Sam Worthington is quoted in this article about the financial crisis in Greece.

InterAction President Samuel A. Worthington issued the following statement today in response to the funding bill approved by the House Appropriations State, Foreign Operations Subcommittee on Wednesday.

InterAction's FY2013 Recommendations

Samuel Worthington is quoted in this article about the upcoming raining season and its consequences in Haiti. 

This week's update includes:

• An analysis of the Sudan Peace, Security, and Accountability Act of 2012 in the House;
• A list of upcoming hearings;
• Summaries of Senate hearings on Sudan and South Sudan, and on the USAID FY2013 budget request; and
• A list of recommended articles from this week.

In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of humanitarian responses where cash has been used to help facilitate shelter & housing reconstruction.

Joel Charny is mentioned in this article recommending that Indian government provide refugee status to the Chin people from western Burma, so they may have access to humanitarian assistance.  

On March 1, 2012 AKF USA and the Mott Foundation hosted an event with 45 philanthro

(Washington, D.C.) — In Seeking Refuge: The Chin People of Mizoram State, India, the report authors and a coalition of supporting coalitions, faith based groups, and refugee and humanitarian organizations, encourage the central government of India and Mizoram State to respond to the protection and humanitarian crisis of up to 100,000 Chins in Mizoram State, India.

Joel Charny is quoted in this article donations to the famine in Somalia.  

Audio is available at: http://www.theworld.org/2012/02/us-somalis-trying-to-help-people-back-home/

In November 2010, the Protection Working Group at InterAction issued a series of papers documenting an array of issues affecting the lives of Haitians made even more vulnerable by the 2010 earthquake. The papers set forth a number of recommendations calling on interested parties to ensure that all steps taken in rebuilding Haiti would uphold and restore lives with safety, dignity and rights.

In November 2010, the Protection Working Group at InterAction issued a series of papers documenting an array of issues affecting the lives of Haitians made even more vulnerable by the 2010 earthquake. The papers set forth a number of recommendations calling on interested parties to ensure that all steps taken in rebuilding Haiti would uphold and restore lives with safety, dignity and rights.

The solutions put forth in this document are not  the position of InterAction.

This report highlights three examples of Episcopal Relief & Development’s disaster response work from the past year, putting the organization’s activities in the context of different stages on the “disaster cycle.”  Episcopal Relief & Development supports local Church and ecumenical partners as they assist the most vulnerable in

Two Years After Haiti Earthquake, International Medical Corps Continues Cholera Response and Disaster Preparedness Programs, But Commitment From Donors Still Critically Needed

InterAction CEO, Samuel Worthington addresses the progress of funding for Haiti aid two years after the quake.

Written by Tawana Jacobs, InterAction's Associate Director of Public Relations.

The UN’s integration policy requires the close alignment of all objectives and activities of UN entities, including its humanitarian bodies, to achieve political ends. This is fundamentally incompatible with the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence -- all essential to operating safely in situations of armed conflict and other political violence.

Country ownership empowers and supports effective states and citizens to take responsibility for their own development, using local systems and resources to build capacity and create change in communities that they are committed to sustaining.

Fact sheet on Mercy Corps' program in Haiti.

The Busan Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation is the outcome document of the 4th High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, held November 29 - December 1, 2011 in Busan, South Korea.

InterAction News Release:

U.S. NGO alliance InterAction welcomes a new agreement aimed at improving the effectiveness of aid, but said the new rules must be binding for those who endorsed it at a high-level summit in South Korea this week.

Sam Worthington quoted in news story published by multiple media outlets including Germany's Greenpeace magazine.

Episcopal churches are at the forefront of Hurricane Irene/Tropical Storm Lee response efforts in a number of communities.
 

Humanitarian groups are increasingly worried about the looming budget cuts in U.S. foreign assistance. They argue that lives are at stake in places like the Horn of Africa, which is suffering its worst drought in decades.

Raising public and private money for that crisis been a challenge in the current economic environment.

InterAction is an alliance of international NGOs and more than 50 of our members are responding to the crisis in the Horn of Africa, including groups such as Save the Children, World Vision and Catholic Relief Services.

Read about flood recovery in Minot, North Dakota, and athletes in Wisconsin, Hawai'i and Oregon who raised awareness and support for Episcopal Relief & Development.
 

