Good Intentions not good enough for Haiti's children

Guest Blog by Anna Ridout, Emergency Communications Officer for World Vision in Haiti This evening I walk up a steep hill covered in makeshift huts made of floral pattern sheets hiked up on anything that will hold them. I speak to a mother who is living in a fragile shelter perched on precarious rubble. “We are worried about people who come to pick up our children,” she said, “it has happened here.” Missing Child At crossroads next to a flattened school, a man waited patiently behind the roped area as World Vision gave families rice this morning. Since the earthquake struck Haiti three weeks ago, he hasn’t seen his seven-year-old daughter. He shows me Jaymmiqua’s birth certificate and explains he has done everything he can think of to find her. “I tried to look for her but I couldn’t find any information,” he said. “The neighbours said they don’t know where she is. The way the house is broken there’s no way to check inside. It’s like my soul has disappeared with my daughter.” Afraid This afternoon I talked to children who had found a safe and fun place to play at World Vision’s children’s play area. I met a nine-year-old girl whose Mum was killed instantly in the quake, while her father, severely injured, was flown to Santo Domingo for urgent medical treatment. “I’m afraid of another earthquake,” she said. “I’m afraid to be alone. I’m afraid of people who may come to do bad things to me.” Dust A 12-year-old boy lives on a roundabout in what used to be the smart part of town. Since his Mum died, he is living with his Aunt and two cousins. He told me what happened on the day of the quake. “I was on the street near my house and I felt a shake and I saw lots of dust,” he said. “I just stood there. If I was supposed to run, I don’t know where I was supposed to go. “My Mum was at the open market and when she tried to come back home, some blocks fell on her and killed her. People found her and I saw her. I felt shaken because I lost my mother. “My father has been living in Santo Domingo before the earthquake. I don’t know anything about him. I have a brother and sister but we are not together,” he said. Alone and Vulnerable When the earth split and plunged Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas into chaos, it did not just destroy lives, businesses and buildings. The earthquake split families apart and left many children alone and vulnerable. Just as the recovery following such a catastrophic disaster will take a long time, it will take weeks and months for children to be reunited with their parents and for parents to find their children. As just one day in this densely-populated city proves, the problem is complex. And as with most complex issues, there is no quick-fix solution. At risk As this week has shown, children separated from their families are at risk of abuse and exploitation, trafficking or losing their identities permanently if they are not rapidly registered for family tracing and reunification. World Vision has called on a halt to all new international adoptions, while working hard to protect and identify children in Haiti and over the long-term will help strengthen community networks and support systems. Taking children out of the country in the midst of chaos will permanently separate thousands of children from their families – a separation that could compound the acute trauma they are already suffering and inflict long-term damage on their chances of recovery. As I and the woman agreed as we stood next to her temporary shelter over-looking the destruction of the quake, let’s not let the genuine desire to help those in need become an excuse for short cuts or easy answers.

Visiting Uganda: People rebuilding their lives after the war

“This is where the LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army) used to take all the abducted children” my colleague Santos tells me, pointing at the vast bamboo and grass forests around us. “They would abduct 300 to 500 people and hide them here for a few months before marching them south for an assault.” I’m visiting an Irish Aid funded World Vision Ireland project for Internally Displaced People in Uganda. Between 1987 and 2006 in Northern Uganda, 25 000 children were abducted by the Lords Resistance Army - a brutal guerilla insurgency, led by Joseph Kony. Creeping into villages at night, Kony and his men captured large groups of children and forced them to fight for him. Peace Restored “Four years ago it would have been impossible to drive along this road; even with a fully armed escort, we would have been very much risking our lives.” Since peace has been established, over 10 000 children have returned home, but this has also brought new problems as a lot of the children and their families are traumatized by what they went through. Returning Home When we get back to Pader town, Santos points at the large field in front of our hotel, where there is a large gathering of people celebrating an anti gender-based violence campaign. “You could not even stand where those people are. You would be abducted. It was so dangerous.” Thankfully, those days are over now. The massive camps are emptying and thousands of people have already returned to their homes. But when they got home they found all the infrastructure in ruins: schools, water points and health centres had been destroyed by the LRA’s brutal campaign. Rebuilding Infrastructure While there are still doubts about the sustainability of the peace, particularly with trouble brewing in Southern Sudan with the upcoming elections, people are delighted to be home. With the support of Irish Aid, World Vision Ireland has been able to dig 22 wells and train the community on how to maintain them. This means that the community can access safe water for their homes and schools, preventing the outbreak of diseases and simultaneously encouraging people to move home and begin the journey to sustainable development. Long may it last!

Dancing Kenyan Style

Most Irish people, but particularly Irish men, will only dance after several pints. In Kenya, they dance any time of day. No drink or drugs needed - just a modicum of rythm and a willingness to let yourself go.

This time two weeks ago, I was dancing under the midday sun with 200 boys and girls from all over Northern Kenya. Yes - I kid you not. This was broad daylight.

We were celebrating the "Children's Voices" conference, which brought together children from the many different tribes here and gave them a chance to voice their concerns to the Government.

Drama

Through dramas, poems and testimonies we heard how their lives were affected by the food crisis, insecurity and crime, water shortages, poor health care and early marriage.

They then presented their recommendations and requests to the Government of Kenya in a formal document. The Government was represented by the Ministry of Health and the Department of Children's Services.

Tough Questions

The children asked their government many tough questions, which represented a real break with the tradition of silence and not challenging ones elders.

"Why do we only have 2 doctors in our hospital and the only time they are punctual is for lunchtime?" "Why do we not have any tarmac roads or police in our area? Many people are being attacked".

Dancing

And afterwards we boogeyed. The popstar (Jimmy Gate anyone?) informed the audience that I was the first mzungu (Swahili word for white person) he'd met who had any rhythm. I was chuffed.