Haiti earthquake coverage
Haiti's most powerful earthquake in 200 years struck on 12 January. Follow the latest updates from Concern.
28 days later
Posted by Susan Finucane in Haiti earthquake coverage | 8 February 2010 |
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I had to return to New York last week to ensure that our programmes in other countries were being looked after. It was a difficult decision to make nearly a month after the earthquake.
Telling the story
I haven’t had time to sit still since my return. I have been trying to tell people what it was like in Haiti.
Generous supporters
As part of this, I flew to Chicago to speak at the Irish Consul General’s residence to a group of engaged, interested and generous Concern supporters. It was quite surreal to go from the grim reality of Haiti to the plush surroundings of Chicago.
However, what Haiti needs is continued support from the international community and there are an abundance of charitable people looking to help.
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Haiti: “the job is huge”
Posted by Ed Kenney in Haiti earthquake coverage | 4 February 2010 |
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This is my final blog post from the Haitian island of La Gonave. We have a massive task ahead of us.
Massive problems
The challenge for organisations like Concern is immediate and massive. Assistant Country Director Brian Tabben, who led the assessment team, summarised his thoughts:
It's sobering – if the population is increasing by something like 20%, that puts a major stress on communities that are already on the edge. Obviously we need to move quickly to respond here. Fortunately we have a long history on La Gonave. We have close links with the mayors, the ministries, other NGOs here on the island and with the communities themselves.
The job is huge. It's going to mean finding the displaced, making sure that their needs for water, food and shelter are taken care of, and making sure the host communities do not slide back, that we can preserve some of the development gains of the last several years. The situation is critical and the response begins today.
More to come
The team brought plastic sheeting to families living outside at Grand Source. We’ll be starting larger scale distributions in the coming days.
After the quake: finding a new home
Posted by Ed Kenney in Haiti earthquake coverage | 3 February 2010 |
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Visiting La Gonave’s largest hospital, I met a family whose story brought home the dilemma facing the island since the earthquake.
Jeaninie’s story
From there, we visited Wesleyan Hospital. There we met Jeaninie Mascelin, a very thin older woman lying motionless on a bed in the middle of the hospital courtyard. Jeaninie is one of the many who have come to this island after surviving the earthquake in Port-au-Prince. She said:
I remember hearing a very loud noise and then I don't remember anything until my neighbours were shouting at me and pulling me from where I was buried. The whole house was down. I knew that I couldn't stand up and walk and I started to worry about my kids, but I was alive and they were all alive.
Jeaninie – still unable to walk – was essentially carried to the island by Valner, her eldest son, and his brothers in law.
Haiti: returning to La Gonave
Posted by Ed Kenney in Haiti earthquake coverage | 1 February 2010 |
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The ferryboats departing from mainland Haiti for the island of La Gonave seem to offer a temporary escape to a different reality; one where the earthquake never happened.
Working together
Concern has been working in La Gonave since long before the earthquake struck. We’ve been working with the community to construct new clean water resources, distribute seeds and tools, build schools, and improve roads.
Death and damage
Miraculously, when the earthquake struck, there were no deaths on the island, but 107 Govaniens who were in Port-au-Prince at the time perished. Thousands lost friends and members of their families. 4,700 homes were damaged and 1,300 were destroyed.
I’m now accompanying the Concern team who are conducting an assessment on the island.
Cancel Haiti’s debt
Posted by Niall O Murchu in Haiti earthquake coverage | 29 January 2010 |
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We have called on the Irish government to support the cancellation of Haiti’s unsustainable financial debt.
Grants not loans
We also advised that any disaster relief assistance to Haiti should be given in the form of grants and not loans, in order to reduce financial burden on the country. This was echoed in a strong statement by the Foreign Affairs Committee following the meeting.
No debt
Haiti, the poorest country in the western hemisphere, currently holds a debt of $800 million. This has accumulated due, in large part, to past loans by international lenders to Haitian dictatorships. The country’s ability to generate revenue and make its debt payments has been devastated by the recent earthquake.
To build a sustainable future, Haiti must be allowed to be free from debt and receive aid that does not create more debt.
