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Article
Haiti One Month Later
Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) February 14, 2010 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rep-earl-blumenauer/haiti-a-month-later_b_463292.html Source Publication: The Huffington Post As weather paralyzed the nation's capital with record snowfall, scrambling schedules and disrupting plans, I was able to participate in a short, one-day trip to Haiti. Normally I would think twice about the usefulness of spending less than six hours on the ground in a country, but my deep personal concerns about Haiti made it worth the travel. Haiti clearly looks bad, but worse problems lurk off the radar and are obvious to anyone who pays attention to the dry land and environmental devastation. The first hints are noticeable from the air -- the stark difference between the Dominican Republic half of the island, still verdant green with tree cover, and Haiti's virtually denuded hillside, not just around the city but extended up to the very tops of the mountain. The Congressional CODEL I traveled with was told that the forest, which used to cover 80% of Haiti, has been reduced to 2%; I couldn't help but wonder where, exactly, that 2% is. Further evidence of the erosion was the river and stream beds that reveal the underlying chalk white limestone residue, a reminder that spring rains -- without hearty soil to provide absorption -- will unleash even more catastrophe. After just a few minutes on the ground, I was overwhelmed by the magnitude and randomness of the destruction. What I witnessed right after the tsunami in Southeast Asia and after Katrina in New Orleans had a much more distinct pattern. Haiti is a small country, less than 30% the size of Oregon, but with more than two and a half times Oregon's population concentrated around Port-au-Prince. Nearly half a million were killed, injured, or have gone missing, and disease and trauma will continue to take their toll for months, if not years, to come. We stopped at the Cathedral, leaving the motorcade to walk around. Because there have been serious problems with violence, officials were taking no chances and security was tight. The largest prison was emptied when prisoners realized they could escape; the guards were either killed, injured, frightened, or hastening to care for their own families. Patterns of violence and kidnapping have been marked as the prisoners escaped and moved away from the prison. We went to the GHESKIO Center, where we met with the staff of the DMAT facility. Amazing work was being done there. We had a chance to talk to the personnel and actually look in on some medical procedures. An operation was underway as a young boy was suffering complications resulting from a gunshot wound in the leg. As we visited with these amazing volunteer medical personnel who were working with the American military and USAID, it was jarring to realize how much of the work they were doing was not directly earthquake related. There were three cesarean section deliveries in the last 24 hours, and they had perhaps the only reliable respirator in the city, which was being used to keep a child alive. The basic level of healthcare in Haiti was so poor before the quake that they were already overwhelmed by important, life-saving medical needs. Now they were also having to deal with the demands of the relief effort, which was physically and emotionally taxing. Several people mentioned how they were used to saving legs, not amputating them while working as hard and fast as they could to keep patients alive. We also had an opportunity at the site to visit with some of the volunteer organizations on the ground providing relief. Mercy Corps was well represented by Bill Holbrooke, the country director and some of his team. I'd been in contact earlier with Neal Keny-Guyer and Nancy Lindborg, who provide outstanding leadership for the organization, and will offer insight and assistance that will make a difference in Haiti for months to come. Mercy Corps was there before the earthquake, committed for the long haul, and will continue its vital operations on the ground. I met Mercy Corps personnel in Southeast Asia dealing with the tsunami and in New Orleans in the aftermath of Katrina, but this experience seemed to be much worse. Because the population in Haiti is so concentrated, the damage was much more intense. The feeling of desperation in this hemisphere's poorest country - with such a sad history of neglect, violence, repression, and natural disasters - was difficult for all of us to experience; I can't imagine what it's like for people who are fully immersed in the relief efforts. In New Orleans and after the tsunami, there was not the sense of peril that I felt in Haiti. There is a very real threat of another earthquake that could happen at any time, but you don't have to have another earthquake for them to be at risk. Immediately adjacent to the medical facility, there was a camp the size of several football fields that contained over 6000 people in makeshift tents, with only 12 portable toilets. The potential for further disease and suffering was obvious. One of the most immediate problems is that the field was in a low-lying area, so both the camp and the adjacent medical center had experienced severe flooding within the last several days, even before the rainy season commences in the next two months. This problem will be compounded as water rushes down bare hillsides, many of them destabilized, affecting people who are in temporary and inadequate shelter with nonexistent sanitation. While it was important to see the impact of the earthquake and to talk to the volunteers and military personnel, the most important part of the trip was a discussion with the President, Prime Minister, and other senior officials. We were there one month to the day after the earthquake on a national day of mourning. There had been controversy about the President's response to the earthquake and his degree of engagement, but we found him to be clear and very much involved. During the course of our meeting, there was an even greater sense of loss than some of what we saw on the streets. Their whole government center collapsed. The finance minister was able to retain his composure, even though he had lost a son in the quake. The elections scheduled in two weeks had to be postponed not only because of the destruction and devastation of the population, but because all the government officials involved with the election were killed and important materials had been lost. I was able to make my personal concerns known about what we need to