Switzerland has made a formal pledge of around SFr90 million ($85 million) at a donors’ conference for Haiti’s reconstruction.
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The Caribbean country was hit by a devastating earthquake in January.
The Swiss government will contribute SFr35.6 million through 2012 on top of the SFr55 million collected by charities from private donations, according to a statement by the foreign ministry on Wednesday.
Martin Dahinden, director of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), said Switzerland will support long-term reconstruction, which includes the rebuilding of schools and hospitals, as well as ensuring rural development and the security of food supplies.
The SDC has had an office in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, since 2005.
The economics ministry will pay $4 million to the World Bank to help Haiti cancel its debt.
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Haiti appeal finds strong support from Swiss
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Another SFr4.4 million had already been pledged, making the total so far SFr25.2 million. It is one of the most successful campaigns of the fundraising Swiss Solidarity charity, led by the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation. Swiss Solidarity coordinator Roland Jeanneret said he was very happy at the result, with SFr1 million on average being pledged every…
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Yet shelter for the hundreds of thousands of survivors remains a desperate race against the clock as the rainy and hurricane seasons loom. The aid operation in Haiti has been complicated and frustratingly slow but is making significant progress, particularly in getting food to quake survivors, the top United Nations relief official said in Geneva…
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Thomas Kern has documented the daily struggle of Haitians since 1997. These pictures show the difficulties ordinary people face as well as their relationship with voodoo religion. Thomas Kern works as a picture editor for swissinfo.ch and as a freelance photgrapher.
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The extent of the devastation is still unclear but there are fears hundreds of people may have died. Haiti’s worst quake in more than a century hit south of the capital Port-au-Prince on Tuesday, wrecking the presidential palace, UN headquarters and countless other buildings.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.