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LACK OF LEADERSHIP IN
HAITI MUST BE RESOLVED
GOAL CEO John O’Shea has hit out at the International Community for its lack of leadership and urgency in the aftermath of the Haitian catastrophe.
A GOAL team on the ground in Port-au-Prince is starting to deliver aid to the most needy. The aid organization has already received in excess of $1 million donations from the Irish public.
“A week has passed since the earthquake struck – and while GOAL is doing what we can and helping the most vulnerable, millions have yet to receive any aid,” said Mr. O’Shea.
“There can be no excuse. Unlike many natural disasters of recent years there isn’t any political reason for the failure of the International Community to produce an appropriate response.
“Major powers have pledged vast sums of cash and troops – but security and access remain critical issues, yet to be resolved.
“In a crisis of this scale, it’s imperative that one entity assumes all responsibility. This is not happening in Haiti.
“And a power vacuum can prove disastrous in a situation where urgency and decisiveness are required.”
O’Shea added that GOAL has purchased vast quantities of supplies in neighbouring Dominican Republic.
“The trucks are on the road. We have to hope that the UN can provide the security needed to enable us to start delivering the aid to those in greatest need.”
O’Shea’s sentiments were echoed by leading seismologist, Professor John McCloskey, a University of Ulster expert who led analysis of the quake that started the Indian Ocean of the Tsunami of 2004.
Professor McCloskey also described lack of planning by the International Community as a “disgrace”.
“It is an international disgrace that we appear not to have made the smallest progress in preparation,” Professor McCloskey said.
“The ‘International Community’ is very good at preparing for war but has failed completely to prepare to help the poor, who are always the ones to suffer in these events.
“If we want to claim to be civilized we need to ensure that we never see these scenes again.”
ETHIOPIA RESPONSE
GOAL has expanded its emergency response efforts in Ethiopia and is calling on the Irish people for support in the wake of an appeal by the Ethiopian Government for food aid for 6.2 million people affected by the latest drought.
The drought is a result of four years of bad harvests and has been made worse by conflict, population growth and climate change.
GOAL has been implementing emergency response activities in southern Ethiopia since late last year and is currently using specialised therapeutic food to assist in the treatment of almost 8,000 severely malnourished children.
The aid agency is also ready to provide essential medicines in the event of an outbreak of disease and is distributing seeds, tools and fertiliser to just under 30,000 farming households.
Currently working at 16 individual field locations across Ethiopia, GOAL intends to immediately expand these activities into a further four field sites.
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