World Council of Credit UnionsEnglishEspañol
Search
Loading

Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions

Give

Offer hardworking families a chance to take their first step out of poverty. Learn more.

Give Today!
 

Haiti Relief Efforts

 


WOCCU Delgation Visits Haiti Credit Unions

A delegation of credit unions and organizations, led by World Council of Credit Unions' (WOCCU) President & CEO Pete Crear, made a one-day trip to Haiti on Wednesday, April 21, to meet with credit unions and members suffering from the effects of Haiti's Jan. 12 earthquake. While in Haiti, the delegation visited several caisses populaires (credit unions), all of which have operated from tents donated by WOCCU since the destruction of their buildings.

NEW Photos from Haiti Delegation Visit

 

 Initial Update - Jan. 2010



WOCCU has activated the Disaster Relief Fund for Haiti in the wake of the devastating January 12 earthquake.

Reverberations from the earthquake's epicenter, located 10 miles south of Port-au-Prince, have all but leveled Haiti's capital city. Hospitals have crumbled, as have the presidential palace and the United Nations peacekeepers' headquarters. The death toll continues to rise and survivors are still being dug from the rubble.

In July 2009, WOCCU launched a three-year program to extend financial services to Haiti's rural poor with funding from the United States Agency for International Development. WOCCU staff members working in Haiti are uninjured and accounted for, but there has been significant destruction to the island. WOCCU is now joining with Food for the Poor to help the Haitian people face this devastating disaster.

"The people of Haiti already had difficult lives, and it's almost impossible to imagine the devastation the earthquake has brought them," said Pete Crear, WOCCU president and CEO. "I'm thankful that our staff in Haiti is safe and we're ready to assist them in their recovery efforts."

WOCCU has fostered relief and rebuilding efforts during past international disasters, including the December 2004 Asian tsunami, the February 2006 Philippine islands landslide and earthquakes in Peru, El Salvador and Malawi. WOCCU is now accepting donations to provide similar assistance to Haiti and its people.

"We are committed to helping Haiti's citizens survive this crisis," said Brian Branch, WOCCU executive vice president and COO. "Donations to the Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions will help us achieve this goal."

To support Haiti's credit unions and their members through the international credit union disaster relief fund, make payments via check, or wire to:

Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions, Inc., 5710 Mineral Point Road, Madison, WI 53705, USA.

Credit card donations may be made online at www.woccu.org /give. For wire transfer information, contact: Valerie Breunig, Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions, 608-395-2055, or via email at vbreunig@woccu.org. Indicate that your donation is designated for the Haiti Disaster Relief Fund.

 

Haiti Dispatches

 
Hear from WOCCU's Haiti Program Director Greta Greathouse on the ground in Port-au-Prince!

Get the Flash Player to see this player. 


 

How Funds Will Be Used

Donations to Haiti will be used for both relief and rebuilding. We are already helping WOCCU staff with funds to provide immediate relief, including food and clothing. We are partnering with Food for the Poor to provide general relief to people in the immediate Port-au-Prince area.

When we are able to assess all credit union damage, WOCCU will begin a formal rebuilding program to get credit unions back on their feet and assist them in helping as many members as possible. This may include things such as helping them rebuild their credit unions as necessary, training credit union staff to implement emergency loan programs and advising them on crisis management strategies.

Thank you Haiti Relief Donors

Australia

Barbados

Belgium

  • Aldea, Monica (Antwerp)

Bermuda

  • BIU Credit Union Co-op. Society  (Hamilton)

Canada

Costa Rica

  • Rodriguez, Adrian (San Jose)

Ecuador

  • Jimenez, Luis (Quito)

Germany

Ghana

Guatemala

Ireland

Malawi

  • Kadzola, Sylvester (Lilongwe)

Poland

Saint Kitts & Nevis

Scotland

Seychelles

South Korea

Suriname

Trinidad & Tobago

United States of America

Country Data Not Available

  • Delaney, Jeannie
  • Duff, Paul
  • Salsbury, Eric


Home > Get Involved > Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions > Haiti Relief Efforts

About World Council of Credit Unions 

Financial Inclusion 

Member Services 

Policy & Advocacy 

Events & Education 

Get Involved 

Publications 

Newsroom