Help is continuing to pour in for Haiti in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew from civic-minded nationals and organisations across T&T.
The Penal/Debe Chamber of Commerce has partnered with the Penal/Debe Regional Corporation to send items to Haiti through its Haiti Needs You campaign.
This effort will take effect on Monday, Chamber president Shiva Roopnarine said yesterday.
Roopnarine said they have partnered with schools in the district which have already initiated their own collection drive, but they have nowhere to store the items.
He said the collection venue at the corporation’s building on Erin Road, Debe, will be opened between 8 am and 4 pm from Monday to Friday until October 28 to accept donations.
Roopnarine said they are hoping to fill other shipping containers with, among other items, non-perishable food, clothing, water, building materials and cleaning products.
Over the weekend, he said, large banners will be erected in the ten electoral districts of Penal/Debe to sensitise residents and encourage them to donate.
Also reaching out to Haiti where, according to United Nations estimates, 750,000 are in need of humanitarian assistance, is the Massy Group of Companies.
Massy has donated one 40-foot shipping container full of food to the NGO Is There Not A Cause (ITNAC), as well as a 20 ft container for them to fill with the items collected.
ITNAC’s Hadassah Hector said these two containers should be shipped to Haiti by next Thursday or Friday.
She said packing will take place this weekend at their No 6 Anderson Street, St James, outlet over the weekend.
She said, however, that they are still in need of over-the-counter drugs, drinking water, water purification tablets and baby supplies.
Hector also made an appeal for the sum of US$9,700 to purchase at least 5,000 packets of US army grade cleansing wipes and towels from a Florida company.
She said the items are both hypo-allergenic and biodegradable.
“We are getting it at a fairly reasonable price and it is essential to clean up people who are homeless.
“So we are making an appeal to people who can spare the funds.”
She said a team of ITNAC’s volunteers will be travelling to Haiti on Tuesday, for a two-week stay. They will be meeting with Deborah Dowlat who is on the ground along with Guardian Media’s Khamal Georges and will visit some of the devastated areas and provide relief.
Guardian Media has partnered with ITNAC to help the estimated 1.3 million people who have been affected by the catastrophic hurricane.
The UN report, as of October 7, says a total of 271 people were killed and up to 80 per cent of the country’s harvest was lost.
In some areas, like Jeremie for instance, only one per cent of the building structures was left standing.
ITNAC is also raising funds through the sale of T-shirts at a cost of $100 each.
There are three designs, but Hector said the T-shirt sales are not doing so well.
The group is also accepting cash donations through its accounts at First Citizens—1660410, or at Republic Bank—510009446802.