FCBARCELONA.CAT

23.06.2010 10:52

La Fundació working in Haití

www.fcbarcelona.cat

The aid that the FC Barcelona Foundation is sending to Haiti is to be channelled through the MSF (Médecins Sans Frontières ) and UNICEF organisations with health and education the top two priorities.

The Director General of the Fundació FC Barcelona, Marta Segú, travelled to Haiti from 7 to 12 June to find out first hand what the situation was on the ground and where the aid from the Foundation should be channelled.

Soon after the earthquake which devastated the country in January, the club announced that its Foundation had committed itself to a donation of 250,000 Euros to be aimed at helping in two main areas: health and education.

Working with MSF

In order to help with thE reestablishment of basic health care services, the Foundation decided to support the MSF organisation, particularly in the work it was carrying out with young people and children in the most hard hit areas of the island.

Marta Segú was able to see the work being done at two of the organisation’s projects in the capital Port-au-Prince and in the rural zone of Jacmel and she commented: “MSF is working intensely to guarantee health care services in the poor area of Bicentenaire in the capital and also in Public Hospital of Saint Michel in Jacmel, which was severely damaged by the catastrophe”.

The hospital is being reconstructed, but large parts are still in ruins, particularly the operating theatres and the maternity unit. La Fundació FC Barcelona has decided to channel its aid to these two areas which have been identified as vital to the functioning of the hospital.

Education another priority

La Fundació has also held talks with representatives from the AECID (Agencia Española de Cooperación y Desarrollo) to help re-establish the education system in one of the most seriously damaged areas of the country and to try and help with the education of the thousands of children currently housed in refugee camps.