WASHINGTON, Sept. 4 PADF-donations-Haiti
WASHINGTON, Sept. 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In the aftermath of three back-to-back natural disasters that so far left more than 170 people dead in Haiti, the Pan American Development Foundation (www.padf.org) is asking the public for donations to help the survivors who are living in a desperate situation.
"We have field reports of people who have not had a drink of water in days," says Amy Coughenour Betancourt, Deputy Director of PADF. "Our Caribbean neighbors urgently need your help." She is directing individuals to www.PanAmericanRelief.org to give donations.
Hurricane Gustav, along with Tropical Storms Hanna and Fay unleased their fury on the country during the past 21 days. The city of Gonaives, with approximately 300,000 residents, is submerged under water and mud. Overall, an estimated 1 million people in the Caribbean country have been affected by the hurricane and tropical storms.
"These three storms have caused flooding, destruction and suffering among a population that is already living with hardship," Coughenour says. Haiti is the poorest nation in the hemisphere where up to 80 percent of its 9 million people live in poverty.
Thanks to donations from individuals to www.PanAmericanRelief.org and contributions from corporate partners, PADF is now shipping tents, tarps, water purification tablets and more. The non-profit organization is working to send an entire field hospital to victims in Gonaives, which lost its hospital.
"The problems are enormous but people can make a difference," Coughenour says. "People should turn to www.PanAmericanRelief.org as a trusted, effective way to help people in the aftermath of a natural disaster."
About PADF
PADF had a positive impact on more than 3.6 million people in 22 Latin American and Caribbean countries last year.
PADF works with civil society, the private sector, and governments to create opportunities and improve lives for the disadvantaged in Latin America and the Caribbean. With a commitment to local capacity and the Inter-American spirit of cooperation, PADF builds programs that create jobs, enhance education, build skills, foster community participation, and strengthen resiliency through the power of people, local solutions, and partnerships.
PADF was founded in 1962 as a non-profit affiliate of the Organization of American States (OAS).
www.PanAmericanRelief.org
SOURCE Pan American Development Foundation
