Children at a local orphanage send their thanks for helping CMAT to provide them with basic medical care.
July 12, 2010 – Today marks 6 months since the devestating earthquake struck Haiti, killing over 200,000 people and rendering well over 1,000,000 homeless. CMAT Executive Director Valerie Rzepka reflects on the organization’s response to this crisis.
The early days
Arriving less than 72 hours after the disaster, I was part of the CMAT Assessment team which quickly set about surveying the areas in and around Port-au-Prince. While I established contact with the UN On-site Operations Coordination Centre (UN-OSOCC), UN Office of Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA), and WHO- Pan-American Health Organization (WHO-PAHO, my colleagues on the assessment team went about scouting the region and environs for a suitable location for our field hospital, where there was the greatest need.