do in partnership with the Haitian government. It was informed by the mixed results of getting people out of harm's way here in the U.S. and abroad to avoid future catastrophes. There has been some progress in the aftermath of the tsunami and with Katrina, but the level of success is still nowhere near what it should be. Rebuilding the capital Port-au-Prince in the same haphazard way - in the same dangerous location, with the same population concentration- almost guarantees future destruction. I was very encouraged by the President's response that if they only concentrate on the disaster in Port-au-Prince, they would fail. We discussed the recovery, including the relocation in rural towns and villages to make the population safer, improve the environment, and strengthen the long-term economy. The President was clear that it would work only if we can finance the transition so people can support themselves in the interim, away from the population and government center. He spoke not just of recovery but, in his words, of the "the reconfiguration of Haiti," which I found extraordinarily encouraging. We concluded discussing the problems of just keeping the government functioning despite the tremendous loss of people who run the agencies and the near collapse of the economy. They will have no money for the state payroll next month because no one is paying taxes on property that was destroyed, businesses cannot operate, and trade is not occurring. There is a need for the international community to help rebuild the financial system, something that I had not focused on before. There was a good explanation in their discussion about finding ways to get the banks to start lending again to businesses, which prompted a comment from me that we haven't been particularly successful in our own country for a financial collapse that didn't include the damage of an earthquake. Hopefully the Haitians can do better and we can learn from them. Although the situation in Haiti was worse than I imagined, I was heartened by the mutual understanding and areas of agreement. There is even greater urgency to ease suffering and avoid the next round of catastrophe with the coming rains, inevitable flooding, and probable outbreak of disease. There is real potential to actually fix some of the problems Haiti had before the earthquake, particularly with growing support from the international community and indications of Haiti's commitment and increasing capacity. Now it is imperative that Haiti harness the sense of urgency and the attention of rich nations to help give them the boost they need. As dire as the situation is, a concerted international effort can have a tremendous impact. Much of what needs to be done, while expensive for them, is relatively modest by international standards if the burden is shared. I left Haiti with a renewed commitment, both personally and as a Member of Congress, to do what I can to make a difference and encourage others to do the same.
14 February 2010
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Article
A study in contrasts
In many ways, Haiti is a study in contrasts. Here in Petionville, houses lay in ruins while directly next door a brightly painted Yamaha dealership sits undamaged. Amid concrete rubble and twisted rebar, children run and play and smile. Cash-for-work participants in the Petionville neighborhood of Port-au-Prince receive payments for a week's work of clearing debris, shoveling out ditches and repairing roads. Photo: Rinn Self/Mercy Corps My day today was characterized by stark contrasts as well: it began with a quiet and orderly distribution of cash payments to our cash-for-work participants in a nearby neighborhood. It ended with the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. This morning, my colleague Carol Ward and I went up the road to the Ecole des Frères to oversee the first cash payment disbursement to participants in our cash-for-work program. In this neighborhood, one of several where we are working, a group of 80 men and women had been clearing debris, shoveling out ditches and repairing roads for the past week. Today was payday. We arrived early at the school, where a large displacement camp sprung up after the earthquake. We met with Jean-Pierre, the community liaison, and Alex, a representative of Fonkoze, our local partner who handles all the payments. One by one, participants filed in, were greeted by the Fonkoze staff, turned in the voucher card they had been given at the start of the week, received their cash payment and signed the register. Everything went off without a hitch and the participants all seemed proud and pleased to have earned a week’s wage. When we returned to the office, I jumped in another car with our Country Director Bill Holbrook and our Logistics and Security Coordinator Jacques Azemar for a completely different trip — to meet with a bi-partisan Congressional delegation that was spending a whirlwind half day in Haiti. The trip was arranged by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and included Representative Earl Blumenauer of Oregon — a big proponent of Mercy Corps' work — who had invited us to attend part of the delegation’s visit. Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi (left) talks with Mercy Corps Country Director Bill Holbrook about the work that needs to be done in Haiti. Photo: Rinn Self/Mercy Corps We drove to the Geshiko clinic, which before the earthquake was Port-au-Prince’s primary HIV/AIDS facility. Today, it is hosting a field hospital unit run by DMAT — the U.S. Disaster Medical Assistance Team. Mercy Corps was one of only three international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) invited to the briefing. Bill had only a few moments to speak with Representative Pelosi, Representative Blumenauer and Representative Charles Rangel of New York. To each of them, he expressed Mercy Corps’ firm belief that job creation and economic rehabilitation are key to the successful long term recovery of Haiti. He explained how our current work here is setting the stage for this long-term development, and how we are working to empower Haitians to build a new economic and social foundation for their country. It was an exciting opportunity, and I’ll admit to being a little starstruck by all these U.S. politicians we suddenly found ourselves speaking with. It was gratifying to see how appreciative they were of us, the humanitarian and medical community who have responded to this disaster. But as impressive as the politicians were, seeing the hard-working people of Petionville collecting their weekly wages this morning was a hard act to follow.
