• Sweden edition

Millions in Swedish aid headed to quake-hit Haiti

Published: 19 Jan 10 07:35 CET | Double click on a word to get a translation
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/24454/20100119/

Sweden plans to donate 180 million kronor ($25.6 million) in financial aid to help Haiti recover from last week’s devastating earthquake, the foreign ministry said on Monday.

"Sweden's support for the emergency situation in Haiti now amounts to 180 million kronor. In addition, Sweden will disburse its entire annual contribution of 425 million kronor to the UN Central Emergency Response fund (CERF)," the ministry said in a statement.

The UN said on Friday that it was launching an appeal for $562 million from donors following Tuesday's 7.0 magnitude quake which devastated the poverty-stricken Caribbean nation of nine million and was the strongest in more than a century.

"Approximately 100 million of the 180 million kronor is new money that is up front. The rest of the sum is money that we had made available in the UN system before the crisis," a spokesman for International Development Cooperation minister Gunilla Carlsson, Peter Larsson, told AFP.

At least 70,000 bodies have been buried in mass graves and officials fear the final death toll could top 200,000, while 250,000 people were injured and up to 1.5 million were left homeless.

AFP/The Local (news@thelocal.se)

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15:13 January 19, 2010 by Beynch
Since President Clinton, the US has sent in excess of 4 Billion (with a `B`) dollars in cash to Haiti. There is evidently no accountability, no one knows where the money has gone. Chances are that it was squandered in the deep pockets of Haitian henchmen, and did not reach the poverty stricken, needy, citizens. Haiti was even before the earth quake as close as you can get to a country with a non-functioning government. Hence it is very much unwise to send money to Haiti. It will, not maybe, will, disappear into oblivion, and end up in the hands of drug lords and other vermin. The civilized west should therefore send medical equipment, infra structure, trucks, roadbuilding equipment etc. But do not send cash! It will fail and be wasted money.
18:20 January 19, 2010 by efm
I agree. Except, the scope of calamity is of biblical proportion, and no matter how corrupt the Haiti government is in the past, presently millions of people are in peril, and hundreds ofthousands have died or dying, and the future looks so bleak without help.

The UN and others have been doing a good job there, despite limitations.

The US and other richer nations have the moral prerogative to supervise the distribution of aid and resources, and not depend on Haiti's government.

Still it's an arduous task, and will take years to rebuild.
20:24 January 19, 2010 by GefleFrequentFlyer
The world community needs to address the staggering immediate humanitarian crisis, and once rectified, pull out any foreign aid in countries like Haiti. That goes for these loony church groups from the US that go to developing nations on 'mission trips'. The UN is guilty as anyone.

Sound heartless? Look accross the border at the Dominican Republic and take careful notes.
20:42 January 19, 2010 by coswede
how much of elin's $300 million will she give to the poor haitians

0
02:34 January 20, 2010 by horace_engdahl
@coswede - I like how you connected Swedish government aid to Haiti with the Tiger Woods scandal, obviously you pose a relevant question that is on everyone's minds and it is completely relevant.
07:42 January 21, 2010 by AdrianQ
What the people are doing is a heroic thing. We are united just to help the people of Haiti. Keep up what we are doing. I think we should always do something like this. It’s going to take a lot to patch it back up – let's hope the various foundations can get enough aid funding. Thank heavens the Cayman Islands earthquake wasn't as bad as the Haiti earthquake – it looks like an aftershock, but less than a 6.0 on the Richter scale. It occurred out to sea instead of underground – I think it was the Oriente Fracture Zone, on the Cayman Trough or something along those lines, and it doesn't look like it's done any damage.
05:43 January 22, 2010 by swede7814
Haiti is a country that has faced immense poverty, extreme violence and corrupt governments, AND now this! These people did not ask for this, they were born there, just like we were born where we were. The difference is that we can have an option usually as to where we would like to live and have ways to make a living for ourselves, provide food for our families and take vacations!

Haitians struggle daily and now is the time to support them and believe in them. Maybe, because of this terrible event the government will change and at least look into setting regulations and standards.

The aftershocks are still coming and the world needs to support Haiti!
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