Over 121,000 people (to date) have been struck by cholera in Haiti in recent months. More than 2,500 have died. Medical teams are working flat out to save the lives of many more. Equally important is helping the remainder of the population to avoid catching cholera.
This is the latest of a long series of disasters to strike this tragic country – most spectacularly, the huge earthquake of January 2010, from which there has as yet been little recovery – and more recently a hurricane, floods and landslips.
Haiti is a desperately poor country. Our partner, Haitian Calvary International Ministries, works on La Gonave, one of the poorest parts. The 100,000+ population have 90%+ unemployment, no resources, no infrastructure, and no hope. To meet the needs of the growing number of cholera cases in the island, there is just one small clinic with limited facilities.
Cholera is a dreadful disease, which - if untreated - causes violent diarrhoea and vomiting, hideous pain, weakness, dehydration and death. On La Gonave, with no public health system, no proper sanitation, and few water sources, everything gets contaminated, leading to more and more cases. Much of the island is too remote for people to get any medical health at all.
Our partners are trying to organise help – medical treatment and preventative measures. They need help to provide clean water for hand washing (a simple but effective measure to limit the spread), to disinfect houses, and to provide rehydration salts (the main treatment) where needed.
Our target for this project is £150,000.Your gift of any size will help.