12 February 2010
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Article
One month after devastating earthquake, Mercy Corps brings relief and recovery to Haiti
One month after the January 12th earthquake in Haiti, the global relief and development agency Mercy Corps is providing humanitarian relief and laying the groundwork for long-term recovery. The agency, which had not worked in Haiti prior to the earthquake, quickly assembled a staff of 35 experts to help earthquake survivors access resources such as food, water and post-trauma assistance. Moving forward, Mercy Corps is prioritizing the creation of jobs, particularly in areas outside of Port-au-Prince. “The needs in Haiti are immense,” said Mercy Corps’ Haiti Country Director Bill Holbrook. “It will take years to build back from this terrible disaster. We’re working to ensure that Haitians – in Port-au-Prince and the surrounding provinces – have the resources to make their country more prosperous, sustainable and just in the long term.” Mercy Corps has been working to address immediate needs for food, water and shelter. The agency distributed high-energy biscuits and one month's worth of food to the General Hospital, the largest hospital in Port-au-Prince, and installed a high-volume water filtration unit to provide clean water to Lope Hospital, the city's only dedicated facility for plastic surgery. To help fill pressing needs for shelter, Mercy Corps has distributed 435 units of plastic sheeting at various camps for the homeless in Port-au-Prince. Mercy Corps has already started promoting economic recovery. The agency is implementing Cash-for-Work, an approach that pays Haitians to clean up and begin rebuilding their communities, enabling them to earn income and get money back into the economy. The agency is providing short-term income to approximately 500 people, and anticipates scaling up to reach more than 8,000. As a next step, Mercy Corps will focus on long-term economic recovery by supporting the creation of jobs, especially in the provinces around Port-au-Prince, in sectors such as agriculture, tourism and apparel manufacturing. “Haitians need and want meaningful jobs more than anything,” said Holbrook. “Mercy Corps plans to work with a variety of private sector and government partners to help more Haitians find steady, licit employment. We’re focused on creating jobs in the countryside, where many earthquake survivors have fled and industry is practically nonexistent.” Mercy Corps also expects to use cash grants to help people rebuild assets like small businesses, fishing boats and food carts. In addition, Mercy Corps is exploring options with microfinance provider FONKOZE and other partners to help small- and mid-size businesses grow using remittances and microfinance. The emotional recovery of Haiti’s children is another priority for Mercy Corps. The agency is implementing Comfort for Kids, a methodology developed with the global childcare provider Bright Horizons to provide post-trauma support for children. Originally created after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York City, Comfort for Kids includes trainings for adults to address symptoms of trauma in kids, carefully devised workbooks to help children process post-earthquake emotions, and distribution of “comfort kits” with soothing items such as blankets, stuffed animals and sippy cups. Mercy Corps recently announced a partnership with Haiti's First Lady, Elisabeth Delacourt Préval, to implement Comfort for Kids trainings for adult caregivers. The First Lady and UNICEF will organize “safe spaces” in camps to run arts, sports and music activities for children, while Mercy Corps will run simultaneous sessions – in French and Creole – to educate parents and caregivers about child symptoms of trauma and how they can be addressed. In the coming weeks and months, Mercy Corps plans to expand its work to include the provinces surrounding Port-au-Prince, particularly the Central Plateau area where approximately 500,000 people fled after the earthquake. The agency is striving to make these areas economically viable and provide critical resources to displaced families who have settled there. Mercy Corps has already conducted a food distribution in Mirebalais, one hour from Port-au-Prince, and is planning to take Cash-for-Work "on the road" to Mirebalais and other areas.
