Rescue Dog Team Deployed to Haiti Following Earthquake

German aid organization Aktion Deutschland Hilft deployed a rescue dog team in October 2021 to offer professional assistance to victims following the August earthquake in Haiti. The island nation, home to over two million people, has repeatedly faced natural disasters, including a devastating earthquake in 2010 and Hurricane Matthew in 2016.

The Federal Association of Rescue Dogs (BRH), part of Aktion Deutschland Hilft, dispatched a team of doctors, nurses, and paramedics to Haiti shortly after the quake. They set up a field hospital on the island of Les Cayemites, which was severely impacted by the disaster. Access to medical care was already challenging on the island prior to the earthquake.

The BRH team transported eleven tons of medical supplies to the island using fishing boats. Henri Paletta, one of the BRH aid workers, shared his experiences in the organization's "who cares" podcast. Paletta is a trainer who works with rescue dogs at a training facility in Germany.

Haiti is one of the world's poorest countries, and many of Aktion Deutschland Hilft's member organizations have been active there for years. Nearly half of the population lives below the poverty line. The organization continues to provide humanitarian aid to the Haitian people in the aftermath of the disaster.