Group aiding Haiti relief efforts

Robyn Couper PHOTO: SHANNON GILLIES
Robyn Couper PHOTO: SHANNON GILLIES
Money for survivors of a Caribbean nation's latest natural disaster is being welcomed by Project HHH - Hearts and Hands for Haiti, an emergency relief initiative with deep North Otago roots.

The Oamaru-based non-government organisation was founded in January 2010, following an earthquake that killed more than 230,000 people in Haiti.

The group would now act as an intermediary to get money to a village affected by Hurricane Matthew which struck on October 4.

HHH's previous work in Haiti included the construction and support of a physiotherapy technicians' training school in Cap-Haitien.

Robyn Couper, who worked as a missionary in Haiti for 33 years, said Belle Anse was chosen due to the local connections she had within it.

The church she worked in for 27 years in Cap-Haitien had a daughter church in Belle Anse, and two of the bible students from the Cap-Haitien church were now the pastor and his wife in that isolated community.

She described the village as trapped between a mountain range and the sea.

``It's all sand right into the village. It could affect their crops, their water. It's isolated. There's four basic problems - it's clean water, it's clothing, shelter and food.''

Haiti was also in the middle of its cyclone season so more could strike.

``It's like Vanuatu, [but that's] just milder. It's like the Christchurch rebuild, but there's no infrastructure in Haiti or a stable government. They were supposed to have elections.''

Miss Couper also said the United Nations needed to vaccinate the population against cholera, a disease that has already started to make its presence felt in the wake of the storm.

``It could cost $100million. I think morally they're obliged to do that . . .''

For more information email repoucnybor@yahoo.fr.

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