USAID and the AdCouncil have launched a campaign to raise awareness about the drought in the Horn of Africa where more than 13.3 million people are in crisis.

Members of Episcopal Relief & Development's Partners in Response team will travel to the flood-affected dioceses of Vermont and Albany, to visit impacted congregations and support recovery planning.

This PowerPoint presentation highlights Global Links' work in Haiti.

Steinberg's remarks are titled, "Delivering Effectivev Development Assistance in a Changing Global Landscape."

During the first day of InterAction's 2011 Forum, InterAction was joined by the UN's Valerie Amos and USAID's Don Steinberg at a media roundtable on the Horn of Africa.

When lawmakers in the U.S. Congress began discussing how much foreign aid to give Middle East countries in 2012, their own debt crisis loomed large. Republicans in the House of Representatives proposed big cuts in overall American commitments.

InterAction continues to monitor the situation in the Horn of Africa and advocate for the needs of the over 12 million people who have been affected by the drought that has engulfed the region.

InterAction President and CEO Sam Worthington is quoted.

Famine has been declared in parts of Middle Shabelle, IDP settlements along the Afgooye Corridor, parts of Mogadishu hosting IDPs, Lower

This is the Spanish translation of a report presenting findings and analysis from the 2010 Keystone Partner Survey, carried out with 25 international NGOs based in Europe and the US. It summarizes the views of over 1,000 southern partners who work with them.

InterAction condemns the alleged staging of an immunization campaign in Pakistan by the U.S. government in order to gather information for counterterrorism purposes

With famine now declared in two regions of Southern Somalia and malnutrition rates at emergency levels in arid and semi-arid regions across the Horn of Africa, nearly 720,000 children are at risk of death without urgent assistance. 

In this hard-hit country, Relief International staff are busy saving lives and sustaining livelihoods by rehabilitating primary health care facilities, training health care professionals and providing essential nutrition services to those who need it most.

Cash, food and water programs will help thousands in desperate need. Agency calls for increased support from the U.S. and the international community.

East Africa is facing the worst drought since the 1950s. The drought has withered crops, killed cattle and led to massive increases in food prices.

Sam Worthington radio interview: Millions of Somalis are mired in a deep humanitarian crisis that is now driving thousands of refugees over the border to Kenya daily.

With the danger of widespread famine in the Horn of Africa increasing daily, Lutheran World Relief is rushing $500,000 for an immediate response to this unfolding humanitarian crisis.

As more than ten million men, women and children face hunger and life-threatening health consequences from the worst drought to hit the Horn of Africa in 60 years, International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) is responding with aid to relieve victims of the worst food shortage crisis in the world today. 

International Medical Corps’ Emergency Response Team (ERT) has deployed to the Dolo Ado refugee camps in the Somali Region of Ethiopia, where the worst drought crisis in 60 years is creating a potential humanitarian crisis.  

With the crisis in Somalia today declared a famine by the FSNAU and FEWSNET, the Somalia NGO Consortium (representing 78 agencies working in Somalia) urgently calls on the international community to act now to respond to this catastrophe.

This year marks the driest period in the Eastern Horn of Africa region since 1995, with the lowest level of rainfall in more than 50 years.
 

The Christian Reformed World Relief Committee (CRWRC) is rapidly expanding its current drought response to meet a vastly increased need for food and other aid in the Horn of Africa after two failed rainy seasons in the past 12 months.

CHF International is pleased to report that rain has, at long last, fallen in the far eastern regions of Ethiopia.

Female refugees fleeing conflict and hunger in East Africa are facing another threat: rape and sexual violence.

Severe drought in East Africa has left people across the region struggling to survive. 

As the UN declares famine in two regions of Somalia, and warns of others to follow, World Vision is calling on the international community to scale up efforts to seek assurances from the various armed groups regarding safe humanitarian access so it can increase support to the South Central region where millions of children are in urgent need of food and assistance.

An estimated 10 million people in the Horn of Africa are in urgent need of assistance as drought-like conditions threaten to push populations into a devastating nutritional crisis, warns humanitarian organization ACTION AGAINST HUNGER | ACF INTERNATIONAL.

