The Honorable Donald Payne 
Chairman 
Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health  Committee on Foreign Affairs 
U.S. House of Representatives  Washington, D.C. 

Dear Chairman Payne, 

I am writing to request your support for an initiative that is being  organized through CITGO Petroleum Corporation with the support of the  Embassy of Haiti and the Embassy of Venezuela in the U.S. to provide  shelter and other needed equipment to the Haitian people in their  time of need. 

In coordination with Venezuela’s embassy in Washington and Ambassador  Raymond A. Joseph, Haiti’s ambassador to the U.S, CITGO is organizing  a program which will provide large tents with mattresses and blankets  to house, in its first phase, up to 10,000 people on a temporary  basis. This is vital because it is estimated that up to 1.5 million  Haitians are homeless in the wake of the earthquake.  A second phase will be financed by CITGO and employee donations, and  we hope to multiply the effort through contributions by affiliates,  partners, marketers and related industries. This would be aided  significantly with your support. CITGO is coordinating with Haitian  authorities to ensure that this help is put to best use given the  circumstances on the ground. 

Much as the rest of the international community, Venezuela was  shocked by the scale of death and destruction caused by the massive  earthquake. As an oil producing country and a partner to Haiti  through the PetroCaribe initiative, Venezuela is providing 225,000  barrels of gasoline and diesel this week to be used for the  generation of electricity and other purposes. The shipment will be  received by a refinery in the Dominican Republic. Before the  earthquake struck, Haiti consumed approximately 11,000 barrels of oil  products day. It is estimated that Venezuela’s shipment of gasoline  and diesel could help provide electricity for close to one month. 

Venezuela has also provided Haiti with various shipments of  humanitarian assistance, including food, medicine, tools, equipment  and trained soldiers and professionals for search-and-rescue missions  and reconstruction. 

In the wake of the disaster in Haiti, Venezuela and CITGO will  continue doing all they can to help the Haitian people and government  recover from the tragedy they have suffered. If you have any  questions about the CITGO effort or would like to offer your support,  please contact Daniel Cortez at (832) 486-5557 or Gustavo Cardenas at  (832) 486-1740. 

Respectfully, 

Bernardo Álvarez Herrera

Ambassador