The British Red Cross are using mobile phone technology to help provide immediate cash grants to the people of Haiti who are still trying to rebuild their lives after the tragic earthquake. Twelve months on since the devastation, British Red Cross ground workers are helping to move money quickly to people who are in desperate need via text message, which helps cut out the paperwork and banking issues.
A texted cash grant of US$250 is enough to meet the basic needs of a small family, with the British Red Cross now providing school fees for up to 4,000 children in the Port-au-Prince area. 3,000 families are also being supported not just with cash grants, but also with education and training to help them develop small businesses.
Recovery manager with the British Red Cross, Alastair Burnett, said –
It is virtually impossible to overstate the impact of the quake. The numbers of people killed is hard to even imagine, but there are millions more who survived but were robbed of their homes, jobs and livelihoods as well as their loved ones. Recovering from such a huge disaster will take years, and twelve months on is still just the beginning of that journey, but there are real positives which must not be overlooked.
Thanks to the British Red Cross’ work in supporting livelihoods as well as lives, the people of Haiti are beginning the first small steps on the road to recovery.
