DIGICEL DISPATCHES AID PLANE TO HAITI TO ASSIST WITH CHOLERA OUTBREAK

October 27th 2010 - DIGICEL DISPATCHES AID PLANE TO HAITI TO ASSIST WITH CHOLERA OUTBREAK

Contact:
Antonia Graham

antonia.graham@digicelgroup.com

+1 876 564 1708

 

DIGICEL DISPATCHES AID PLANE TO HAITI TO ASSIST WITH CHOLERA OUTBREAK

 

Friday 22nd October, 2010 – Kingston, Jamaica. Digicel, the best value operator in the Caribbean, Central America and the Pacific, is today dispatching a plane loaded with vital relief supplies to assist the people of Haiti.

 

With a cholera outbreak in the central part of the country which has so far claimed the lives of some 142 people – and with a further 1,500 cases to date of people suffering from severe diarrhoea and vomiting - access to uncontaminated food and water is critical.

 

The Digicel plane takes off from Kingston, Jamaica on Friday afternoon and is carrying 2000 lbs of vital supplies like oral rehydration salts, water purification tablets, hand sanitiser and soap.

 

These supplies will be transferred by Digicel staff as soon as the planes lands in Port-au-Prince to hospitals and health facilities in the affected area.

 

Digicel Haiti has also activated a dedicated customer care centre and SMS service where customers can get important information and updates on the situation for free.

 

Colm Delves, Group CEO of Digicel, commented; “We are very sad to hear the news of the cholera outbreak in Haiti and our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Haiti. We hope that the situation can be contained as quickly as possible and want to do everything we can to help make that happen. Since our launch in Haiti in 2006, we have been with the Haitian people every step of the way, and now as ever, we stand ready to assist.”

 

As the single largest investor in Haiti with a total investment of over U$370 million since its launch in 2006, Digicel has over two million customers in Haiti. To date, Digicel has contributed more than US$20 million to the relief efforts in Haiti post the January earthquake.
 

   

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ABOUT DIGICEL

After nine years of operation, Digicel Group Limited has over 11 million customers across its 32 markets in the Caribbean, Central America and the Pacific. The company is renowned for delivering best value, best service and best network.

 

Digicel is the lead sponsor of Caribbean, Central American and Pacific sports teams, including the Special Olympics teams throughout these regions. Digicel sponsors the West Indies cricket team and is also the title sponsor of the Digicel Caribbean Championships. In the Pacific, Digicel is the proud sponsor of several national rugby teams and also sponsors the Vanuatu cricket team.

 

Digicel also runs a host of community-based initiatives across its markets and has set up Digicel Foundations in Jamaica, Haiti and Papua New Guinea which focus on educational, cultural and social development programmes.

 

In 2004, Digicel developed Digicel Rising Stars – an annual talent show to support aspiring young music artists in the Caribbean. The show has spanned the Eastern Caribbean, Haiti, Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago ranking as one of the top-rated shows.

 

Digicel is incorporated in Bermuda and its markets comprise: Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Aruba, Barbados, Bermuda, Bonaire, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Curacao, Dominica, El Salvador, Fiji, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, Nauru, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, St Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos and Vanuatu. Digicel also has coverage in St. Martin and St. Barts in the Caribbean.

Visit www.digicelpacific.com or www.digicelgroup.com  for more information.