12 February 2010
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Article
Haiti earthquake teaches third-graders what wealth means
Third-grade students at Woodland Primary School in southwestern Washington State, including young Jordan, have raised more than $4,300 for Haiti through a penny drive and online fundraising. Photo: Melissa Sanders The day after the earthquake, third grade teacher Melissa Sanders brainstormed with her colleagues about how to get their students involved in the Haiti relief effort. A penny drive was a natural — they’d done it before — and so they began having children announce daily reminders on the school intercom. Meanwhile, Sanders wove lessons on Haiti into her standard curriculum. “We used an almanac to look up basic facts about Haiti,” she said. “We talked about the corruption and poverty there, and how difficult life was even before the earthquake. We shared photos from the media. And the children…well, they were just devastated by the stories.” “They talked about how awful it would be to lose your parents, to be an orphan, to be in the street with no one to care for you, when the people who are supposed to be able to help you are also in need of help themselves,” continued Sanders. “They were wowed each time we heard about someone who had been rescued.” Most children at Woodland Primary, in southwestern Washington State, are not from wealthy families. “A lot of our kids are on the free lunch program,” explained Sanders, “and some of them emigrated from Mexico with their families. They remember what it’s like to have to walk a long way to get water.” The children talked with their teacher about what it means to be wealthy. “We talked about how we sit here in class and all our needs are met,” continued Sanders. “We talked about how people who are considered poor in this country are rich by Haiti standards. And we talked about how wealthy you feel when you have the capacity to help care for someone else.” True to their feelings, the kids gave — and gave generously. “They literally brought in their piggy banks,” said Sanders. “They put in their Christmas money. One boy who had received $10 from his aunt for winning an academic competition just dropped in the bill — he didn’t think twice. That’s a lot of money for an eight-year-old. And when the other kids saw his generosity, well, everybody just got out their money.” The children’s big-heartedness added up. Between their penny drive and the Personal Fundraising Page their teacher set up, they’ve raised $4,311 so far to support Mercy Corps’ work in Haiti.
12 February 2010
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Article
What We're Doing in Haiti
Haitians left homeless after the earthquake camp out in a Port-au-Prince park. Photo: Photo: Reuters/STR New, courtesy www.alertnet.org One month after the devastating 7.0-magnitude earthquake that rocked Haiti, Mercy Corps’ team of emergency response experts is working to meet the immediate needs of survivors. At the same time, our team is laying the groundwork for longer-term recovery, drawing upon Mercy Corps’ three decades of experience helping disaster-struck communities transition from receiving aid to carrying out their own recovery. Haitian authorities estimate that more than 217,000 people died in the earthquake and that three-quarters of the capital city, Port-au-Prince, will have to be rebuilt. At least one million people have been displaced. The Mercy Corps team is coordinating with the United Nations and other aid groups on the ground to ensure the most efficient response. Team of Experts Mercy Corps has deployed an A-team of humanitarian first responders. These experts from around the world have collective experience that includes responses to the China earthquake, Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar, and Hurricane Katrina. Learn more about our Haiti Response Team Right Now: Water, Trauma Support, Jobs The Mercy Corps response is currently focused on immediate humanitarian needs: food to beleaguered hospitals, water and sanitation, trauma support for children and job creation. Five days after the quake, this woman and her baby need water first, then food and shelter. Photo: Cassandra Nelson/Mercy Corps Earthquake survivors like this little girl are living in parks and vacant lots around Port-au-Prince. Photo: Cassandra Nelson/Mercy Corps Clean Water and Sanitation Water and sanitation assessments continue in preparation for securing clean water and safe latrines for at least 42,000 people in Haiti's capital. On February 3, our team installed a water filtration unit at a local hospital. Job Creation and Economic Recovery To jumpstart the decimated economy and begin rebuilding efforts in earthquake-affected areas, Mercy Corps has initiated a cash-for-work program that pays earthquake survivors a daily wage to clear debris, restore buildings and repair basic infrastructure. We plan to employ more than 8,000 workers in some of Port-au-Prince's poorest and most-devastated neighborhoods. Through the cash-for-work approach, survivors carry out their own recovery efforts. Employing survivors gives them the dignity of earning an income they can then spend on the supplies they need for their families. Their purchases in turn help restart local commerce. Trauma Support for Children When the earthquake struck, all schools in Port-au-Prince collapsed. Haitian children who survived the earthquake experienced trauma that could negatively affect them for life. To help restore children’s sense of well-being, Mercy Corps is providing post-trauma help using Comfort for Kids. This counseling methodology was first developed in New York by Mercy Corps and Bright Horizons, a global workplace childcare provider, to help children recover from the trauma of 9/11. Subsequently, Mercy Corps has used Comfort for Kids to help children recover from the China and Peru earthquakes and Hurricane Katrina. Mercy Corps recently announced a partnership with Haiti's First Lady, Elisabeth Delacourt Préval, to implement Comfort for Kids trainings for adult caregivers. The First Lady and UNICEF will organize “safe spaces” in camps to run arts, sports and music activities for children, while Mercy Corps will run simultaneous sessions — in French and Creole — to educate parents and caregivers about child symptoms of trauma and how they can be addressed. Next Steps Mercy Corps will focus on supporting the creation of jobs, especially in the provinces around Port-au-Prince, in sectors such as agriculture, tourism and apparel manufacturing. Mercy Corps also expects to use cash grants to help people rebuild assets like small businesses, fishing boats, food carts. In addition, Mercy Corps is exploring options with microfinance provider FONKOZE and other partners to help small- and mid-size businesses grow using remittances and microfinance. In the coming weeks and months, Mercy Corps plans to expand its work to include the provinces surrounding Port-au-Prince, particularly the Central Plateau area where approximately 500,000 people fled after the earthquake. The agency is striving to make these areas economically viable and provide critical resources to displaced families who have settled there. A Long Track Record of Helping Recovery The earthquake in Haiti left three million people in need of aid, exacerbating the dire humanitarian situation in the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. The Caribbean nation suffers extreme hunger and political instability, and this disaster only increases the needs of thousands of impoverished Haitian families. Mercy Corps has a long track record of helping people living in the world’s toughest conditions to recover and rebuild after natural disasters and conflict. The agency has special expertise in disaster response that establishes a foundation for, and leads directly to, self-sufficiency. HOW TO HELP Mercy Corps is accepting donations toward our earthquake response. Public support thus far has been strong, and corporations such as Amazon.com, ITT Corporation, Best Buy, Western Union, Gap, Nike, and Trilogy/Voilà have generously contributed to our efforts.
