Romania sends help to stricken Haiti

Newsroom 01/02/2010 | 10:45

The Romanian state has announced that it will send humanitarian aid worth EUR 50,000 to the Republic of Haiti, following the devastating earthquake that killed upwards of 110,000 people. The sum will come from the Ministry of External Affairs’ 2010 budget for development assistance, through the World Food Program. Twenty-one police officers have also been dispatched to the UNO mission in Haiti.

In other efforts to help the stricken country, a telethon, Haiti – the Children of Chaos, was organized by Realitatea TV in partnership with Unicef, and raised EUR 350,000. During the event, President Traian Basescu announced he would donate his next month’s salary to the cause. The campaign still continues and those who wish to donate can do it in various ways. To make a EUR 2 donation, send an SMS to 848 in the Orange, Vodafone and Cosmote networks or call 0900 900 563 in the Romtelecom network. For a EUR 5 or EUR 10 donation, the numbers to call in the Romtelecom network are 0900 900 565 and 0900 900 567, respectively. Donors can also deposit money in the Unicef account at any BRD-Groupe Societe Generale branch in the account RO10 BRDE 450S V434 6556 4500 or code 04.

The European Commission has announced it will devote EUR 30 million in aid to Haiti, to which will be added contributions of EUR 100 million for restoring government infrastructure and EUR 200 million for the country’s reconstruction and development.