Food insecurity remains at emergency levels across parts of the Horn of Africa, famine has been declared in two regions of Southern Somalia. Humanitarian organizations are struggling to cope with the influx of Somali refugees in Ethiopia and Kenya. Malnutrition and mortality rates are alarmingly high in many parts of the region.

Today’s declaration by the United Nations of famine in Somalia makes official what aid agencies have been seeing for nearly a year – severe drought and the world’s worst food crisis has put 10 million people in desperate need of assistance and donor countries are not doing nearly enough to avert disaster, save lives and protect livelihoods.

The United Nations is expected to officially declare famine in parts of southern Somalia tomorrow (Wednesday, July 20), marking a new phase in a crisis that has affected the East Africa region.

The worst drought in 60 years has hit East Africa, leaving 11 million people malnourished and sick. It’s estimated that 30 to 40 percent of the children are suffering from acute malnutrition. Portland-based Medical Teams International is sending in the first of two teams to help beginning this week.

On Capitol Hill next week, the House Foreign Affairs Committee is holding a markup hearing of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 2012 on Wednesday, July 20 at 10:00am in room 2172 of the Rayburn House Office Building. Check for other upcoming hearings in the Update below.

Samuel A. Worthington writes about the prospective 2012 U.S. presidential candidates who want to limit our engagement abroad and  those lawmakers who propose  cuts to the 2012 foreign affairs budget have forgotten a basic budgeting rule.

InterAction watched with interest this week President Obama’s speech on troop levels in Afghanistan. With much of the attention centered on the aspects of the security transition, the face of long-term development in Afghanistan remains to be seen. In testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday Secretary of State Hillary Clinton noted that the U.S.

InterAction News Release: Members of Congress and U.S. NGOs announce the need to integrate global development and environmental policies with the launch of InterAction's new policy paper titled "The Nature of Development," which calls for alignment of the two issues in order to improve the effectiveness of U.S. foreign policy investments.

Episcopal Relief & Development is supporting disaster-impacted dioceses as they transition from emergency relief to long-term recovery. 

 Almost six years ago at the Gleneagles Summit, the G8 promised to increase overseas aid by US$50 billion by 2010, with $25 billion of it going to Africa. But today, the G8 have failed to deliver on their aid promises to the world’s poor.

This week, House Appropriations Chair Hal Rogers (R-KY) announced a disappointing FY2012 subcommittee allocation for State, Foreign Operations that continues the radically downward trend in spending for international affairs begun in FY2011.

When representatives of the Florida Marlins and Waste Management walked into Inspiration Village in Malfety, Haiti, last week, the residents greeted them with marching bands, dancers and words of deep gratitude. Hundreds of men, women, and children gathered in front of the community center to thank the team that raised funds and awareness to build much-needed housing.

Arthur Keys, President and CEO of IRD stated today: "I was concerned when reading a Washington Post article by its Afghanistan reporter Rajiv Chandrasekaran which inaccurately portrayed the situation on the ground in Afghanistan with c

Although Congress is in recess this week, there were several pertinent hearings from last week whose summaries we did not include in the April 15 edition of the Weekly Update. Among these are an April 11 Commission on Wartime Contracting hearing regarding NGOs and Provincial Reconstruction Teams operating in Afghanistan.

Yesterday, the compromise FY2011 full-year appropriations bill (HR 1473) passed through Congress, with a 260-117 vote in the House of Representatives and an 81-19 vote in the Senate. President Obama will sign the bill sometime today.

InterAction's G8/G20 Task Force applauds the work of the G20 leaders to enhance financial inclusion by increasing access to financial services by low-income people. Improving the range and quality of financial services available to previously excluded individuals strengthens their ability to secure and increase their financial assets.

Facts and figures to support the 2011 Sphere Handbook: Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Humanitarian Response.

InterAction is continuing to monitor the humanitarian situation in West Africa resulting from post-electoral violence in the Ivory Coast.

Updated information is available on InterAction member projects and education sector activities in Haiti as of March 2011.

Blog on Reuters' AlertNet by InterAction president and CEO, Samuel A. Worthington, on why giving either restricted or unrestricted funds during a disaster helps. The article is in response to a Reuters blog advocating unrestricted giving only.

