http://192.168.2.14:8080/theHumanitarianCoalition/p1-290708/development/website/index.php en coalition.humanitaire@gmail.com Copyright 2010 2010-02-25T15:23:15-05:00 http://www.thehumanitariancoalition.ca/index.php/site/canadas_relief_efforts_in_haiti_move_to_stabilization_reconstruction/ http://www.thehumanitariancoalition.ca/index.php/site/canadas_relief_efforts_in_haiti_move_to_stabilization_reconstruction/#When:15:23:15Z By Amy Husser, Canwest News Service To see the full story, click here. 2010-02-25T15:23:15-05:00 http://www.thehumanitariancoalition.ca/index.php/site/helping_those_in_need/ http://www.thehumanitariancoalition.ca/index.php/site/helping_those_in_need/#When:01:54:05Z There’s an air of frenzied activity as I enter the warehouse Oxfam shares with others in Haiti’s most notorious crime-ridden neighbourhood, Cité-Soleil. Men and women are working furiously, assembly-line fashion, putting together “family kits” – containing basic hygiene and kitchen items - to distribute to 10,000 households.  The kits consist of brightly coloured plastic bowls, plates, kitchen utensils, together with cups, towels, soap, shampoo, toothbrushes and toothpaste.It's frenetic, but well-organised. And people are focussed on their job with almost fierce concentration.“Hygiene is important; people lost everything. They are sleeping outside.They need everything for their hygiene ”, said  Dario Arthur, in charge of the emergency response for Oxfam Quebec, explaining the contents of the kits.  “There is everything people might need to have a minimum quality of life…and also for cooking, for the kitchen”.Every day, around 1,000 kits are assembled and distributed to needy communities.  Oxfam buys the items from local companies to try to help the Haitian economy.  And around 50 people displaced or affected by the earthquake have been hired by Oxfam to help get the kits ready and out to communities as quickly as possible.“It’s a good opportunity to get this job”, said Frantz Casseus, who sleeps outdoors on the street because his house was destroyed by the earthquake.“I’m going to use the money to help my kids and wife.“It is important to do this work, too”, he adds.  “People are in need.It’s great that Oxfam is helping people like this”.Nadege Celestin, who is carefully separating long strips of toothbrushes to add to the kits, agrees.  She lost her sister and nephew in the earthquake and her house was destroyed.  “It’s important to do this.  I can work for the Haitian people, for my country.” “These kits will be a big help because some people lost everything. They don’t have anything at all”As one truck leaves loaded with kits, a huge crowd gathers outside at the warehouse gate. They also want help; and many want jobs.  The needs are enormous. “We cant satisfy all the people”, sighs Oxfam warehouse logistician, Olivier Girault. He explains that Oxfam has been working with local committees established in the camps – including one just behind the warehouse - to identify the most vulnerable who need aid.Armed guards, who work for the warehouse, are close by as the crowd surges forward. Three are on duty day and night. A wall behind the warehouse was destroyed in the quake; and it’s important to guarantee the security of warehouse stock as well as the security of staff.Eventually, the crowd disperses and the gate is closed.  Inside, staff maintain their flurry of activity; assembling more kits for delivery.“I think we try to do our best considering the budget that we have”, said Oxfam’s Dario Arthur.  “For now, its what we can do.“This earthquake is one of the biggest events in this last century really.Especially for a country like Haiti that already had a lot of problems, this is putting so many more problems, more pressure on the population and the government.  People are really in a very bad situation.”We leave the warehouse when the last truck drives off for the day. Total number of kits distributed that day: 1,300. A good day’s work.Logistician, Olivier Girault – a Haitian himself - is thoughtful as we leave the warehouse.  “We cannot live as we were before, without rules.People were building their houses all over the mountain”, he said.  “There were no rules.“We need to rebuild differently.”  But for the moment, the emphasis is still on relief rather than rebuilding.  Aiding those those who desperately need help. written by Caroline Gluck. 2010-02-04T01:54:05-05:00 http://www.thehumanitariancoalition.ca/index.php/site/colleen_malone_blog_from_haiti/ http://www.thehumanitariancoalition.ca/index.php/site/colleen_malone_blog_from_haiti/#When:17:11:45Z Save the Children Canada's Senior Emergency Advisor reports from Haiti.       