Our three primary partners are each still actively involved in Port au Prince relief efforts. Partners in Health has primary responsibility for two health districts north of the city while Concern Worldwide is responsible for Ile de la Gonave and a camp of 8,000 in the city. Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is, of course, Haiti-wide. Because over 80% of Haitians are Catholic, the parishes account for a very strong food distribution network. CRS also has primary responsibility for a camp of 30,000 - 35,000 Haitians in Port au Prince, security for which is provided by the 82nd Airborne.
Since our last update, the Haiti Fund has raised another $200k against the $600k match, bringing our total to $900k. We continue to raise funds and expect to do so for 5 to 6 months. In addition to the initial emergency assistance ($250k granted), our grants committee has prioritized the following areas of support:
food & water
shelter (temporary housing)
health & sanitation
education & schools
economic empowerment
Partners in Health, Concern Worldwide, and Catholic Relief Services are our primary partners for the initial emergency assistance as well as the first three categories of basic needs. We are currently evaluating opportunities to invest your monies in education/schools and economic empowerment. We prioritized the latter recognizing that life in Haiti was hard before the earthquake, even before the hurricane. The partner agencies are still distributing monies received from the worldwide outpouring of support and preparing comprehensive plans for aiding Haitians during the next few months, even the next several years. Importantly, each agency has been in Haiti for many years, employs primarily Haitians in the country, and has a superb track record of limiting administrative costs and deploying dollars in-country. We earmarked monies for match grants to each partner, and even now, your dollars are being matched again. Partners in Health has challenged students at 100 universities to raise $50,000 this week and we have agreed to match every dollar raised, up to $50,000. Additionally, we have agreed to a similar match with the other two partners.
Especially given this fund's ties to Austin entrepreneurs, we hope to economically empower some as we help feed, shelter, and otherwise take care of earthquake victims. With your support and the dedication of our committee, we will continue to identify the best investments for your Haiti relief dollars.
Sincerely,
Phil Siegel
General Partner
Austin Ventures
