This morning two members of the Reconaissance Mission for the International Scout Aid, left Paris, assisted by the Scouts et Guides de France. They will be welcomed this evening at 8:00pm local time by a team from the National Association of the Dominican Scouts, who were in contact yesterday with Luc Panissod, Secretary General of the World Organization of the Scout Movement.

Upon their arrival in Santo Domingo the logisitics advisor Fréderic Amiel and the journalist Laurent Grzybowski, will have their first meeting with the Dominican Scouts, representatives from the French Embassy, UNICEF, and the Minister of Education of the Dominican Republic. The latter will probably put a vehicle at their disposal to ensure transportation of the team to Port-au-Prince. The contribution of the Dominican Scouts is of importance as their country will serve as a secondary base for the coordination of the international relief efforts. The team is also assisted by Rafael Julia, Spanish citizen residing in the country who works for the United Nations system in the Dominican Republic.

The objective of the mission, sent at the behest of the Haiti Scouts Association who have had a long tradition of cooperation with the French Scouts, is to evaluate the needs for the emergency aid, support the Haitian Scouts in their collaboration with the international humanitarian agencies, especially those belonging to United Nations system and to prepare the action plan for the next reconstruction phase.

An initial sum of 10'000 euros has been released. They come from donations that have been collected in the last few days. It will serve to answer the immediate needs of the Scouts of Haiti. Communication and first aid matierial will also be bought on the island, especially a water purifier, a radio communication system and motobikes to facilitate the transportation of the Scout leaders coordinating the efforts.