Colleen Malone       Tuesday, January 26, 2010 Save the Children’s Port-au-Prince office is usually a hive of activity by the time 8am rolls around. This morning we all paused for a moment to mark the 2 week point since disaster struck, and remember our colleague, a young man named Mackendy, who was lost in the quake. The greatly expanded group of staff, Haitians and expatriates – some who have worked here for years, some who have been here since just after the quake, and some who have just arrived – gathered under the almond tree in the compound, one of the last remaining open spaces that isn’t covered in tents or vehicles. While we are all entirely focused on the three Rs – relief, recovery and reconstruction – our Country Director urged us to take a moment for three different Rs – reflection, remembrance and reaffirmation. He shared memories of Mackendy, who had started with Save the Children as an intern, and then joined our finance department in Port-au-Prince full time during our emergency response to the 4 hurricanes that struck Haiti in quick succession in 2008. I worked some long hours here during that response, but I could usually be sure that Mackendy would be in the office before me and leave after me. His good humour and quick smile made him many friends. He was an only child, and was working hard to advance his career; he was in a night class in accounting when the building collapsed during the quake. His mother sat among us during our morning commemoration, and it was like the life has drained out of her. She did not cry, but her grief could not have been more apparent. This is just one story out of so many, but for me it symbolizes in some way the depth of loss that Haiti has suffered. 2010-01-31T17:11:45-05:00 http://www.thehumanitariancoalition.ca/index.php/site/cash_for_work_program_in_haiti/ http://www.thehumanitariancoalition.ca/index.php/site/cash_for_work_program_in_haiti/#When:16:52:51Z This shows a cash-for-work program in action in Baillergeau, Port-au-Prince. 2010-01-31T16:52:51-05:00 http://www.thehumanitariancoalition.ca/index.php/site/a_letter_from_lee_nelson_on_behalf_of_all_the_save_the_children_staff_in_ha/ http://www.thehumanitariancoalition.ca/index.php/site/a_letter_from_lee_nelson_on_behalf_of_all_the_save_the_children_staff_in_ha/#When:16:39:45Z "I was behind my house studying when the earthquake happened. My mother and father were inside and they died, so did my three cousins. I do not have any brothers or sisters. My uncle looked after me and then he and my aunt brought me to this camp—Eliassaint, Port-au-Prince, Haiti"28 January, 2009Dear Save the Children Colleagues,Eliassaint’s story is now all too common for many Haitian children after those 40 seconds of a 7+ magnitude earthquake changed Haiti forever. It is estimated that approximately 1 million children are either unaccompanied, orphaned, or have lost one parent - half of these as a direct result of the earthquake just two weeks ago.The situation in Haiti prior to the quakes was already a precarious one for children. About 80% of the population lived on less than $2 a day and one in four children were malnourished. There were huge problems with trafficking of kids and far too few children attended school. But now, this most recent blow is endangering the future of a whole generation of Haitian children.As you have heard, Save the Children lost one of our own, Makendy Similien, who was only 23 years old. In fact, every staff member is dealing with their own tragedy, as hundreds of thousands of Haitian families have been affected across the country.  Yet, in the midst of this unprecedented calamity, two things have sustained me and given me strength and hope for Haiti’s future.First, the spirit of its people has been remarkable. The word resilience does not do it justice. Our national staff has come back to work, often under incredibly difficult circumstances, to help the children of Haiti when they need it the most. On the streets—where tens of thousands still sleep each night—and in hundreds of makeshift camps that have sprung up in clearings amongst the rubble—there is still a sense of community where neighbours and strangers alike are working together to help each other survive.I wanted to share with you a sense of what it is like for children and their families living in one of these impromptu camps, this one in the secondary city of Léogane, with this 360 panoramic image.Second, the scale and extent of the support received from Save the Children’s membership around the world has been incredible. We are truly working together as a global organisation, with an amazingly dedicated team, willing to immediately act to help children when they are most vulnerable. The heartfelt messages of support, the highly qualified staff who pour in every day, the extraordinary amount of compelling media communications and fundraising generated—all of this has contributed to my sense of belonging to a family.On the ground, Save the Children programs are rapidly scaling up, and every day we are reaching more and more children and their families. Already we have reached over 105,000 people with relief, none of this possible without your critical assistance.This is only the first step on the long road to recovery for Haiti. We’ve been working here for over 25 years and it is vital that we see this as a long term effort to help Haiti back on its feet. Due to your support and our experience, staff, and relationships with government, humanitarian agencies, and local communities, Save the Children has been one of the largest and quickest responders to this current crisis.In this initial relief stage we will work tirelessly to provide children with enough to eat, access to clean water, shelter and medicine. At the same time we will create safe places for children to start to recover from their trauma and provide their parents time and resources to begin to recover their livelihoods. We will get kids back to school as quickly as possible, to return some semblance of normalcy to their shattered lives. We will work closely with the Haitian government and