There are signs of hope and progress in Haiti, but the needs remain great. The Red Cross has worked hard to provide emergency relief, and we've had to be flexible to respond to the cholera outbreak, the November hurricane and ongoing efforts to help people move out of the camps into better shelter.

• The American Red Cross has spent more than $3 million so far on the cholera response, and plans to spend millions more. These funds are being used to purchase essential items such as chlorine tablets, soap and oral rehydration solution and to ship cots and medical supplies. The global Red Cross network has also reached hundreds of thousands of Haitians with prevention messages through SMS text messages and by going tent by tent in camps to teach people how to prevent, identify and treat cholera.
• Some families have begun to move into new residences in Port-au-Prince and in other communities outside the capital, and construction is underway on thousands of these simple homes. The American Red Cross is spending $43 million with partners like Habitat for Humanity to build these semi-permanent homes in the months ahead.

The generous donations made to the Red Cross following the earthquake have made a significant difference in helping Haitians recover and rebuild their lives.

• The American Red Cross has spent millions of dollars to help Haitians start or restart their businesses, rebuild their lives and their communities through cash-for-work projects, and assist host families who are supporting friends and family left homeless by the earthquake.
• The American Red Cross has provided funding to keep the doors open of the largest public hospital in Port-au-Prince as well as the only critical care and trauma hospital in Haiti. Tens of thousands of Haitians, many of whom had not previously had access to health care, have been treated at Red Cross health facilities. In addition, shortly after the earthquake struck, the Red Cross participated in an immunization campaign in which nearly 1 million Haitians were inoculated against diptheria, tetanus, pertusis, measles, and Rubella.
• The global Red Cross network has been providing an estimated 280,000 people in Port-au-Prince with safe, drinkable water every day. We believe this has helped prevent the cholera outbreak from spreading further in the capital.
• We have also helped tens of thousands of Haitians prepare for storms or other disasters while they live in these difficult conditions. This includes training in emergency first aid and early warning systems; digging drainage ditches through cash-for-work programs, sandbagging dangerous hillsides and clearing evacuation routes; and running workshops for children that teach them how to respond in disasters. These programs demonstrated their value when Hurricane Tomas struck Haiti in November.

The American Red Cross is committed to spending our donor dollars as quickly and as wisely as we can to alleviate the suffering of the people of Haiti, and we will be there until the last dollar donated to Haiti has been spent.

• The American Red Cross has received $477 million for Haiti and we have already spent and signed agreements to spend nearly $183.5 million. We projected we would reach about $200 million in the first year, and we now are on track to surpass that goal. We expect we will spend the rest over the next several years.
• Haiti and its people must rebuild their homes, economy, water systems, schools and transportation networks. With an estimated $12 billion needed to rebuild Haiti, the needs are beyond the capacity of the Red Cross alone to fix, and will require the collective efforts of governments and humanitarian groups around the world.
• Construction of additional stable homes will remain a priority for the Red Cross, and we are considering a range of permanent housing solutions, including returning displaced Haitians to their former homes and neighborhoods.
• Recovery efforts will continue to take time in Haiti and it's important to remember that Haiti was a very poor country before the earthquake. An estimated 71 percent of Haitians lived on less than $2 a day before the earthquake, and the country had a 70 percent unemployment rate in the formal sector.
• Throughout our response, the Red Cross has sought to make spending decisions with two criteria in mind: what's best for the people of Haiti and whether we are following the intent of our donors who contributed to Haiti.