How to stay healthy in the camps

Guest Blog from Haiti Conditions in the temporary camps in Haiti, where people have taken shelter because their homes were destroyed in the earthquake, can be pretty unsanitary. People have set up homes at roundabouts, parks, any empty public space really and the lack of clean water, showers and toilets pose a serious health risk. World Vision is handing out water containers, water purification tablets, and hygiene kits to families in the camps and we’re also working to construct latrines across 7 camps. Another thing we’re doing is, we’ve hired an acting troup called Compagnie Zoflanbo to raise awareness of how people can stay healthy in the camps and prevent disease. In the photo here, taken at a camp in Lagrott in Port au Prince, the acting group is highlighting the importance of clean water and hand washing. As well as drawing a crowd the music and drama gives people an opportunity to come together and have fun.

Beyond Haiti's headlines

Guest Blog by World Vision aid worker in Haiti Anna Ridout While headlines report violence and looting in Haiti’s capital and observers speak of chaos and desperation on the streets, I’m seeing another side to Port-au-Prince often lost in disaster reporting. Young boys scramble and leap over rubble chasing their ingenious kites made of flimsy plastic bags. A dozen teenagers sing their hearts out at a spontaneous open-air church service overlooking the devastated city. Small businesses – barbers, corner shops, bars – have already sprung up in many of the haphazard settlements of tents and makeshift shelters. Children dance, sing and laugh in one of World Vision’s safe play areas. Only three weeks after the earthquake caused catastrophe here, people are already finding ways to rebuild their lives, often with a smile. Calm While there have been moments when fighting has broken out at distributions and security remains a key issue for the population as well as aid agencies, these are notable incidents rather than a sign of widespread unrest. When World Vision and other agencies launched a city-wide distribution of rice, with the World Food Programme, designed to reach close to two million people in just two weeks, many feared chaos. Today our team was in the notoriously volatile district of Cite Soleil. We intentionally started the distribution a few days later there to give us additional time to talk to those who have influence in the community, such as leaders and local groups. This meant we were able to reach 8,500 people today in the most dangerous part of town with calm and cooperation. Gesture Incredibly poor, Cite Soleil was already a huge densely-populated neighbourhood of iron roofs and inadequate services. My non-existent Creole means I’m often communicating with people in gesture or expression. As the empty food trucks left the site, a young girl with confident inquisitive eyes looked at me and smiled. I scrunched up my nose and she did the same. She tried to speak to me and I shrugged my shoulders; she laughed. It’s staggering how such a spirit of tenacity can exist alongside devastation and poverty. Sharing At all the food distributions this week the most vulnerable have been first in line. A blind man and his daughter, an elderly woman with her arm in a sling, a pregnant woman with a month to go, all left with 25-kilogramme sacks, assisted by World Vision volunteers, without hassle. Elderly women tell me how the only way they are eating is because neighbours, friends, strangers are sharing food and water with them. Such generosity was echoed by a woman I met in a lively crowded camp, who has lost both her home and job. “When we get help here, we never fight,” she said.“We are friends and we share our things and support each other.” A nine-year-old girl who lost both her parents in the quake tells me of a friend who has taken her in. Families who have been left with nothing are surviving by sharing. Continued support The generosity of the public all over the world in response to this disaster has been incredible. Today that money is helping provide families with food, healthcare, water and shelter – immediate life-saving relief that is still needed for the millions of people affected. As we look to the long-term rebuilding of Haiti, the continued support of the international community will be vital. World Vision will continue working here beyond the emergency phase to help people find secure jobs, reliable incomes and strong community networks. As local artists start once more to line the streets with bright bold paintings, and potters display mosaic plant pots in amongst the debris, artists and businesspeople alike need help to enable their businesses grow and families flourish. The evidence on the ground here in Haiti proves there is the resiliency and determination to make it happen.

In Haiti; Home Tugs

Guest Blog by World Vision aid worker James Addis in Haiti The last time I was deployed to a humanitarian emergency, I had no wife and no children. This time I have a wonderful wife, Sharon, a daughter, Nicole, 3, and a young son, Michael, 6 months. In previous emergencies, I never got homesick. Now the tug of home hits more powerfully than ever. I keep needing to pull myself together: For goodness sake, man, you have only been here a few days. It’s not only missing the family, of course. The heat, the smell of sickness and despair, the tragic stories that one hears, it all makes one long for peace and tranquility, familiar faces, the comforts of home—a strong cup of coffee, taken at leisure and not in a mad rush. Aid Distribution Yesterday, I attended our first distributions of relief aid to the homeless—biscuits, health kits, clothes, and bottled water. I chatted to people waiting patiently in the lines. They all have a story. One woman was trapped for days, hugging her infant son. She says she spent most of the time praying. Another woman, Gina Jean, was pulled from the rubble almost immediately. Bewildered, she ended up sitting in a street full of screaming people. When she eventually composed herself, and was able to thank God that she was still alive and that her children had also got out. Then she was struck by a fresh fear: what about her husband at work? Family He has not been seen since the events of Tuesday. Gina has since checked the local hospitals, without success. If things were not bad enough, she now lives on a patch of ground with her two children. One of them is only 4 months old. The other is 10. A few strung-up bed sheets and a washing line hung with clothes are their protection from the sun. These things amount to home at the moment. “It is shameful for my children to have to live like this,” she says. Soon I expect I will be able to go home and be reunited with my family. One can only guess what the future holds for Gina.

