Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Jan 26, 2010 / 13:31 pm
Following an appeal on Jan. 21 for $42 million to provide 200,000 survivors of the disastrous earthquake in Haiti with immediate food, water, shelter and medical assistance, Head of Communications for Caritas Internationalis, Patrick Nicholson, told CNA on Tuesday that cumulative donations since then have added up to $65 million.
On Jan. 21, the Catholic charitable organization reported that financial support had been "flooding into Caritas offices around the world" since the earthquake and that, as of that date, Caritas Internationalis had received $33 million destined for Haiti. In the last five days the amount has very nearly doubled, bringing the total to $65 million.
Nicholson told CNA that contributions had come from all of the 165 countries where Caritas is present, in Asia, North and South America, Africa, Europe and the Pacific. They had even received a $5,000 contribution from Caritas members in the Congo.
"Operations are up and running," he said. "So far, we have 40 trucks bringing goods from the Dominican Republic."