President Clinton Commits $1.5M To Fight Cholera In Haiti

Port-au-Prince, Haiti – The William J. Clinton Foundation has announced it has committed $1.5 million dollars in response to the cholera outbreak in Haiti. In recent weeks, the disease has claimed the lives of more than 1,000 people.

As part of its immediate assistance, the Foundation is committing $1 million for the training – in partnership with the Ministry of Health – of 10,000 community public health workers across the country, as well as the purchase of 10,000 portable treatment packs for those in need. The kits will contain oral hydration salts, soap, aqua tabs, chlorine, hand sanitizer, garbage bags, educational material, and stationery.

For the longer-term, the Foundation is committing $500,000 to support the implementation of an aggressive national education and awareness campaign. In the coming weeks, the Clinton Foundation and the Ministry of Health will identify a Haitian firm to implement the effort. Both projects will be presented to the IHRC.

“The recent outbreak of cholera is a devastating development for the people of Haiti, and serves as an important reminder of all that remains to be done in our work to help Haiti build back better after the earthquake,” President Clinton said. “My Foundation’s commitment of $1.5 million will to help expand treatment, care and education to those who need it and ultimately limit the outbreak’s severity and impact.”

"An effective response to cholera requires a multi-level approach with a strong local mobilization for prevention and early treatment,” said Dr. Alex Larson, Minister of Health. “The Clinton Foundation's partnership with us at the Ministry of Health will give our first line community responders the tools and essential supplies they need to actively reach out to those vulnerable. This contribution supports a core element of our strategy of ensuring widespread education with access to supplies to save lives."

The immediate and long-term responses are a result of multiple meetings between President Clinton’s Chief of Staff and the Haitian Government immediately after the outbreak. The programs – which will be presented to the IHRC -- will help provide people with adequate treatment and education, and build Haitian capacity in order to avoid future crises.

President Clinton has been working in Haiti before the devastating January earthquake and remains a strong partner in the country’s recovery. Through initiatives focused on the economic and social health of the country, the Foundation has supported efforts aimed at improving medical services, education, small business, infrastructure and other keys to Haiti’s future.

The total value of assistance to Haiti provided through the Clinton Foundation’s efforts has been nearly $23 million to date. Additionally, the Foundation allocated $1 million for communal hurricane emergency shelter; $1 million for operational support of the IHRC, which President Clinton co-chairs along with Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive; and $500,000 in bridge funding for the Petionville Club Camp in Petionville.

About the William J. Clinton Foundation

Founded by President Bill Clinton, the William J. Clinton Foundation focuses on worldwide issues that demand urgent action, solutions, and measurable results — global climate change, HIV/AIDS in the developing world, childhood obesity and economic opportunity in the United States, and economic development in Africa and Latin America.