Total cancellation
In June 2009, Haiti was granted a debt cancellation of $1.2 billion from its major creditors. But now, total debt cancellation is required. Tom Arnold, Concern’s CEO, spoke about this:
As well as immediate emergency support, Haiti needs the international community to assist in the sustainable redevelopment of the country; for this Haiti must begin debt free.
Support for Concern’s Haiti appeal has been exceptional, with donations of €5.3 million to date. People worldwide have shown extraordinary solidarity with the Haitian people, and it is inconceivable that there would be any expectation that Haiti could manage to pay €800 million in international debt.
All our efforts, and the efforts of the Haitians themselves, must be focused on rebuilding a better and stronger Haiti, and not giving with the one hand, and taking with the other.
Haiti: picture gallery
Posted by Naoise Kavanagh in Haiti earthquake coverage | 27 January 2010 |
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Here is a selection of our latest photos from Haiti, taken by Ed Kenney.
Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer
Emergency relief to reach over 150,0000
Concern Worldwide has announced the beginning of a six month emergency recovery and rehabilitation programme in Haiti. This will target 150,000 people who were affected by the earthquake.
Evolving needs
The start for the new six month programme is seen as vital to cope with the demands of the imminent rainy season and an array of evolving needs.
Concern’s Regional Director, Brid Kennedy, who has just returned to Dublin from Haiti says:
Speed and effectiveness are paramount, and our local partners and relationships with local government will be vital to success.
Experience
Concern has been in Haiti since 1994, working with 16 local partner organisations. This experience and local knowledge is imperative to the successful roll-out of the new programme.
Brid added:
We must also look to the medium and longer-term as part of a coherent strategy that will encompass an eventual ‘big picture’ plan for Haiti’s future. Before that, however, we are already putting this six month programme into effect to reach to try and prevent a bad situation becoming much worse with the onset of the rainy season. The logistics element in delivering this six-month plan is mammoth.
Concern has identified seven key areas on which it will focus over the coming months:
- Shelter and non-food items to 30,000 people
- Access to clean water and sanitation for 50,000 people
- The prevention and treatment of acute malnutrition targeting 2,500 children under one-year of age and almost 2,000 under fives
- Cash transfers to 10,000 women
- Cash-for-work programmes reaching 10,000 men
- Psycho-social support, including trauma and bereavement counselling
- Primary education to 10,000 children
- Food distribution, working with World Food Programme, targeting 72,000 people
Jean Jean's story
Posted by Naoise Kavanagh in Haiti earthquake coverage | 26 January 2010 |
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Charleton Richardson, Jean Jean as he is known here, has lived in Port-au-Prince his whole life. He has been with Concern since they first started work in St Martin more than 15 years ago.
Charleton is a facilitator in Concern’s peace building project and is heavily involved in social and cultural activities in the area.
I was facilitating a meeting...It was such a dynamic meeting and everyone was so involved that I didn’t even notice I was shaking for the first few seconds. I thought it was a truck. Then when the floor started moving we got very scared and ran outside.
I grew up in this area and it was the first time in my life that I couldn’t find my way home. I lost all senses. It was a scary feeling. When I looked around and saw what had happened it was a very sad moment, a very deep moment.
Helping others
Since the earthquake struck, Charleton has been working tirelessly trying to help as many people as he can.
I am on my feet so I must help those who are not. God gave me life and strength. I stay strong for those weaker than me now.
Improvement
The area of St Martin was improving prior to the earthquake, through Concern’s peace-building project. Strong links have been established between the community and local private sector. Charleton assures me the links are still strong
The private sector were on site two days after the earthquake, planning and getting supplies in. They have been working together with Concern and assisting in the emergency relief. This is something that would never have happened a few years ago.
Moving forward
The road to recovery in Haiti is not going to be easy but Haitians are committed to seeing a future.
It is my responsibility to help as many people out of the rubble but I can’t do it alone, Haiti cannot do this alone. We want to move on from this but we cannot do it without the international assistance.
Charleton is a believer that Haiti can move forward, so is Concern.
