GTZ staff unharmed

The German Government responded promptly to news of the earthquake in Haiti on Tuesday night and has earmarked EUR 1.5 million in aid. On behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, meanwhile GTZ is to procure and distribute food worth EUR 1 million in and around the capital Port-au-Prince.

‘We are purchasing staple foods, mainly flour, rice, beans and oil, from the neighbouring Dominican Republic,’ explains Olivia Haggenmüller from GTZ’s Development-Oriented Emergency Aid unit. Approximately 1,000 tons of food will be trucked to Haiti, where GTZ will distribute the around 1.5 million daily rations in cooperation with local authorities.

GTZ is currently operating one projects in Haiti, an emergency and transitional aid project with two local staff and one seconded employee that is rebuilding farmland areas after the 2008 hurricanes. All survived the earthquake unharmed.