WASHINGTON, D.C. - This Friday, March 12 at 12 noon the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) will launch “Helping Shelter Haiti,” an interactive exhibit that illustrates the agency’s immediate and long-term plans for sheltering those displaced by the January 12th earthquake. The exhibit will display a scaled version of the shelters currently being built in Haiti, and bring to life how the agency facilitates the reconstruction process when disaster-stricken countries request U.S. humanitarian assistance.

USAID Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah will join Paul Weisenfeld, the USAID Haiti Task Team Coordinator to discuss how USAID and its international partners are working to assist the Government of Haiti in the broader recovery effort and detail the relief mission’s strategy for sheltering those made homeless by the earthquake. A representative from CHF International will also speak briefly regarding the innovative construction and design of the shelters.

*Note: Space is limited. To RSVP for this event, please contact Anna Gohmann at agohmann@usaid.gov or (202) 712-4047. Please include your name, title, and media affiliation in your response.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency that provides economic, development and humanitarian assistance around the world in support of the foreign policy goals of the United States. For more information about USAID, visit www.usaid.gov.