Out of the ashes of devastation and destruction, one agency is using its past efforts in disaster recovery to help care for the Haitians affected by last week’s earthquake.

“Haiti was already a very poor country where the suffering of children is bad, with this situation now, the problem is compounded,” said Winnie Tay, International Programs Team Director for Plan USA.

The 7.3 magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti on Jan. 12 at 4:53 p.m. is estimated to have killed as many as 200,000 people and affected millions more.

Plan was one of the first humanitarian relief organizations to mobilize and provide quake survivors with water, food and hygiene packs.

As of Monday, Plan International had raised more than $4 million in emergency aid, according to Robin Costello, the Plan USA director of communications. Costello said $300,000 of that has come from the USA branch, based in Warwick.

“The lessons learned through the tsunami have been freely shared throughout the Plan network and will help us implement the best strategies for helping Haiti at this difficult time,” said Tay.

Plan International invests in community development programs in 48 developing countries worldwide and played a central role in the 2005 Tsunami recovery efforts in Southeast Asia.

Plan is taking part in a two-phase recovery effort in Haiti. The first phase, or emergency phase, provides shelter, food, medical/health protection and child protection. The phase will be underway for the first 90 days of the recovery effort.

Phase two, the recovery phase, will focus on repairing water systems, providing shelter, psychosocial support, emergency education and disaster risk reduction.

“We have to be careful not to overwhelm them with supplies; it is essential that we coordinate with the government,” said Tay.

Plan has been working in Haiti since 1973 and has an office in Port-au-Prince. The office was one the few structures in the capital city that was not destroyed.

In 2009, Plan invested over $4 million in community development programs in Haiti, and a total of over $14 million in the last five years, with a particular emphasis on health and education.

Plan sponsors over 42,000 children in Haiti, each with an average family of seven.

“Our focus is not just on the child, but also the community where that child lives,” said Tay.

Plan, founded in 1937, raises funds in 21 countries and works in 48 developing countries worldwide. Its programs work across the areas of education; health (including HIV/AIDS); child rights and protection; household economic security; water and sanitation; as well as disaster risk preparedness and management. The international headquarters is in the United Kingdom.

“We try to get the children involved in the process of healing and rebuilding,” said Tay. Plan has 143 members on the ground in Haiti and only one of their members was injured during the quake, but it is not life threatening.

Plan’s relief boat from the Dominican Republic is on its way to Jacmel, an isolated part of the country, with 4,000 family sized tents and 300 emergency kits containing water, dried food, sugar, soap, plastic sheeting, cups and plates.

Plan’s youth organization, youth united for global action and awareness (YUGA), holds a summer camp in Rhode Island every July and for the past two years Haiti has had students participate in the camp.

“The students are struggling with not knowing the status of their friends,” said Costello.

She said many of the students have sent out messages of hope via Facebook and Twitter. Many have changed their profile pictures to ones of them with their Haitian friends. Requests are also coming in from students to hold fundraisers in support of the relief effort.

“Things are following the same pattern as the tsunami,” said Costello.

Tay hopes that this tragedy will be used as an opportunity to rally and help Haiti get back on its feet.

“We know that Plan can bring something very unique to the recovery efforts, which is safe spaces for children, where they receive counseling to help them cope with the traumatic effects of disaster,” said Tay.

Experienced Plan staff, trained in this kind of psychosocial support, will be on hand in makeshift camps that are being set up in Port-Au-Prince, Jacmel and other quake-affected regions.

To make a donation to plan, visit their Web site at www.planusa.org.