Haiti Emergency Assistance & Reconstruction Fund

(Nassau, Bahamas - BIS Release) - The Government today announced that a Special Haiti Emergency Assistance Fund is being established with a view to providing an organized and safe way for members of the Bahamian community to contribute towards emergency assistance and restoration efforts in Haiti following the devastating earthquake in that country on Tuesday.

The Government has liaised with the Chairman of the Clearing Banks Association to facilitate the collection of donations for the Fund at bank branches for deposit into a specific Haiti Emergency Fund.

The Government will undertake to ensure that donations received are directed to the Government of Haiti for use in its recovery efforts or to identified international charities and first response organizations rendering assistance on the ground in Haiti. 

The Government advises that assistance to Haiti is being coordinated with the member states of Caricom and the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA).

Caricom efforts are likely to be coordinated from The Bahamas Embassy in Port-au-Prince which fortunately did not sustain damage during the earthquake.