Above: Haiti PM Laurent Lamothe and President Michel Martelly in Cite Soleil Monday (Photo: OPM Haiti)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Haiti and Digicel have partnered to transfer money via mobile phones to more than 5,000 victims of Tropical Storm Isaac, the government announced Monday.

The distribution began less than a day after Isaac made landfall in Haiti.

The two sides managed to register more than 5,000 victims in the TchoTcho Mobile progarmme and transfer 500 gourdes (approximately $12 USD) to their mobile phones.

The money transfers allow beneficiaries to make purchases or withdraw the funds as cash from Digicel outlets. According to the government, there are approximately 400 such centres in Haiti.

In a statement, Haiti’s government said it would be continuing with accompanying measures over the next three weeks.

Haiti, Digicel and several international partners have been pushing the use of mobile money transfers in a country where two-thirds of the population has access to mobile phones, but just 10 percent of Haitians have bank accounts.