News

On 8 January in Vilnius, Political Director of Lithuania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Rolandas Kačinskas met with Haitian sportsmen, who were affected by the earthquake in 2010.

The Political Director told members of the Haitian disability football team Wilfrid Macena, Mackenson Pierre and Sandy J. L. Louiseme about cooperation between Lithuania and Haiti, including through the provision of support to this country.

The athletes stopped in Lithuania on their way to the Vatican, where a conference marking the 5th anniversary of Haiti’s earthquake will be held on 10 January. The 2010 earthquake was among the worst earthquakes in the country’s history. More than 230,000 people are estimated to have been killed. The earthquake left more than 2 million people homeless.

In the same year, Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry donated humanitarian aid worth 50, 000 litas through the International Committee of the Red Cross to Haiti. Such non-profit organizations as Caritas Lithuania, Save the Children Lithuania and the Lithuanian Red Cross Society raised aid worth more than 650, 000 litas.

In 2010-2011, officials from two public safety services under of the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Lithuania participated in the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH).

In 2014, Lithuania donated 80, 000 litas to the UNICEF Mission in Haiti from Lithuania under the Development Cooperation and Democracy Promotion Programme. These funds were allocated to the UNICEF project that aims to reduce maternal and infant mortality rates in Haiti.

Lithuania and Haiti established diplomatic relations on 4 May 2010.

The trip of the Haitian sportsmen is financed by the Knights of Columbus. This Catholic organisation provides donations to charity and volunteer service in support of charitable initiatives.

Szymon Czyszek, representative of the Knights of Columbus from Washington D.C., Great Knight Mykolas Juozapavičius from Lithuania and his deputy Vytis Martinaitis also visited Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry.