A fresh contingent of doctors, volunteers and supplies will be sent to earthquake-ravaged Haiti today thanks to the Cornerstone Foundation.

The Bermuda-based church charity has teamed up with the US medical aid organisation Angel Wings International to send two planes full of aid.

A total of 18 local volunteers are part of a contingent of more than 60 people, which features general practitioners, surgeons, paediatricians, gynecologists, and French-Creole speaking nurses.

Pastor Gary Simons, President of the Cornerstone Foundation said: "This is an opportunity that we as the people of Bermuda must seize to make a substantial impact at this vital time to prevent many unnecessary deaths by providing the necessary treatment, surgery, and medicines that so many are waiting for."

Cornerstone Foundation and Angel Wings International has 300,000 pounds of medical supplies, food, nutritional cookies, Pampers, medicines, two field hospitals, and supplies in Florida.

They are due to be loaded onto two chartered planes that will take off for the devastated Caribbean nation today. The foundation has already raised around $112,555 towards the estimated $195,000 cost of the mission, which includes setting up three field hospitals and rebuilding two orphanages.

It's the second major mission Bermuda has sent to Haiti in the past week. A team of nine local medics plus charity worker Phillip Rego flew to the devastated country on Sunday.

Pastor Simons is a member of the Cornerstone group, along with Pastors Eversley Lewis and Joshua Samuels. Also flying out today are Dr. Gregory Bernius, a structural engineer who will assess damaged buildings, and Dr. Ken-Garfield Douglas, a Cornerstone Foundation Board Member and expert in programme assessment and development for social interventions.

The other members of the group include Stephen Lowe, a project manager for the Salvation Army during Hurricane Katrina, Nicole Jackson, a Registered Nurse (RN), Stuart McIntosh, a podiatrist, Mary Samuels, Vice President of the Cornerstone Foundation Board, and project manager Lyndon Black.

Pastor Simons said the team will provide help, counsel, and feeding programmes.

"The team will be there to start two field hospitals in Grand Goave and Jacmel over the next week. These hospitals will rotate doctors, surgeons, and RNs every ten days for a minimum of six months," he explained.

A number of churches and local and international companies helped fund the project, plus donations from many members of the public. The donor list includes: Calvary Gospel Chapel, Paget Gospel Chapel, Better Covenant Christian Fellowship, Evangelical Church Bermuda, Wesley Methodist, Cornerstone Bible Fellowship, ACE Bermuda, Allied World Assurance Company, Conyers and Associates Ltd., Marsh Management Services, Royall Imports, Storehouse Trust, Swiss Edge Ltd., Living Centre, Electronic Services, SKB Coating, Mayfair Limited, Butterfield & Vallis and RMS Construction.