There is an immediate lack of food in Haiti since the 12th of January earthquake, which affected around three million people, whose homes and belongings were destroyed.

“The need for food is severe. However, in an emergency like this, distributing bags of rice is not enough. People have lost everything, including cooking utensils. It is therefore extremely important that the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) deploys teams to Haiti, who bring with them and are ready to operate mobile and fully equipped wet kitchen units and water tanks”, said Erik Solheim, Norwegian Minister of International Development.

Through NORCAP, an emergency standby roster operated by NRC and supported by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, four emergency staff and equipment will be sent from Norway to Haiti. In the first phase, four large mobile wet kitchens units and water tanks will be set up, to each prepare 10 000 meals per day. The wet kitchen units will be operated by diesel burners and will therefore not burden the already weak infrastructure. The wet kitchen units and water tanks are donated by the Norwegian Ministry of Defense, while the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs covers the cost for transport and other expenses necessary to get the mobile kitchens up and going in the field, including the needed expert personnel.

“It is crucial that the enormous relief efforts in Haiti are well coordinated. NRC cooperates with the World Food Program (WFP) and is currently developing cooperation with the Haitian branch of the Salvation Army on this food distribution. Local communities will receive training in operating the mobile wet kitchen units and distributing food, which will make the project more sustainable”, said NRC Secretary General Elisabeth Rasmusson.

People in Haiti have suffered from food insecurity and lack of water for a long time. Before the earthquake, 1.9 million people depended on food aid to survive, and half the population had no potable water. Since the earthquake, many more need emergency relief. Especially children in Haiti are severely affected by malnutrition.

Through the emergency standby roster NORCAP, NRC deploys personnel to support UN aid efforts in Haiti, particularly within the fields of logistic, air movement and transportation, food distribution, child protection and humanitarian coordination. NRC has broad experience in responding to humanitarian crises, both through NRC programmes throughout the world and through NORCAP. Around 850 Norwegian and international personnel are members of the NORCAP roster, ready to respond to emergencies within 72 hours worldwide. 

Media contacts:	Telefon:
Benedicte Giæver, Director of Emergency Response	+47 90 55 01 21
Rolf A. Vestvik, Director of Advocacy and Information	+47 48 89 33 13
Astrid Sehl, Media and Policy Adviser	+47 92 28 47 52