12 February 2010
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Article
Mercy Corps joins forces with Haiti’s First Lady to help children recover from earthquake trauma
Port-au-Prince, HAITI – The global relief and development agency Mercy Corps is partnering with Haiti's First Lady, Elisabeth Delacourt Préval, to help heal the children of Haiti. Mercy Corps' Comfort for Kids training for adult caregivers will complement the First Lady and UNICEF's arts and play activities in Port-au-Prince tent camps. “This partnership is the manifestation of the First Lady’s and our mutual concern for the emotional well-being of Haiti's children after the devastating January 12th earthquake,” said Linda Mason, Mercy Corps board chair and the co-founder of the global workplace childcare provider Bright Horizons. “Children’s physical health is critical, but their emotional needs are just as pressing.” Mason met with the First Lady last week. The partnership will kick off with pilot projects this coming week. The First Lady and UNICEF will organize “safe spaces” in camps to run arts, sports and music activities for children. Mercy Corps will run simultaneous sessions – in French and Creole – to educate parents and caregivers about child symptoms of trauma and how they can be address. “Comfort for Kids training for adults is the perfect complement to our work with children,” explained First Lady Elisabeth Delacourt Préval. “While children gain positive outlets for their energy and build self esteem through structured play, parents will learn how they can best help their children work through earthquake-related trauma. The trainings will eventually include carefully devised workbooks tailored to the language and culture of Haitian children. These will help caregivers talk to children about the disaster they witnessed, and address difficult questions regarding death, grieving and related issues. Mercy Corps will also distribute “comfort kits” that contain soothing, age-appropriate items such as blankets, stuffed animals and sippy cups. Comfort for Kids adult trainings started last week in Port-au-Prince and were very well received. Two trainings in the Tabarre section of the city drew nearly 100 teachers, nurses, day-care providers and others. Participants discussed children’s signs of trauma and how these can be treated, as well as their own emotional health since the quake. “Children in the earthquake zone are in desperate need of help. Their worlds have fallen apart and they are deeply afraid – of another earthquake, of being alone, of being inside buildings. Unlike adults, children do not have the experience or judgment to process trauma,” said Griffen Samples, Mercy Corps technical advisor for Comfort for Kids. According to Samples, untreated children can develop serious, sometimes life-long problems: regressive or anti-social behavior, depression, aggression, and difficulties in school. Comfort for Kids was originally developed to help children in New York City recover from the emotional scars of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The program has subsequently assisted thousands of children in post-disaster environments including New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, and following severe earthquakes in Peru (2007) and the Sichuan province of China (2008). “Comfort for Kids empowers local caregivers – parents, older siblings, teachers, family friends – to intervene, end a child’s cycle of trauma, and pave the way for these children to be a positive part of Haiti’s future,” explains Mason. Comfort for Kids is just one aspect of Mercy Corps’ comprehensive response to the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that rocked Haiti last month. The agency’s team of expert emergency responders is addressing the immediate humanitarian needs on the ground, providing food, water and sanitation services. Mercy Corps is also working to boost economic recovery through cash-for-work programs that provide earthquake survivors a daily wage to perform essential tasks like clearing debris and water drainage systems.
