Canadian Red Cross workers will likely stay in Haiti for about 10 years to help with recovery and reconstruction efforts in the aftermath of the January earthquake that killed close to 300,000 people.
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Based on its experience with the Southeast Asian tsunami in 2004 and other major crises, the Canadian Red Cross "has been clear from the very early days" after Haiti's Jan. 12 earthquake that it expects to be involved with the Haitian Red Cross and Haitian communities for the next decade, Susan Johnson, director general of the Canadian Red Cross International Operations, told The Chronicle Herald's editorial board on Friday.
"We're clear with the resources that are in our hands we have been spending and we will continue to spend in the emergency response sort of phase," Johnson said. "We're currently estimating that the Canadian Red Cross will have somewhere in the range of $200 million to spend in Haiti."
Canada's response, particularly in Atlantic region, has been tremendous.
"Canada, in a global context, dollar for dollar, Canadians have been more generous than any people in the world and I'm speaking within the International Red Cross Federation," Johnson said.
The Canadian Red Cross to date has received $122 million for its Haiti Earthquake Fund, of which $91 million was donated by individuals -- either one at a time or through group activities like school fundraisers and charity concerts. Most of that was received by the Feb. 12 deadline to qualify for matching federal grants. About 10 per cent came from Atlantic Canada.
Source: The Chronicle Herald
