The American Jewish Committee global Jewish advocacy NGO is partnering with Israeli humanitarian relief group IsraAID to bring urgent aid to Haiti, which was struck by a devastating 7.2 magnitude earthquake on August 14.
“Once again, Haitians are in dire need of humanitarian assistance as another major disaster has hit their island nation,” AJC CEO David Harris said in a statement.
“Our tradition commands us to respond generously and compassionately to those who suffer a natural disaster, and Haiti again beckons us.”
The earthquake is stronger than the 7.0 magnitude quake that struck the Caribbean nation in 2010, which itself caused severe damage. At the time, AJC had partnered with IsraAid to bring aid to the country, and several of the current IsraAID staff are veterans of the 2010 relief effort.
The current quake has seen over 1,200 people die and comes as the country struggles with internal turmoil following the assassination of its president, Jovenel Moïse.
IsraAID's current emergency team intends to distribute relief items such as water, sanitation and hygiene equipment, as well as assess the needs at the site and provide first aid health and mental care.
IsraAID was founded in 2001 as a collaboration of Israeli organizations and became the largest emergency aid NGO in Israel, providing assistance in earthquakes, hurricanes and pandemics in humanitarian crises worldwide.
Its teams have recently been deployed to Germany, in light of the furious floods the country has suffered, as well as India to assist in managing its extreme COVID numbers and to volcanic eruption sites in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Hadas Labrisch contributed to this report.