By Merlin's communications department | Merlin's communications department
In Port-au-Prince, the earthquake caused widespread destruction. Many buildings and homes were reduced to rubble and thousands of people were left homeless, many of whom live in camps in poor sanitary conditions under makeshift shelter made from tarpaulin and plywood.
Merlin is running three mobile teams in the capital to ensure affected communities receive health care. Five days a week, one of our mobile teams provides health care to the 24,000 people living Acra Sud, a large camp set up in an urban area. The remaining two clinics regularly visit other areas of the capital. The clinics always set up at the same site, on the same day each week; so that communities know when and where health care services are available from Merlin.
Two Merlin mobile teams travel for up to three hours a day through difficult terrain to provide health care to those living deep within the hills, a minimum five hour walk from basic health services. Each week we are making regular visits to eight villages and assessing new areas. Merlin is working with village leaders so communities know about our services and when we are coming. The onset of the rainy season rain is making it increasingly difficult to access many rural communities, so Merlin is training community liaison officers in remote villages to provide basic health care and treatment.
Merlin has raised £3.1 million for the first year of our Haiti programme, with the support of private and government donors. We are working with the Haitian government to assess and meet continuing health needs and at present we plan to be in Haiti for at least the next three years.
We aim to help secure Haiti’s recovery by providing essential health worker training and by strengthening existing health services. It is through this approach, we help to create lasting change. We are currently providing vital on-the-job training for local nurses by integrating them into our mobile clinic programmes.
Merlin will continue to address and identify unmet health needs through assessments and by expanding our network of mobile clinics, as well as providing support and supplies to existing health services.
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