The Sovereign Order of Malta is opening the first branch of its humanitarian relief agency in the United States. Today, Malteser International will inaugurate its American headquarters located in greater Miami.

“With this new unit, Malteser International will be better able to serve and empower communities in need on the American continent,” says Ambassador Robert L. Shafer, Permanent Observer of the Sovereign Order of Malta to the United Nations. “We will not only be able to provide emergency relief faster after disasters, but we will also improve the quality of our programs through better coordination and cooperation with other humanitarian actors and networks in the region.”

The American branch of Malteser International is responsible for the agency’s operations in the region – in countries such as Haiti, Mexico, and Peru.

“Since the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Malteser International has already provided medical treatment for more than 20,000 Haitians, supplied nearly 10,000 households with clean drinking water, rebuilt nine schools, and helped 2,000 small farmers recover after Hurricane Sandy, among other things,” Ambassador Shafer says. “Internationally, we have provided emergency relief both in large-scale disasters, such as the Syria crisis, as well as forgotten crises in countries such as South Sudan, Pakistan and Myanmar.”