Japan continues to reel from the multiple disasters triggered by last Friday’s massive earthquake near its northeast coast. The media attention following this disaster has brought about a compassionate response from Americans. InterAction has developed guidelines on the most appropriate ways to help those affected by overseas disasters.

New information, as of March 17, 2011, updating the sector and program lists for InterAction members working in Haiti.

As published in the Wall Street Journal on March 17, 2011: InterAction, an umbrella group for U.S. relief agencies active abroad, advises donors to give to agencies with partner organizations in Japan that would be best placed to spend funds wisely. It says there is minimal need at this stage either for donated goods or throngs of foreign volunteers.

Cash allows relief organizations to get exactly what they need quickly without having to worry about transportation, staff time, and warehouse space. 

Japan is a wealthy, industrialized nation, renowned for preparing for disasters. But the devastation from last week’s earthquake and tsunami has proved to be too much for even Japan. The scenes of destruction and human misery are provoking a worldwide urge to act, but what is the best response?

A massive earthquake has hit Japan triggering a deadly tsunami and raising warnings of more tsunamis across the Pacific basin. Save the Children is mobilizing its global resources to respond to the needs of children and families affected by the earthquake and its aftermath, and an international emergency team has been dispatched to assist staff in Japan.

InterAction statement on crisis in Libya, March 1, 2011

InterAction's G8/G20 Task Force released a 2011 G20 Summit Policy Paper entitled G20 Must Increase Its Fight Against Corruption earlier last week.

In past years, the State Department and foreign operations appropriation bill has passed with strong bipartisan support, often by an overwhelming margin. Members of both parties have understood how important diplomacy and development are—not only to U.S.

House of Representatives’ "Continuing Resolution (CR) Extension" bill for the rest of fiscal year 2011ignores the recommendations of military and business leaders and prioritizes relatively miniscule short-term budget savings over long-term security, prosperity and fiscal health.

"If you don't want to use military force any more than you have to, count me in. State Department, USAID, all of these programs, in their own way, help win this struggle against radical Islam. The unsung heroes of this war are the State Department officials, the [Department of Justice] officials, and the agricultural people who are going out there."

“We estimate that between 2005 and 2010, nearly half a billion people escaped extreme hardship, as the total number of the world's poor fell to 878 million people. Never before in history have so many people been lifted out of poverty in such a short period.”

Save the Children's assessment of Pakistan six months after the flooding.

“When I took office a year ago, the development community made clear if the United States was to play a leading role in international development, USAID would have to be strengthened and empowered with certain authorities that have been stripped from the agency over the course of decades. We heard you.”

In one of recent history’s worst natural disasters,
your support saved and rebuilt countless lives.

The campaign proposes a Ten-point checklist of Ten Essentials for Making Cities Resilient to serve as a guide for commitment by Mayors.

One year progress report from InterAction member Solar Cookers International on work done in Haiti since the January 12, 2010, earthquake.

An entry on USA Today's "Kindness" blog about projects that have been ongoing in Haiti since the January 12, 2010, earthquake, and ways that people can still help.

Article from NPR's website on a cash-for-work program in Haiti funded by InterAction member Catholic Relief Services after the January 12, 2010, earthquake.

U.S. government fact sheet on moving from humanitarian relief to reconstruction in Haiti since the January 12, 2010, earthquake.

One year progress report by InterAction member US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) on their activities in Haiti since the January 12, 2010, earthquake.

In response to the devastating 7.0 earth-quake that hit Haiti on January 12, 2010, USAID/OFDA selected CHF International to implement the “Community Livelihoods and Economic Assistance through Rubble Re-moval and Shelter” program.

InterAction member IRD's report on activities they've completed in Haiti in the year since the January 12, 2010, earthquake.

The $20,744,144 Food For The Poor raised for Haiti emergency earthquake relief had been spent entirely on those efforts by the end of October. The funds were used for purchasing food and other critical items that were not donated, as well as for shipping containers of relief to the country.  

Transcript of an interview of InterAction's president and CEO, Sam Worthington, and the State Department's Special Coordinator for Haiti, Thomas Adams, on the way forward in Haiti after the one year anniversary of the earthquake on January 12, 2010.

Transcript of a U.S. Department of State Special Briefing on Haitian food security from January 7, 2011.

