wfn.org | LWI 2010-004 LWF World Service Director Calls for Substantial International Response to Haiti Earthq

["LWFNews" <LWFNews@lutheranworld.org>]

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LWF World Service Director Calls for Substantial International
Response to Haiti Earthquake 
Caribbean Country Already Ranked among the World’s Poorest
Nations

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti/GENEVA, 13 January 2010 (LWI) – The
director of the Department for World Service (DWS) at the
Lutheran World Federation (LWF), Rev. Eberhard Hitzler, has
called for an immediate, substantial emergency response following
the devastating earthquake in Haiti. 

The 7.0 magnitude quake which struck on Tuesday 12 January at
16:53 local time (22:53 CET), lasting over one minute, is the
most powerful in 200 years in the Caribbean state, according to
media reports. The quake’s epicenter was only 15 kilometers
southwest of the capital Port-au-Prince. DWS personnel report
that large numbers of buildings in capital were toppled and many
people are feared dead. Numerous aftershocks followed the
earthquake.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with our staff and the people of
Haiti," said Hitzler. "At the moment, we first have to
reestablish contact with our staff in Haiti." The DWS director
said, telephone lines were destroyed in the quake and all
communication channels broke down during the night, and
reestablishing contact took several hours. 

According to information provided by Ms Sylvia Raulo, director
of  DWS country programs for Haiti and the Caribbean since
September 2007, no program staff has been injured and they are
currently organizing emergency relief assistance. 

Hitzler emphasized that the disaster's direct impact on United
Nations buildings and a large number of UN personnel hampers the
coordination of emergency relief efforts. It also constitutes a
supplementary risk for the population's security, since one of
the tasks of the UN in Haiti is to help rebuild government
institutions including law enforcement. Thus it was extremely
important that the UN become operational again as soon as
possible. 

Hitzler said LWF/DWS was preparing together with ACT Alliance,
the largest worldwide network of church and church-related relief
and development organizations, a "substantial" emergency
response. "We are thankful for all the compassionate support we
have already received from partners in Denmark, Finland, Germany,
Norway, the USA and Sweden," he said. He expressed DWS'
commitment to assist the millions of people affected by the
earthquake and help them to restore the perspective of a
sustainable livelihood.

Hitzler said he feared that the next morning Haiti would be
confronted with a major catastrophe. The country, he noted, was
already one of the poorest in the world, and had experienced over
the past decades poor governance and frequent natural disasters
such as hurricanes and floods. According to UN data, around 70
percent of Haiti's population of around nine million people lives
in extreme poverty. (431 words)

You can help the LWF Department for World Service’s relief
effort by making a donation online at:
http://donations.lutheranworld.org (
http://donations.lutheranworld.org/ ) 

Further information about the LWF/DWS Caribbean/Haiti program is
available
at:http://www.lutheranworld.org/What_We_Do/DWS/Country_Programs/DWS-Caribbean-Haiti.html

>*      *      *

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currently has 140 member churches in 79 countries all over the
world, with a total membership of 68.9 million. The LWF acts on
behalf of its member churches in areas of common interest such as
ecumenical and interfaith relations, theology, humanitarian
assistance, human rights, communication, and the various aspects
of mission and development work. Its secretariat is located in
Geneva, Switzerland.)

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