Media Watch – Irish Examiner

Irish charity shipping vital aid to earthquake-stricken Haiti An Irish charity is poised to ship a container full of aid to earthquake-stricken Haiti this weekend. Kieran Tansey, the director of Project Espwa, said it will be the first of three containers they plan to ship from Cork to the Caribbean state over the next month … Read more

Media Watch – Cork Echo

40-foot container filled with vital supplies in rural Cork and bound for Haiti CORK volunteers are sending a 40-foot container with medical equipment and clothes to Haiti, which was again devastated by a major earthquake in recent days. The essential items were loaded in a yard in Dripsey on Saturday, ahead of a voyage which … Read more

Media Watch – Irish Times

A 7.2 in magnitude quake struck on August 14th, and was followed by tropical storm Grace, which brought torrential rain and flooding.

More than 2,000 people have died and many more are badly injured, homeless and without food and clean water following the events.

The cost of sending containers of relief supplies has proven to be a headache for Project ESPWA, an Irish non-government organisation established in 2011 after another devastating earthquake hit Hispaniola, the island Haiti shares with the Dominican Republic, in 2010. ESPWA is the Creole word for hope.

ESPWA director Kieran Tansey says the containers have been filled with medical supplies worth hundreds of thousands of euro such as bandages and crutches, but that covering the bill for shipping them would be a challenge.

Shipping costs have ballooned during the last year, largely due to the pandemic, and are now around €5,000 per unit.

“We have all the aid we need. What we need now is cash,” Mr Tansey said.

ESPWA has purchased its own containers as it wants to avoid facing extra and often dubious demands for customs charges or kickbacks when the shipments arrive in Haiti. The containers, once emptied, can be recycled or used to provide shelter if needed.

Mr Tansey said the estimated cost of collecting the supplies and transporting them to Cork would amount to several thousand euro, and that the overall cost of getting the three containers to Haiti could be €30,000.

“We welcome donations from anyone, but are especially hoping for some corporate sponsorship,” he said.

With international focus very much on Afghanistan, where the Taliban has retaken control of the country, the Irish Red Cross acknowledged the difficulty of responding to various countries desperately seeking help at once.