By Tim Saunders on
Actress Mia Farrow has made a humanitarian visit to Haiti to visit victims of the recent devestating storms.
The trip – organized by UNICEF – will last from September 19 to 23, and will take the 63-year-old actress to projects in Gonaïves, Cite-Soleil, and Cabaret, all affected by heavy flooding.
“I saw a city mostly submerged in deep mud [and] people still stranded on roof tops,” said the actress after her visit to Gonaïves, by far the worst area affected by the storms, with an estimated 60,000 to 70,000 people in temporary shelters according to local Civil Protection. “Other people are still living in school and in a church. There is a sense of confusion, loss and anger. The people in the shelters had not eaten for days, [there is] not enough water coming – of course there is in no sanitation of any kind.”
Four successive hurricanes have pounded the country since August 16 and affected more than 800,000 people. Cities like Gonaïves remain partly flooded where relocated families wait for the filthy water to recede and to discover what is left of their homes. UNICEF is providing potable water, hygiene kits, water purification tablets, oral rehydration salts, blankets, school kits, and additional items to help women and children in need. They are also providing school furniture and school kits to help get children back into school by October 6.
“My hope is to be a good steward of this information, to take this message to the United States and the international community with the hope that the conscience of the world will respond,” said Farrow.
Farrow’s visit follows a similar trip by Matt Damon and Wyclef Jean earlier this month.
Copyright © 2008 Look to the Stars
