to your support World Vision has reached over 1.8 million people with food aid and lifesaving supplies in the three months following this disaster.

Working across 17 displacement camps, World Vision has set up health clinics to provide families with access to medical consultation and a basic level of care.

One hundred and sixty-eight latrines and 100 showers have been built.

Child-friendly spaces have been established to provide children a safe place to play, share their experiences and learn.

World Vision is also providing food, supplies and other services to people who have fled to rural areas seeking shelter and assistance.

I was deployed to the Haiti response for a month. In my time there I heard so many stories of pain, grief, loss and survival.

I would just like to say to the people of Australia, don't forget the needs in Haiti. I know that it's probably dropped out of the news, you're probably not seeing as much coming through the wires, but the needs here are absolutely phenomenal. Yesterday I drove through the city and it was like the scene of a movie that you could only imagine would be an end of the world movie.

But it's not the end of the world in Haiti. These people's lives are still going on and they need our assistance. I felt privileged to be able to work with and for the people of Haiti in their time of great need. World Vision has helped over 1.8 million people so far and yet there is still so much to be done.

We'd like to thank Clayton Utz for your support of World Vision's Haiti Earthquake Appeal. Know that every dollar will contribute to rebuilding from this tragic disaster.