Swift, Project Handclasp Deliver to Haiti
Navy NewsStand
Story Number: NNS101110-02
11/10/2010
By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class (SW) Jeffery Tilghman Williams, High Speed Vessel Swift (HSV 2) Southern Partnership Station Public Affairs
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (NNS) -- High Speed Vessel Swift (HSV 2) delivered a fully-equipped mobile medical clinic and 39 pallets of water filters to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Nov. 8, as the Project Handclasp portion of Southern Partnership Station 2011 kicked off.
Project Handclasp is a U.S. Navy program that accepts and transports educational, humanitarian and goodwill material donated by America's private sector on a space-available basis aboard U.S. Navy ships for distribution to foreign nation recipients.
"Today was the first stop on a five-month deployment throughout the Caribbean and South America where we'll be strengthening our bonds with partner nations," said High Speed Vessel – Southern Partnership Station 2011 (HSV-SPS 11) Mission Commander, Cmdr. Mark A. Becker. "The coordination with Haitian officials and the U.S. Embassy here has been amazing, and that's the reason why we were able to make this delivery in support of Project Handclasp."
Becker's first contact once pier side in Port-Au-Prince was Dr. Phillippe Avril, Special Projects Coordinator for Pure Water for the World-Haiti Project, who arrived shortly after Swift moored.
"This was wonderful sight to start my morning off today," said Avril. "We have been looking forward to this delivery, so we can provide schools, clinics and orphanages here with the clean water they deserve."
The 39 pallets of water filters were donated by Pure Water for the World, a non-profit organization helping developing countries by providing clean, safe drinking water, sanitation, hygiene education and health, and hope that leads to opportunity. The water filters are simple filters with no moving parts that combat the leading causes of death and disease in the developing world by reducing parasites, bacteria and viruses found in contaminated water.
"People here are dying from waterborne diseases everyday, so we are so thankful to our American counterparts for assisting us in trying to solve this problem," said Avril.
Shortly after unloading the 39 pallets from the ship, the crew's focus shifted as they unloaded a 14-ton mobile medical clinic carrying more than 2,000 lbs. of supplies.
The mobile medical clinic was donated by the Mobile C.A.R.E. Foundation, a Chicago-based asthma treatment organization, and will be delivered to International Child Care, a Christian health development organization. The clinic has 148 boxes aboard, which are loaded with clothes, medical supplies, water and school supplies.
"Amazing. All I can say is amazing," said Robenson Lucceus, Child Care International public relations coordinator. "There is no way to say thank you for this donation, which will help so many and save so many lives."
"Coming here and making this delivery was not just a donation," said Becker. "We are committed to sharing knowledge and subject matter expert exchanges with all our partner nations, so we can improve and strengthen our communication and working relationships."
HSV-SPS 11 is an annual deployment of U.S. ships to the U.S. Southern Command's area of responsibility in the Caribbean and Latin America. The mission's primary goal is information-sharing with navies, coast guards and civilian services throughout the region.
Commander, U.S. Navy Southern Command (COMUSNAVSO) is the naval component command for U.S. Southern Command and is responsible for all naval personnel and assets in the area of responsibility.
COMUSNAVSO conducts a variety of missions in support of the U.S. maritime strategy, including theater security cooperation, relationship building, humanitarian assistance and disaster response, community relations, and counter-illicit trafficking operations.
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