InterAction member Oxfam's report in January 2011 on what is needed for good governance in Haiti after the January 12, 2010, earthquake.

InterAction member Handicap International's one-year report on work done in Haiti since the January 12, 2010, earthquake.

A document released by InterAction member Oxfam in January 2010, after the earthquake that devastated Haiti, with their recommendations on reconstruction.

One-year progress report by InterAction member Action Aid on their work in Haiti since the January 12, 2010, earthquake.

An op-ed in the Miami Herald by UNICEF's Anthony Lake on the progress made in Haiti so far despite the challenges since the January 12, 2010, earthquake.

An article on AlertNet about InterAction member Oxfam's criticism of the recovery effort so far from the January 12, 2010, earthquake in Haiti.

The World Conference on Disaster Reduction was held from 18 to 22 January 2005 in Kobe, Hyogo, Japan, and adopted the present Framework for Action 2005-2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters (here after referred to as the “Framework for Action”).

The Sphere Project is a programme of the Steering Committee for Humanitarian Response (SCHR) and InterAction with VOICE and ICVA. The project was launched in 1997 to develop a set of universal minimum standards in core areas of humanitarian assistance.

Joint press statement released by InterAction and 38 of its members on January 10, 2011, regarding the reconstruction in Haiti leading up to the one year anniversary of the earthquake in Port-au-Prince.

Highlights of InterAction Members’ Work in Haiti

Article from the Miami Herald on fundraising for Haiti after the January 12, 2010, earthquake. InterAction's president and CEO, Samuel A. Worthington, was interviewed.

One year progress report from InterAction member United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) after the January 12, 2010, earthquake in Haiti.

One year progress report from InterAction member the American Red Cross after the January 12, 2010, earthquake in Haiti.

The 7.0 magnitude earthquake during the afternoon of January 12, 2010, forced an estimated 2.3 million Haitians to leave their homes and establish the hundreds of spontaneous settlements around the country. In addition to the buildings and homes destroyed, the country’s government, economic and transportation infrastructures were devastated.

The January 12, 2010, earthquake brought the educational system in Haiti to a screeching halt, affecting
approximately 2.5 million children. According to the Post Disaster Needs Assessment conducted by the
government of Haiti, sector damages and losses amounted to over $477 million and will require more than

InterAction member Oxfam's one year progress report on Haiti since the January 12, 2010, earthquake. 

Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC) has continued to support Haiti through the Haiti Out-of-School Livelihood Initiative (locally known as IDEJEN). We started this project in 2003 and it has recently transitioned into a local NGO.

Chapter Two of Bread for the World's 2011 Hunger Report examines country-led development and advocates for the United States to incorporate this principle into all of its foreign aid programs, as it has with the Feed the Future Initiative. 

An article in Forbes on the dangers of using entirely foreign contractors to rebuild Haiti.

One year after Haiti earthquake, Habitat’s recovery program has benefited nearly 24,000 families through emergency, transitional and permanent housing solutions. Work continues toward serving 50,000 families over next five years.

The people of Southern Sudan are a little more than one month away from casting their votes in a referendum on whether to remain part of Sudan or become an independent state. The referendum is the most significant milestone in a six-year interim period that began with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005.

•Largely unnoticed outside the region, the Sudanese states of Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile have begun the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA)–mandated process of popular consultation, which permits Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile to either adopt the CPA as the final settlement between the two states and the Government of Sudan (GoS) or renegotiate the CPA to remedy any shortcoming

Sudan’s north-south civil war was the longest conflict in African history and claimed more than two million lives. In 2005, the United States played a critical role in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) ending that conflict and setting forth a roadmap for sustainable peace. Despite many lapses and some tragic violence, the agreement has held.

On 24 September 2010, the United Nations Secretary-General convened a high-level meeting on Sudan to mobilize international support for the Sudanese parties’ full and timely implementation of the final phase of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), including the referenda on the self-determination of the people of Southern Sudan and on the status of Abyei, and for the peace processes f

•Many of the post-referendum scenarios in Sudan envisioned by the U.S. Institute of Peace and Clingendael Institute one year ago remain plausible today, less than six months prior to the referendum.

Sudan is at a crossroads and the next 12 months could determine the future of Africa’s largest nation.

