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For Immediate Release
Contact:

Diana Duarte, Media Coordinator
(212) 627-0444; email: media@madre.org

Haiti Earthquake Wreaks Massive Devastation; Women's Organizations Respond

NEW YORK

The worst earthquake in 200 years struck
Haiti yesterday, causing catastrophic destruction in the hemisphere's
poorest country. The quake struck near the capital of Port-au-Prince,
the most densely populated part of Haiti, and thousands are feared dead.

MADRE has activated an emergency response through our partner
organization, Zanmi Lasante Clinic. The doctors, nurses and community
health workers there are working to bring medical assistance and
supplies to areas that have been hardest hit.

The most urgent needs right now are bandages, broad-spectrum
antibiotics and other medical supplies, as well as water tablets to
prevent cholera outbreaks. The need for food, shelter and other types
of relief is growing by the hour.

MADRE has worked in Haiti for many years, supporting community-based
organizations in times of disaster. MADRE's partners are expert at
reaching those in crisis and stretching resources to meet the urgent
needs facing Haitian women and families right now.

Available for comment:

Marie St. Cyr, MADRE Board Member and longtime New York-based Haitian human rights advocate

Yifat Susskind, MADRE Policy and Communications Director

MADRE is an international women's human rights organization that partners with community-based women's groups to advance women's human rights, challenge injustice and create social change in contexts of war, conflict, disaster and their aftermath. MADRE advocates for a world in which all people enjoy individual and collective human rights; natural resources are shared equitably and sustainably; women participate effectively in all aspects of society; and all people have a meaningful say in policies that affect their lives. For more information about MADRE, visit www.madre.org.