11 February 2010
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Article
Working together to help Haiti's children
(From left) Liliane Hollant and Griff Samples, Mercy Corps Comfort for Kids program; Haiti's First Lady Elisabeth Préval; Linda Mason, Mercy Corps Chair; Haitian Cultural Advisor Philippe Dodart. Photo: Mercy Corps During the last part of my visit to Haiti I was fortunate to meet with Madame Elisabeth Delatour Préval, Haiti's First Lady. She and her husband, Haitian President René Préval, were just entering the Presidential Palace when the earthquake struck. They jumped back as a large part of the palace crumbled before their eyes. Their private home also collapsed. Madame Préval spent the morning before our meeting moving into another house. She is a bright, charismatic, compassionate woman. She has gone on national radio several times since the earthquake to talk directly to the population of Haiti. She speaks of the resilient spirit of the Haitian people and their strong sense of community and helping one another. The government offices have largely been destroyed, so the government is operating out of a police station near the airport. We met with the Madame Préval and her Cultural Advisor, Philippe Dodart, in the one small conference room in the police station. We talked about the great needs of Haiti's children. Madame Préval wants to devote her efforts to helping children get through this crisis. We talked about our Comfort for Kids program and how we could collaborate together on behalf of children and parents in Port-au-Prince. We decided on a major collaboration throughout the tent encampments in Port-au-Prince. The First Lady's office, Mercy Corps and UNICEF will create child spaces in the tent encampments. UNICEF will provide play, art therapy activities and counseling for the children. While the children are engaged in these activities, Mercy Corps will provide the Comfort for Kids counseling program for the parents. We will distribute Comfort Kits to the children. It's a very important program for both the children and parents, and the collaboration is a wonderful way to work directly with the government of Haiti on its priorities for children and parents. We presented the First Lady with our first copy of "What Happened to Our World", our training manual, translated into Creole. She was very grateful. I sat through one of our Comfort for Kids trainings, run by Griff Samples. I was able to see first hand how hungry parents were for this counseling and support. Parents are confused by much of the behavior they see in their children. They are also confused about their own reactions. One teacher said she is plagued by guilt that she told children to stay in the classroom when the earthquake hit. Although they luckily escaped injury, she is full of self-recrimination that she did the exact wrong thing. "They could have all been killed, and that would have been my fault. That is on my shoulders," she said. She visibly relaxed when Griff explained that you can't judge your actions during the earthquake. No one had ever experienced anything like that before. "You were actually trying to help the children. You did what you thought best. You shouldn't think otherwise," Griff told her. After the two-hour training, many wanted more, and we found that many adults came back for the next training to hear the messages again. The Comfort for Kids program was developed by Bright Horizons and Mercy Corps after the 9/11 attack. It has been effectively used in that crisis, after Hurricane Katrina, after the China earthquake, and now will be a central part of our recovery effort in Haiti. It will make an important difference in countless lives over the next many months.
11 February 2010
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Article
Small Fund-Raisers for Victims Start to Add Up
Stephanie Strom February 11, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/us/11charity.html Source Publication: The New York Times Devin Greene celebrated his seventh birthday on Saturday. His party raised $1,025 for Mercy Corps to support its charity work in Haiti. Asked how much he thought he might raise, Devin said, “About $200.” He said he had been inspired by his teacher, who told his first-grade class in Portland, Ore., that “there are a lot of bad things happening to other people.” For Dina Yazdani, a junior at Lincoln High School in Portland, it was an urgent sense that she and her classmates needed to do something to help after the earthquake struck Haiti on Jan. 12. A few days later, in a speech at a school assembly, Dina tacked on a pitch for $1 contributions. Students gave $325 during the assembly and a total of $1,115 over the week, which was also donated to Mercy Corps. “We’re hoping it will go toward food and shelter,” Dina said. Thousands of tiny fund-raisers to gather donations for Haiti are taking place in bars, schools and stores across the country, collecting small pots of money that are beginning to add up. These grass-roots efforts are sometimes amiss — fund-raisers are still being held for Doctors Without Borders, for example, which announced several weeks ago that it had enough money for its work in Haiti — but many relief groups say they are invaluable. “You don’t want to discourage these kinds of things because they can be the beginning of a much deeper relationship that leads people to more significant action and involvement,” said Nancy Lindborg, president of Mercy Corps, a relief and development group based in Portland. Mercy Corps has even developed a system that allows people to create individual fund-raising pages on its Web site that they can then publicize through social networks, like book groups and Facebook. MathWorks Inc., a software company, has raised more than $41,000 through its page, and Mercy Corps has raised a total of $830,000 using the system. Bar parties are perhaps the most popular grass-roots way to raise money. About a hundred people, including the actress Chloe Sevigny, turned out last Thursday night for a fund-raiser featuring the singers Ari Up of the band The Slits and Lady Miss Kier of Deee-lite at Le Poisson Rouge, a club in downtown Manhattan. Proceeds from the event went to the work of Doctors Without Borders in Haiti. Justine Delaney, the club’s music director, said she did not know about the organization’s announcement that it had enough money but said she would direct the proceeds to its efforts in Haiti anyway. “They’ll be there for awhile,” Ms. Delaney said, “so I’m sure they’ll be able to use it.” Jason Cone, communications director for Doctors Without Borders, wrote in an e-mail message that the organization was now asking donors to contribute to its general emergency relief fund, but that it would still accept donations earmarked for Haiti. “We realize that there is still a groundswell of support for our projects in Haiti,” he said. Tannaz Sassooni, an animation technical director and former food blogger, recently held a giant bake sale in Los Angeles to raise money for Doctors Without Borders to use in Haiti. With donations from 50 bakers, the sale raised $5,307.27. But after talking to Doctors Without Borders, Ms. Sassooni said she had agreed instead to donate the money to its general emergency fund. “They told us about their inflatable hospital, which is just so amazing, and how having money in that fund gives them a reserve to support them as soon as a disaster happens,” Ms. Sassooni said. “They can best figure out how to put the money to good use.” Businesses have also gotten into the action. Michael Herklots, general manager of Davidoff of Geneva, a Madison Avenue cigar store, held a fund-raiser with the Park Avenue Liquor Shop to benefit the Red Cross. Turning customers into donors, Mr. Herklots said, was a spur of the moment opportunity to “pull a little at their heartstrings, for a good cause.” And an opportunity to drum up a little extra business? “Not at all,” said Jonathan Goldstein, senior vice president of the liquor store. “These folks are already our customers, and they’re going to buy whether we do this or not.”
