Statement of Solidarity
with the People in Haiti

The January 12 earthquake in Haiti has cost thousands of lost lives and caused hundreds of thousand to be displaced and homeless. Together with social workers worldwide, the Commonwealth Organisation for Social Work (COSW) expresses solidarity and sympathy for all affected by the earthquake.

Recovery from a disaster of this magnitude will go through several stages and take years. From experience working in other disaster areas, social workers on the ground know that the social consequences will be significant and long-lasting. We also know that those who are most vulnerable suffer the most.

COSW, working with the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) and other global social work bodies, is confident that the social work community is already making a contribution and will play an important role in the social recovery to the disaster. COSW, together with IFSW, has responded with the Families and Survivors of Tsunami (FAST) project after the Asian tsunami of December 2004. We seek to network with local social workers and social organizations involved with the disaster recovery work in Haiti. Together with other global organizations we are ready to share our experiences with the local social workers of Haiti in the long road of social reconstruction. When the focus of the world has turned to the next news story, social workers will still be there - for the long-term.

Ngoh Tiong TAN & Charles MBUGUA
Co-chairs, Commonwealth Organisation for Social Work,
January 20, 2010