News Release - February 17, 2010
1631 Elysian Fields Avenue New Orleans, Louisiana 70117 800.971.6640 Louisianahelpshaiti@gmail.com
For Immediate Release, February 17, 2010
CONTACT: Dr. Yvelyne McCarthy, Jacques Morial: 800.971.664, Louisianahelpshaiti@gmail.com
Press: Maryse Dejean 504. 382.1238, lhsvmedia@gmail.com
Louisiana/Haiti Sustainable Village Project Launches Barge Project to Haiti
March 1, 2010
The New Orleans to Haiti Barge Initiative, a program of The Louisiana/Haiti Sustainable Village Project (formerly the Haitian Emergency Village Project), will deliver 100,000 cubic tons of donated medical supplies, tents, household goods, and food to the port of Jacmel on Monday, March 1, 2010. Currently, sixty percent of the space has been filled with donations. The barge will leave from New Iberia and sail to Haiti where the goods will be distributed throughout the southern region of the country to provide relief to the population affected by the January 12 earthquake.
The use of the barge and tugboat were donated by generous companies with operations in Louisiana. The Louisiana/Haiti Sustainable Village Project (LHSVP) is asking businesses, individuals and organizations for financial contributions and for additional goods to fill the remainder of the barge to capacity. LHSVP is also asking residents, and students to volunteers to help sort, and pack these items on Wednesday, February 17, Thursday, February 18 and Friday, February 18 from 8:00 a. m. to 8:00 p.m. at their warehouse, 600 Edwards Avenue and Pepsi Street, in Elmwood, LA (approximately 30 minutes from New Orleans). Businesses, organizations and individuals wishing to contribute goods may bring them to 600 Edwards Avenue on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. A truck will carry the additional relief items from the warehouse to New Iberia on Saturday, February 27 at noon.
The Louisiana/Haiti Sustainable Village Project is a group of more than 40 disaster recovery and urban infrastructure professionals working to build an emergency village in Haiti that will provide housing, infrastructure and other services that constitute communities rather than camps. With major involvement of New Orleans residents, supporters and rebuilders, this group is laying the foundation for a model for recovery. The Louisiana/Haiti Sustainable Village Project has already airlifted more than six tons of medical supplies to the medical teams in Jacmel and La Vallee de Jacmel in Haiti and is preparing to send a second team of medical and other professionals to the area.
Financial contributions to the Louisiana/Haiti Sustainable Village Project can be made online through the Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation: http://www.louisianahelp.org/haiti.html. For additional information about the Barge Project, please call 800.971.6640, or email: louisianahelpshaiti@gmail.com.
