Humanitarian Coalition agencies providing immediate aid in Haiti, Cuba thanks to $645,000 from the CHAF

OTTAWA, Oct. 8, 2016 /CNW/ - The Canadian Humanitarian Assistance Fund has been activated in the wake of the devastation caused by Hurricane Matthew, allocating urgently needed resources to meet humanitarian needs in the Caribbean nations of Haiti and Cuba.

Early reports show more than 800 people have been killed in the Caribbean, with close to 100,000 people displaced and 350,000 people in need of assistance.

Save the Children is using $375,000 to assist approximately 5,000 of the most vulnerable children and their families in Haiti with immediate life-saving assistance and will create Child and Youth Friendly Spaces to ensure children and adolescents have a safe place to go.

In Cuba, Oxfam Canada will use $270,000 to assist close to 5,000 people with immediate life-saving assistance, particular with access to safe drinking water, hygiene kits, sanitation and shelter.

Both organizations will also promote the importance of safe water management in order to limit the risk of spreading waterborne diseases such as cholera.

The Canadian Humanitarian Assistance Fund, a joint mechanism between the Humanitarian Coalition, its member agencies and Global Affairs Canada, enhances Canada's capacity for early response by leveraging the established local presence maintained by the Humanitarian Coalition member agencies.

SOURCE Humanitarian Coalition

visit www.together.ca or to speak with an expert on the ground, contact: Yosé Cormier, Communications Advisor, Humanitarian Coalition, 613-292-2687, [email protected]