How You Can Help – in Haiti or other overseas emergencies

Thank you for your interest in Ireland’s response to the Haiti earthquake.  The Government is committed to responding generously to the disaster on behalf of the Irish people. This commitment has been supplemented by the very generous direct response of the Irish public through offers of assistance and donations to NGOs.

How has the Government responded to the disaster?

Support is being provided through Irish Aid, Ireland’s official aid programme. This support is being kept under constant review. To date, the Government has pledged €2 million on behalf of the people of Ireland to support the immediate search and recovery and relief work of the UN and NGOs. This is in addition to the annual funding Irish Aid provides to the UN for its emergency fund (€20 million in 2009).

In addition, the Government has deployed three highly-skilled members of Ireland's Rapid Response Corps to support the response efforts. Others members of this Corps are on standby to be called upon over the coming days and weeks. The Corps is made up of experienced individuals (from the public and private sectors) with skill sets such as logistics, engineering and public health.

An Irish Aid consignment of over 80 tonnes of essential supplies arrived in Haiti on 21 January. The consignment of mosquito nets, plastic shelters and water tanks was distributed by Irish NGOs to 8,000 families in need. A further  shipment of 50 tonnes of essential shelter and water equipment from Ireland’s pre-positioned supplies is on it's way to Haiti.

How can members of the public get involved in the response effort?
Dóchas, the association of Irish overseas development agencies, has developed a website and a guide on the most appropriate ways to help those affected by overseas disasters, including a list of organisations that are responding to the disaster in Haiti. The ‘How you can help’ web site (www.howyoucanhelp.ie) is a good source of information for those interested in making a donation or giving their time. This website sets out how Irish aid agencies and the Irish government respond to emergencies, and it presents some of the basic principles of Irish Aid.

Who have the NGOs sent to Haiti?
Most humanitarian agencies first mobilise (i) staff members on the ground, (ii) move them from other country operations, from where they can be spared, or (iii) source a small number of experts kept on ‘standby’. This is to ensure that they have both the skill-sets and the experienced people they need to respond to emergencies.

They also work with local partners, and try to draw as much as they can on resources in the country – or at least the region – so they can be deployed quicker, and more cheaply and efficiently.

Are the NGOs involved looking for volunteers?
Few NGOs are taking volunteer applications at the moment, but are continuing to assess their needs as the crisis in Haiti evolves.

A few NGOs may need help, not in Haiti, but in Ireland (with fundraising, accounting for funds, logistics, etc). In that event, they will usually contact supporters or post up-to-date information on their websites as their first port of call.

For further information on volunteering visit the Irish Aid Volunteering and Information Centre (www.irishaid.gov.ie/centre or call 1890 252 676). Also visit Comhlamh, the Irish Association of Development Workers to see the Volunteer Charter and Code of good Practice (www.comhlamh.org).

Can I join Ireland’s Rapid Response Corps?

Ireland's Rapid Response Corps consists of 130 volunteers with specialised skills in areas such as logistics, engineering, public health humanitarian coordination and protection, which can prove vital in responding to emergency and humanitarian situations. Most will have worked extensively overseas in humanitarian and/or development settings.

Application forms for the Corps are available on the Irish Aid web site (http://www.irishaid.gov.ie/Rapid_Response_Initiative.asp). The full list of skills profiles for which we recruit is also on the website.

The next round of interviews for the Rapid Response Corps will be take place during March, 2010 and applications for that process are welcome by e-mail to rri@dfa.ie.

Members of the Corps are carefully selected for their skills and experience, and must undergo training before deployment.  The next pre-departure induction training course will take place at end May, 2010.

2 February 2010