By Lisa Schick

Recovery efforts continue in Haiti

Jan 12, 2011 | 5:11 AM

It has been a year since Haiti was hit with the earthquake that devastated the country.

The country is working to rebuild with help from people around in the world.

In Prince Albert, Madeline Marchildon helped to raise funds for the relief efforts in Haiti through a local organization supported the Sacred Heart Catholic Women’s league.

They support programs, in the northern part of the island country, run by Father Radolphe Bathazar and Auguste Cholet.

According to Marchildon, Bathazar’s programs were strained when the quake struck.

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“A lot of other people came to the very poor areas of the north-east region and they didn’t have enough food for themselves, they had to share what little they had but, I guess they didn’t lose one person.”

The support from people in Prince Albert helped them cope with the need.

“With the help that they (were) getting, they were managing to be able to share the goods, the food, the meals, to those that were coming in.”

The Canadian Red Cross also was able to begin their efforts immediately after the disaster struck with support from the province.

Saskatchewan responded to the crisis with $1.5 million in donations.

Almost $6,000 came from the five major fundraisers that took place in Prince Albert.

These donations gave Haitians emergency relief items like food, shelter and clothing and medical care as well as relief and recovery staff.

The money also helped provide care and vaccines during the cholera outbreak in the aftermath of the quake.

Amanda Ulrich, provincial lead for public affairs and marketing for the Red Cross, estimated that relief and rebuilding efforts will take another 10 years to restore Haiti.

Continuing help from fundraisers and organizations such as those in Prince Albert will help the ongoing reconstruction, she said.

The quake, which reached a seven on the Richter scale, destroyed most of the country capital city, Port-au-Prince, and disrupted more than 3 million people.

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