The Sudanese Network for Democratic Elections (SuNDE) is a coalition of over 75 civil society organizations in all the 10 States of Southern Sudan whose objective is to promote and protect citizens’ participation in electoral and democratic processes.
 

Ambassador Richard Williamson discusses the importance of the Sudan Accountability and Divestment Act in testimony before the U.S. House of Representives Subcommittee on International Monteary Policy and Trade on November 30, 2010. 
 

Humanitarian supplies are being prepositioned at key locations in Sudan ahead of an expected referendum in the event of a possible mass movement of southern Sudanese from the north to the south, Valerie Amos, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, said today.

For the past several years, significant U.S. attention has been focused on the crisis in Sudan's Darfur region, in which roughly three hundred thousand have died and nearly three million have been displaced.

In January 2011, after nearly six decades of armed conflict and tenuous peace, Sudan will hold a referendum to determine whether the south will remain united with Sudan or secede to become an independent nation. At the same time, Abyei is to hold a referendum to decide whether to join the South or remain in the North.

The clock is ticking fast towards what might be the most important date in modern Sudanese history – two
referenda in Sudan that are likely to result in the breakup of Africa’s largest state. With six months remaining
until 9 January 2011, the scheduled date of the referenda, the run-up to, and outcome of, the vote must be

InterAction responds to the Obama administration’s recent Afghanistan and Pakistan strategy review by welcoming the long-term commitment to the development needs of the two countries but also highlighting several concerns with the overall assistance strategies in the countries.  

The Interim Haiti Recovery Commission (IHRC)’s strategic plan for the remainder of its mandate. Report issued December 2010.

This report offers international agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the U.S. government, the media, and the public an overview of the humanitarian and development assistance being provided to the people of Afghanistan by InterAction member agencies.

With an eye toward sharpened capabilities, one of the biggest tests of the QDDR's success will be whether it actually fosters an alignment of strategies and plans with appropriate resources, writes Noam Unger of the Brookings Institution.

The Obama administration is releasing the most comprehensive review of U.S. development and diplomacy efforts in half a century. The system which now delivers U.S. foreign assistance is based on legislation that was signed into law by President John F. Kennedy in 1961.  

Blog by Katie Gresham on the Development Assistance Task Force of the U.S. Summit for Global Citizen Diplomacy, November 16-19, 2010.

The Department of State, after consultation with the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), submitted this report detailing planned uses of certain funds appropriated for Haiti in the FY 2010 Supplemental Appropriations Bill passed by Congress on July 27, 2010 and signed by President Obama on July 29, 2010 (HR 4899).

Originally developed as part of InterAction's Africa Liaison Program Inititiative (ALPI) to foster relationships between the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and nongovernmental organizations in the U.S.

More than nine months after the devastating January 12 earthquake in Haiti that claimed an estimated 230,000 lives, the survivors are still feeling the impact of a disaster that has left many of them susceptible to increased physical insecurity and violations of their fundamental rights.

This document, published by the CAADP Working Group on Non-State Actor Participation on October 20, 2010, is a summary of an action planning workshop designed to boost non-state actor participation in the CAADP process. 

InterAction is very pleased that President Obama has followed through on his promise to elevate global development to be as important a U.S. foreign policy component as defense and diplomacy.

ONE Campaign publishes InterAction's blog post

Concern Worldwide has been working in Haiti for 16 years with currently close to 400 staff.

InterAction President and CEO Samuel A. Worthington testifies before the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs' Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere on Thursday, July 29, 2010.

Plan has worked in Haiti since 1973 and, with 143 staff already on the ground, was able to respond quickly when the devastating earthquake struck.

4:53pm: A 7.0 earthquake hits Haiti. 17 minutes later International Medical Corps is preparing our Emergency Response Team. Within 5 hours, medical volunteers are deploying. 22 hours after the earthquake, we are saving lives on the ground in Port-au-Prince, working side-by-side with our Haitian medical counterparts.

Since January 12, WHI has launched an emergency response program that mobilizes its extraordinary capacity in the most severely affected areas focusing on health, psychosocial care, sensitization, potable water, sanitation, food, income-generating activities and workforce employment.

On January 12, 2010, a devastating earthquake—the worst natural disaster to hit the Western Hemisphere in two centuries—struck Haiti, killing approximately 300,000 people and leaving as many as one million homeless.

