CARE is rushing to provide emergency aid after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Tuesday, January 12. The quake’s epicenter was just 10 miles south of the country’s capital, Port-au-Prince, home to some 3 million people, the majority of whom live on less than $2 per day. Thousands are feared dead, and many more have lost their homes in the most powerful quake ever recorded in the country – the poorest in the Western Hemisphere.


As aftershocks continue, CARE has launched an international appeal for funds for Haiti to immediately start emergency operations, but the full extent of this catastrophe is not yet known. What we do know, however, is that millions of people in this impoverished nation have been affected, and they need your help.


CARE plans to start food distributions using stocks of high-protein biscuits from our warehouses in Haiti. Our 133 staff who are already on the ground are coordinating with U.N. agencies and other aid organizations to gather more detailed information about the damage and will rapidly scale up our response based on those assessments. CARE’s staff in Haiti has extensive experience responding to disasters, and we are immediately dispatching humanitarian crisis experts including an emergency team from other CARE offices around the globe. Delta Air Lines, a long time CARE partner, is providing transportation support for Atlanta-based CARE staff into Haiti to support our Haiti Country Office team on the ground with emergency relief. Click here to donate your Delta SkyMiles to CARE through Delta’s SkyWish program.


Help is urgently needed for the millions of people likely affected by the disaster, especially for the most vulnerable – women and girls.


Communications have been significantly damaged in the disaster, but there is no doubt that the needs will be urgent. Initial reports are that many buildings, including essential services like hospitals, have been destroyed – meaning this disaster may become a major catastrophe. Because of their special needs, and the fact they are often less able to flee, women and girls are usually the most vulnerable in emergencies, and will require immediate assistance. You can help the response today.


As in all disasters, the immediate needs will likely include clean water, shelter, food and medical aid. From CARE’s experience in other emergencies, we know mothers with infants and pregnant women will need special supplies and health care. Your gift to CARE will help us address the immediate needs of the survivors of this unprecedented disaster.