$20 Million Relief Effort Targets Haitians Struggling to Survive

“The situation in Haiti will be dreadful for a long time and we intend to be there.” - Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, Feb. 17, 2010—Weeks after a massive earthquake hit Haiti the situation remains dire as people there struggle not only to recover, but survive.  International relief organization Samaritan's Purse, headed by Franklin Graham, was on the ground immediately after the tragedy and is expanding its response to more than $20 million in aid. 

Highlights of Samaritan's Purse relief work in Haiti to date include:

• Food distributions totaling 837 tons of rice for 201,000 people.
• Cargo flights carrying water filtration systems, shelter materials, food and other relief supplies.
• Two cargo ships carrying Samaritan's Purse's supplies and equipment, including heavy machinery for debris removal.
• Since the earthquake, medical personnel with Samaritan's Purse have treated more than 4,500 patients at Baptist Haiti Mission Hospital and a medical clinic opened this week in Cite Soleil.  Doctors with Samaritan's Purse have also completed more than 250 surgeries and delivered two babies.
• Distributed food, blankets and other relief supplies to 77 orphanages, many in remote locations that received little to no other assistance.
• Distributions of non-food items in Cite Soleil, Leogane, and Petit Goave, Pettionville, Grande Groave and other communities in the Port-au-Prince area.  Distributed items include: 12,040 rolls of plastic (each roll providing temporary shelter for 5 families), 11,712 hygiene kits and 9,900 blankets.
• 10 water filtration systems have been installed in and around Port-au-Prince.  Each system is capable of providing up to 10,000 gallons of clean drinking water daily.

Opportunities to support the work of Samaritan's Purse in Haiti:

• Visit www.samaritanspurse.org or call (800) 528-1980
• Text "SP" to 85944 to donate $10

Coverage Opportunities

• Photos and video of Franklin Graham's visit to Haiti
• Photos and video of Samaritan's Purse earthquake relief projects in Haiti
• Follow Samaritan's Purse via updates on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube

Quotes

Franklin Graham, Samaritan's Purse president and CEO

• "This is one of the largest disaster responses in the history of Samaritan's Purse."
• "The situation in Haiti will be dreadful for a long time and we intend to be there."
  

About Samaritan's Purse

Samaritan's Purse is a non-profit organization that provides immediate, no-red-tape response to the physical and spiritual needs of individuals in crisis situations.  Samaritan's Purse has worked in more than 100 countries to provide aid to victims of war, disease, disaster, poverty, famine and persecution.

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