10 February 2010
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Article
Second graders rally around Haitian classmate
Shania Dormezil, a second grader at Sacramento Elementary, was born here in the United States. Her sister, fourth grader Fabiola, was about three years old when the family immigrated from Haiti, and her brother, fifth grader Kevin, was about four. The family still has many relatives in Haiti, and they speak French and Creole at home in Portland, where the three children live with their parents and grandparents. The day after the earthquake, Shania came to school visibly upset. Her classmates immediately gathered around, trying to comfort her. “They were saying, ‘It’ll be OK…. It’ll be OK,’” says principal Stevie Blakely. Shania’s family is still awaiting word on the condition of their family members in Haiti. “They think most of them survived, but they haven’t heard from everyone,” says Blakely. Meanwhile, the kids sprang into action. “They wanted to do a project to help the people in Haiti,” says Blakely. They decided to use the watercolor technique they had learned in art class to make greeting cards to sell. Each child painted cards on a snowman theme, which they sold to parents and neighbors to raise $233 for Mercy Corps’ relief efforts in Haiti. Now they’re planning a second art-card fundraiser, on a fairy tale theme. “Ours is a very diverse school, with 15 languages spoken,” says Blakely. “It’s a high poverty neighborhood. These kids don’t have a lot. But they are so moved, and they want to give.” Other grades are also thinking up Haiti fundraisers. “Our school is looking at what Haiti will need for many years ahead,” adds Blakely. “We want ours to be a long-term commitment that’s meaningful for the kids.”
10 February 2010
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Article
Drawing up plans
After working on interviews and gathering stories about our Comfort for Kids program, I learned that some of our team was headed out to see our new office and some of the neighborhoods around it, all of which were greatly damaged in the quake. I went along for the ride and to look for signs of Haitians getting back into a more normal routine. Out in the streets, the destruction caused by the quake is apparent everywhere you turn. Alternating piles of garbage and rubble line the streets, signs saying “Help us — we need food and water” in French, English and Spanish still hang on walls and buildings, and the smell of raw sewage is overwhelming. However, I did see other more subtle signs that people are picking up the pieces and trying to build a day-to-day existence out of the chaos of the past few weeks. There were women selling fruits and vegetables on every corner, people crowding onto brightly-colored mini-buses for trips across town and groups of workers clearing debris. It’s definitely a start. There is an all-hands-on-deck feeling among our team here, as is common in an emergency response, but I wasn’t expecting to be pulled into the logistics planning quite so directly. When we arrived at the new office, however, I found myself pitching in to help our human resources manager draw out a physical plan of the new space and determine how we will organize our teams within the office. Now back at our temporary office, I’m thinking about the connections between what I saw around me today and the work we were doing ourselves in the new office. It doesn’t seem like the most obvious need in a situation like this — figuring out where desks will go in a new office — but it’s the kind of day-to-day routine that is happening all over the city as people try to pick up the pieces of their lives. Building a solid infrastructure of talented staff, functional equipment and clear logistics processes will allow Mercy Corps to work efficiently and effectively here for years to come. And this is exactly the mindset that guides all of our work in Haiti: we’re helping people to create some kind of workable foundation and carve out space for a new routine.