Full resolution quicktime movie (766mb)

High web quality quicktime movie (55mb)

Low quality WMV (9mb)

Six months after Haiti’s devastating 7.0 earthquake, Lutheran World Relief (LWR) remains hard at work assisting those who are still dealing with its aftermath and will be for years to come. LWR, with a 14-year history in Haiti, is focusing the majority of its efforts on underserved rural populations.

Since the earthquake, BWAid has been helping in Haiti through a network of agencies. Immediately following the earthquake the two Haitian member bodies of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA) were contacted and assistance offered. This close link with the two bodies remains as we work together.

From the immediate hours after the quake and ongoing, in all, CWS efforts - including the distribution of hygiene, school and baby kits, tents, wheelchairs, medical kits and other supplies -- have directly assisted at least 41,750 individuals so far; CWS is also working as a member of the global ACT Alliance, which has provided assistance to 341,000 Haitians.
 

During the half-year since an earthquake unleashed massive destruction in Haiti, the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) has been devoted to both providing immediate assistance to survivors and laying the groundwork for a large-scale, long-term recovery effort.  Haiti is not out of the woods yet, not by a long shot.

As members of the international community gather in Kabul for the International Conference on Afghanistan, InterAction is pleased that the expected focus of the conference is “Afghan priorities for the Afghan people”.

To continue supporting Haiti after the 7.0 earthquake on January 12, Giving Children Hope is transitioning from an immediate recovery response to a season of long-term reconstruction.  To date, Giving Children Hope has distributed over $7 million worth of life-saving medicines, medical supplies and other relief items.

On the six-month anniversary of Haiti's deadly earthquake, President Barack Obama said a rapid international response saved lives but the recovery effort must continue.

Long before the crippling earthquake of January 12, 2010, Jesuit Refugee
Service had a grassroots presence in Haiti, providing humanitarian assistance
to displaced Haitians both in the town of Ouanaminthe on the northeastern
border with the Dominican Republic, and in the Dominican Republic itself. JRS

Tents fill every open space in Port-au-Prince: public parks, empty lots, even traffic
medians. For thousands of earthquake survivors, these crowded camps are the only
housing option.

Just six months after the earthquake, Habitat is:

FACTS AT A GLANCE:
The global Red Cross network is providing:

Six months after the devastating earthquake in Haiti, there is still much to be done, however, the communities Plant With Purpose works with have made significant progress by planting trees, constructing soil conservation barriers, and providing incomes to support their families through our “Cash for Work” program.

This is a step-by-step guide to assist InterAction members in developing and implementing policies to prevent and respond to sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) of beneficiaries and vulnerable members of the community in countries where members work.

In the aftermath of the January earthquake, the massive displacement of over a million people and the profound disruption of every aspect of daily life have greatly exacerbated the protection risks for women and girls in Haiti.

A summary of recommendations from InterAction's G8/G20 Coordination Group policy briefs on global health; climate change; food, hunger, and agriculture; accountability; global safe drinking water and sanitation; global economic crisis and;  basic education.

Letter signed by 33 InterAction members to the Speaker of the House, House and Senate Majority Leaders and Ranking members urging them to give immediate priority to the FY10 supplemental funding measure.

Almost a year since more than three million people fled fighting in Pakistan’s Swat valley and surrounding areas, the crisis is far from over. Over a million people are displaced, more are being forced into displacement every day, and two million are struggling to rebuild their lives after returning to their homes to find their villages destroyed.

The Action Plan for National Recovery and Development of Haiti that we are presenting to our partners in the international community indicates the requirements to be fulfilled so that the earthquake, devastating as it was, turns into a window of opportunity so that, in the Head of State’s words, the country can be reconstructed. This is a rendezvous with history that Haiti cannot miss.

This policy brief, published by Save the Children in May, 2010, explores how to support local ownership and build national capacity by applying a flexible and country-based approach to aid instruments.

The G8 and G20 countries have made significant commitments during past summits. However, their success is not determined by the contents of the communiqué but on whether their commitments are kept. InterAction applauds the G8’s preliminary accountability report and its commitment to develop a consistent and comprehensive G8 accountability framework. We urge the U.S.