ADRA-UK News Update

On Monday, March 8, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) began a second large-scale food distribution that will feed an estimated 300,000 people in Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince.

According to officials, ADRA will help feed an estimated 2,500 families a day by providing food baskets containing 119 pounds (54 kilograms) of rice, corn-soy blend, beans, vegetable oil, and salt. Approximately 1,296 metric tons of food will be distributed across nine zones in the Port-au-Prince neighborhood of Carrefour, with an estimated 50,000 households receiving emergency food supplies.

ADRA, which is handling the second largest allocation of food from UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) in Haiti and will distribute 17 percent of WFP’s food, is one of 10 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) involved in this large distribution.

“Several of the zones targeted are in the foothills and mountains of Carrefour, and will receive food aid for the first time since the earthquake hit,” said Andrew Lucas, program director for ADRA’s Emergency Response Center in Haiti.

The current effort, which follows a massive food distribution that provided some 3 million meals to survivors, will give another 2 million meals by March 30.

In an effort to engage local communities in the disaster response, the Haitian government has implemented a system of committees in the affected areas. In Carrefour, where ADRA is working, the committee consists of the mayor of Carrefour, a member of the local civil society organization, a representative of the national government in Carrefour, and ADRA.

Food distribution points and beneficiaries were selected by these committees, with priority given to those most vulnerable, such as families with children under the age of five, and displaced residents living in camps or on the streets.

In February during an initial large-scale food distribution , ADRA provided food for more than 10,000 beneficiaries a day during a 15-day period. The project is part of a massive operation implemented by the Haitian government, in collaboration with the U.N. Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), the WFP and other partners, to meet the needs of survivors throughout the quake-affected region.

To learn more about what it takes for one food ration to arrive in the hands of a beneficiary, click here.

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Source: ADRA International