10 February 2010
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Article
Supporting Haiti's children
Rosemarie, a Haitian psychologist with ten years of experience working with children, will be working on Mercy Corps’ Comfort for Kids program. She believes that psychosocial support is especially important right now. Photo: Rinn Self/Mercy Corps My name is Rinn Self, and I'm a Communications and Development Associate in Mercy Corps' Seattle office. I've been deployed to Haiti for the next two weeks to connect the international media with members of our emergency response team, as well as highlight and document the work we are doing here to create long-term recovery. To that end, in the relative calm of our office’s garden, I sat down today with Rosemarie, a Haitian psychologist who will be working on Mercy Corps’ Comfort for Kids program. Before the earthquake, she worked in a small clinic in Port-au-Prince with just one other psychologist and a pediatrician. She has worked with children in Haiti for more than ten years and believes that psychosocial support is especially important right now. She told me that the reactions she’s seen among kids have been what psychologists would consider very typical — they are clinging to their parents, they don’t want to sleep alone or even go inside the house. Their lives have been turned upside-down, and “they just want a protector,” she told me. Rosemarie explained how important it is that adults and other family members accept this behavior as a normal response to stress and support these kids through their healing process. She is very glad to be working on the Comfort for Kids program, because it will help parents recognize the importance of emotionally supporting their children. Rosemarie also told me that she welcomes the opportunity to show people in Haiti how beneficial psychological support can be, both in extreme situations and whenever their kids are experiencing stress. In this sense, she appreciates how the program will target different types of caregivers — psychologists, social workers, parents and teachers. This Thursday, she and about thirty such caregivers will take part in a training of trainers, the first step in ensuring that this program reaches as many Haitian children as possible.
9 February 2010
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Article
Haiti Relief’s Secret Weapon: Google Earth
Nathan Hodge February 9, 2010 http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/02/haiti-reliefs-secret-weapon-google-earth/ Source Publication: Wired Magazine PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Days after the Jan. 12 earthquake, a group of Haitians set up a small tent camp in an open field not far from the U.S. Embassy. In theory, this small community was well-situated to receive aid: It was in spitting distance of a helicopter landing zone. And right nearby was the World Food Program’s consolidated warehouse, where relief agencies store all their goods shipped from the Dominican Republic. Being close to the nerve center of this massive relief operation, however, was no guarantee of aid. Gene Kunze, a program officer for the U.S. charity Mercy Corps, came upon the camp quite by chance, while scanning a digital map of earthquake relief operations. After noting the grid coordinates, Mercy Corps went out to do an assessment. “There are so many isolated pockets of people,” he said. “Sure enough, no one [from the aid community] was there.” Delivering aid to earthquake-hit Port-au-Prince is, simply put, a logistical nightmare. Unlike tsunami relief in 2004, when aid workers were able to map out the gaps in their operations between villages and towns, Haitians have crowded into small, often isolated, camps throughout this sprawling city: a few families living under lean-to behind a wall, hundreds of people may be camping in an empty lot. With mounting frustration over the distribution of aid, it has become more important than ever for aid and relief groups to coordinate their efforts: to avoid duplication of effort, and to make sure that help reaches some of Haiti’s more isolated communities. “The U.N. definitely has geospatial information front and center,” said Kunze. “And they also have much better map services in general than you would have seen not long ago.” Mercy Corps is using Google Earth to find underserved camps for cash-for-work programs. Kunze flipped open his laptop to show a satellite map of Port-au-Prince: Red stars showed cash-for-work sites, where the group is paying people to help clean up trash and debris. The idea is not just to use this information for Mercy Corps operations, but to share it with the rest of the aid community. Data is fed to Map Action, located in the U.N. operations center here. As more information comes in, a better picture emerges of what needs to be done in a certain area. It’s supposed to help both larger nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) like Mercy Corps as well as smaller groups that are arriving here every day. Of course, there’s a catch: The system is voluntary. The U.N. is pressing NGOs to provide GPS coordinates about their activities, no real enforcement mechanism. Theoretically, the UN requires this basic information from any group that uses its services, including logistics and warehousing, but it is self-policing. The U.S. government has a more robust tool for enforcing this kind of information-sharing mechanism: Cash. According to aid workers who have attended recent USAID planning meetings, the U.S. government has made it clear that organizations not fully compliant with U.N. coordination (in NGO-speak, the “cluster mechanism”) should not expect to see a penny of U.S. government money. Still, it’s a cumbersome mechanism. Participants in the system can’t instantaneously plug in grid coordinates or upload a .gpx file. Instead, they have to fill out an Excel spreadsheet, cutting and pasting grid coordinates. This kind of geotagging also has application for civil affairs-type work in war zones. In Afghanistan, for instance, Mercy Corps uses similar tools to track cash-for-work projects in more dangerous parts of the country. Local workers can take photos and provide GPS coordinates to prove that a project has been completed. Still, despite the coordination, some Haitians think aid is not getting here quickly enough. On a drive through Port-au-Prince’s devastated Fort National area, pictured here, a young man flagged down our truck. With the windows down, the stench was appalling. Nearly all the concrete-and-masonry houses were collapsed, and bodies apparently were still in the rubble. A young man, who gave his name as Charlie Gabriel, extended a hand, and asked me where I was from. “The American came here, and promised food,” he replied. “We got nothing.” What American, I asked. “He was a journalist, from Brooklyn.”
9 February 2010