local communities to improve the quality of the decimated healthcare systems to ensure families can protect and care for their children.Our goal is to provide emergency assistance to save lives, alleviate suffering and support recovery of 600,000 people, including 386,000 children affected by the earthquake, and transition into longer term rehabilitation and reconstruction.Many challenges remain and we cannot do this alone. As all of you know, disaster events can sharpen focus on what truly matters and provide unique opportunities to address fundamental problems in new and creative ways. So this is both a message of thanks and a request for your continued support, guidance and vision to enable Save the Children to join in a common effort help build Haiti back better for its children and their families.With appreciation,Lee NelsonCountry DirectorSave the Children in Haiti 2010-01-31T16:39:45-05:00 http://www.thehumanitariancoalition.ca/index.php/site/children_and_local_society_must_be_a_priority_in_rebuilding_haiti/ http://www.thehumanitariancoalition.ca/index.php/site/children_and_local_society_must_be_a_priority_in_rebuilding_haiti/#When:00:33:48Z Save the Children calls for measures to focus on child welfare in discussions of Haiti's futureTORONTO, ONTARIO (Jan. 25, 2010) - The "Friends of Haiti" Conference in Montreal today should be the beginning of a multi-year commitment by the international community to meet Haiti's immediate and long-term development needs. This cannot happen independently from the local civil society and the government of Haiti. "We must listen to Haitians, recognizing and building on the strengths they have as a nation," said David Morley, President and CEO of Save the Children Canada. "Despite the power that will be present at the Montreal Conference, we must remain aware that any chance of moving forward requires ownership by the Haitian society." Save the Children urges that to make lasting positive change in the lives of children, both the momentum and funding must be sustained by the international community for years to come. This tragedy must be an opportunity to build a better future for children, an opportunity to reach thousands of women and children who have never been to school or received medical care. "Even as the immediate needs of the people are still being addressed, now is the time to start talking about new infrastructure to ensure that it is rebuilt stronger than before," Morley continues. "Our vision is a Haiti where all children realize their right to a basic education, a healthy life, freedom from abuse and benefit from the support of families who recognize the basic needs of children." "Today the Friends of Haiti have a unique opportunity to coordinate their efforts to effect global change in a way unprecedented in our global history. We must prepared to work alongside Haitians for many years to come; Save the Children intends to support their efforts and play a leading role in the coordination of education and child protection services." Source: Source 2010-01-29T00:33:48-05:00 http://www.thehumanitariancoalition.ca/index.php/site/haiti_blog_january_26/ http://www.thehumanitariancoalition.ca/index.php/site/haiti_blog_january_26/#When:14:08:47Z (January 26 - 9am) It was a relief to read the sign on the wall: no dead bodies after 3:30 p.m. My watch showed it was 4 p.m.  Thankfully, when I poked my head into the morgue at the Hôpital Universitē de l’Ētat de Haiti, also known as the General Hospital, the room was empty.Outside, though, the ground was grimly sticky underfoot – a reminder of how many bodies had been taken to the public morgue for disposal since the earthquake struck Haiti nearly two weeks ago.I’d come to the public hospital, one of the largest  in Haiti, to look at the work Oxfam had been doing there.  My colleague, Karine Deniel, a public health specialist focusing on preparedness and emergency response work, had been called to the hospital the week before.   She had been visibly shocked by what she saw: the hospital was packed with more than 1,000 patients, many of whom desperately needed surgery. There was no running water and no electricity.  Outside the morgue, she said, piles of bodies were laid out, covered with flies. There was no water close by for doctors to make plaster casts for those with broken limbs and the water she did see was in a bucket used to mop the floor. It was black. “It smelled bad; it smelt of death,” she said.Oxfam installed a 5,000 litre water bladder in the hospital, and also trucked water to the site so that soiled surgery clothes and bedding could be washed, the kitchen could re-open, and workers in the morgue could wash down the floors and lessen the putrefying smell. “Oxfam has helped,” said Jencia Josena, one of the laundrywomen.  “Before we had no water, no soap.”Staff told me nothing could be washed in the hospital after the earthquake struck until Oxfam trucked in water more than a week later.   “Before Oxfam came it was a mess,” said laundry operator, Jean-Robert Deuys. “In the surgery room, doctors had blood stains over their clothes.” Many patients still remain outside the main hospital buildings, many of which were badly destroyed, being treated in tents. They’re scared to go indoors, for fear of after-shocks. The dedication of staff working there both impressed and humbled me. From the laundry washers to the kitchen staff to the steady stream of volunteer medics like George Williams, from New York City, who works in the triage area.  “As bad as things are, this is the best humanitarian effort that I have ever seen,” he told me, praising the “phenomenal” Haitian doctors he had worked with.  “It’s the spirit, the humanitarian effort reaching out from all over the world.” ** Caroline Gluck is with Oxfam 2010-01-26T14:08:47-05:00 http://www.thehumanitariancoalition.ca/index.php/site/oxfam_cash_for_work_in_haiti/ http://www.thehumanitariancoalition.ca/index.php/site/oxfam_cash_for_work_in_haiti/#When:20:52:30Z Cash-for-work in Haiti International aid agency Oxfam is beginning discussions around cash-for-work programs to help survivors of Haiti’s devastating earthquake rebuild their lives and livelihoods.Meetings with local committees in the hardest-hit neighbourhoods in Port-au-Prince are expected to get underway today, with the idea that communities would be paid to help clear rubbish, rubble and begin restoring markets so economic activities can be resumed. The discussions will also help identify local needs. “Although dramatic rescues are still happening, we must look at ways of supporting survivors as they seek ways to restart and rebuild their lives,” said Robert Fox, Executive Director of Oxfam Canada, a member of the HUMANITARIAN COALITION. “Challenges remain in delivering aid, but Haitians are eager to move forward and get involved in the reconstruction of their country.” Oxfam is continuing to distribute clean water at five sites around the Haitian capital, reaching an estimated 80,000 people. Staff and partners are also preparing to install latrines in two areas: at Grace Medicale, a temporary camp with 15,000 inhabitants, where there are serious sanitation and solid waste management issues, and in Lamartine 54, where 10,000 people are living temporarily. Both are located in the suburb of Carrefour. For more information, please contact: Karen Palmer 613-240-3047 -30- The HUMANITARIAN COALITION, with the joint efforts of its members CARE Canada, Oxfam Canada, Oxfam-Quebec and Save the Children Canada, provides a widespread and effective response to emergencies, with a combined presence in 120 countries. In Haiti alone, the HUMANITARIAN COALITION has more than 600 aid personnel on th ground, ensuring that the donations of Canadians reach those in desperate need in an efficient, effective and coordinated fashion. 2010-01-22T20:52:30-05:00 http://www.thehumanitariancoalition.ca/index.php/site/save_the_childrens_colleen_malone_arrives/ http://www.thehumanitariancoalition.ca/index.php/site/save_the_childrens_colleen_malone_arrives/#When:20:48:19Z Update, January 21, 2010 Colleen arrived safely in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, last night.  This is her fifth trip to Haiti, but never had she seen it like this:“Although this is my fifth visit to Save the Children in Haiti, I did not recognize where I was as we drove along the road leading to our office in Pétionville. All the familiar landmarks were gone, and rubble was piled high on the sides of the road (after efforts by our neighbours in the community to clear the road in order to allow our vehicles to move in and out). Just as striking, on my arrival to our office,  was the incredible strength and caring being shown by all our staff in responding to this disaster, many of whom have themselves lost their homes and family members. They are working with determination to reach as many children in need as we can, as quickly as we can.”               Source- Save the Children Canada 2010-01-22T20:48:19-05:00 http://www.thehumanitariancoalition.ca/index.php/site/haiti_aftershock_further_endangers_children_and_families_reports_save_the_c/ http://www.thehumanitariancoalition.ca/index.php/site/haiti_aftershock_further_endangers_children_and_families_reports_save_the_c/#When:18:00:55Z Toronto, ON (January 20, 2010) - Save the Children Canada, member of the HUMANITARIAN COALITION, reports that the 6.1 magnitude aftershock has caused additional damage and emotional trauma in Haiti. Save the Children staff responding to the post-earthquake situation in Port-au-Prince heard already weakened structures collapsing. The threats to and fears of children in the disaster zone remain undiminished.Save the Children is working to account for staff in the capital. Staff in Jacmel and Leogane have reported in and are safe. "Children and families are still sleeping in the open, among the rubble. They are very vulnerable – this aftershock would have terrified them. We are working flat out to assist them, bringing in supplies and rolling them out to the people who need them as fast as we can," said Annie Foster, Save the Children's team leader in Port-au-Prince. Spokespeople in the field are available for comment. For more information on Save the Children's response, visit http://www.savethechildren.ca. The HUMANITARIAN COALITION, with the joint efforts of its members, CARE Canada, Oxfam Canada, Oxfam-Québec and Save the Children Canada, provides a widespread and effective response to emergencies, with a combined presence in 120 countries. In Haiti alone, the HUMANITARIAN COALITION has more than 600 aid personnel on the ground, ensuring that the donations of Canadians reach those in desperate need in an efficient, effective and coordinated fashion.   Source 2010-01-21T18:00:55-05:00