Haiti Earthquake; "This is the most shocking I have ever seen."

Guest Blog by World Vision worker James Addis in Haiti written on Jan 16th 2009 I’ve been deployed to many humanitarian emergencies. For me, this is the most shocking I have ever seen. I will never forget the corpses piled outside the city morgue. Travelling back to a modest hotel at 2am last night we drove past hundreds, maybe thousands, who would have no shelter that night and perhaps not for many nights to come. People everywhere Some slept under vehicles. Some on sidewalks. Some dangerously on the road. Some had set up chairs in the middle of the street and remained talking into the early hours. Vehicles were parked haphazardly. We had to ask bystanders for one to be moved. Our driver got out and helped push it. People were good natured about it all. So far I have not seen a hint of the violence that some have predicted may erupt if conditions do not improve. On the contrary, for now, a spirit of cooperation seems to prevail. At the hospital on my first day, where World Vision was distributing medical supplies, the hospital manager spoke enthusiastically of the volunteers who had come to help out. Everything takes an age It took ages to reach the hotel. We lost our way several times in the narrow streets, many blocked by large bits of rubble. The good news is World Vision’s flights bringing emergency supplies have started to land. We are expecting several in the next few days. The next challenge will be to distribute it. Everything takes an age. It’s hard to find trucks and gasoline. The simplest things—getting a driver, finding an internet connection, finding a place to stay at night require a lot of effort and planning. It’s tiring work. But one only has to walk the streets for a few seconds. Take in the smells emanating from the makeshift camps to realize that ones own position is a thousand times better than that of those all around you.

Earthquake devastates Haiti

You have probably already seen the pictures of the devastating effect the recent 7.0 magnitude earthquake had on the people of Haiti. Tens of thousands have already died and many more are sick and injured. Many have been left with nothing, as their homes, their possessions and their access to clean water have been all destroyed. Emergency Response You probably know World Vision through our child sponsorship programmes, but what you may not know is that we are also one of the world’s largest emergency aid organisations. World Vision has been active in Haiti for over 30 years and had 370 staff already working in the country before the earthquake. Since the earthquake struck on Tuesday though, additional staff and supplies have been flown in toprovide much needed expertise and assist with immediate needs such as search & rescue, food, water & shelter and medical care & supplies. James Addis: Guest Blogger in Haiti For the next while, this blog will be updated by James Addis a World Vision aid worker who is now in Haiti to help with the relief effort. World Vision Ireland is also running an appeal to help the survivors of the quake. If you would like to donate, go to www.worldvision.ie or tel +353 1 498 0800

Working with Kenyan Farmers

Part of my job as Programmes Officer for World Vision Ireland is visiting the development projects to see how things are progressing. The other day I made a long bumpy journey in the back of a pick up truck to a place called Mutonguni in Eastern Kenya – an area which has not received a drop of rain for almost a year. Supporting Farmers I met Lucy Ndemange and her husband Sammy. Lucy is a member of the Kauwi Farmer’s Group, one of twenty groups that received training in new farming methods from World Vision and the European Commission . The new methods should help Lucy and Sammy grow enough food to eat even in times of drought. "We planted kale and tomatoes and we harvest once a week, which earns us 3,000 bob (€28) per week. We are using the money to pay for our daughter’s secondary school fees and we have plans to expand this technology across our farm. Our neighbours have even started copying these methods" explained Sammy. Water Luckily, Lucy and her neighbours have access to a well, which they can water the crops from, but it’s not easy work: She let me have a go at pulling the 20 litre bucket up the 18m well shaft and laughed when I broke into a sweat before it was half way up. You need to be made of strong stuff to survive out here.

World Vision supports Cadbury Fairtrade advert

Cadbury in Britain is certifying its Dairy Milk bar with fair trade cocoa from Ghana. This means farmers in Africa will earn a guaranteed minimum price for their harvest which is good news. World Vision worked with Cadbury to help create their latest advert for this new Fairtrade Dairy Milk bar . The ad features renowned Ghanaian hip-hop artist, Tinny. Read more about the Cadbury Cocoa Partnership here.