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Development and Peace raises $13.5 million for Haiti February 15, 2010
The international development organization Development and Peace has raised $13.5 million for emergency relief and reconstruction efforts in Haiti.
The organization is one of the registered charities eligible to participate in a matching funds program for individual donations received before February 12th. The matching program is administered by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).Development and Peacehas had a continuous working partnership with CIDA for more than 40 years.
“We saw a tremendous coordinated effort among Catholic dioceses, parishes, schools, and groups across Canada. The bishops of Canada mobilized strong support throughout the Catholic community, who thought of creative and vibrant ways to raise money to assist the people of Haiti. Most of our donations came from these events and actions that took place in communities from coast to coast. The generosity of the Canadian public has been outstanding,” said Michael Casey, Executive Director of Development and Peace.
As the Canadian member of Caritas Internationalis, the international emergency relief network of the Catholic Church, Development and Peace is participating, along with other Caritas groups, in the Caritas network’s emergency response, which includes the distribution of food and hygiene kits, providing clean water to camps for those left homeless, providing medical treatment and services, distributing tents and installing mobile latrines.
The organization is now in the process of planning for the reconstruction phase in Haiti. It is drawing on its five years of experience working in Tsunami-affected countries to help develop a longer-term recovery program to rebuild communities and livelihoods devastated by this disaster.
In the one month since the earth shook under Port-au-Prince and ripped open the city into a gaping wound, we have all been gripped by the visceral images of a country that was already struggling with poverty, lose its foothold on its progress.
It is now estimated that 230,000 people perished in this natural disaster (around the same death toll as the 2004 Tsunami), 250,000 houses were destroyed, 30,000 businesses are at a standstill, and 500,000 people are homeless. It seems that with each hurdle overcome – search and rescue teams uncovering heartbeats; 300,000 people receiving medical treatment,; 200,000 people receiving food kits - new ones appear. There are 322 camps spread throughout the city that face the enormous challenge of sheltering nearly all those left in the city. Sanitation is a concern, the threat of disease looms large, and the dark clouds of the rainy season will soon be rolling in from the sea.
New needs arising
As part of the Caritas response, Development and Peace continues to be committed to addressing these arising needs. There will be the distribution of emergency shelter kits that include string, sheeting and nails to build tents for 18,000 people. Caritas is also preparing 7,000 additional emergency food and shelter kits, and will be providing 400 mobile latrines to camps. A health campaign will soon be launched in conjunction with the Ministry of Health to try to curb the outbreak of epidemics.
Watch Lesley Anne Knight, Secretary General of Caritas Internationalis discuss the Caritas response:
Looking to the future
Port-au-Prince is now strewn with an estimated 5.5 million tonnes of rubble. Underneath it all, is the great potential for the re-birth for the city and its people. Development and Peace has been present in Haiti for over 20 years, and prior to the earthquake, was working with 8 local organizations. They have all been affected by the earthquake, but thanks to the support of Development and Peace over the years, they are solid. Their buildings may be in shambles, but they are not. Many have quickly re-organized and want to continue to strengthen their country and ensure that it is rebuilt with respect to the needs of all citizens. Development and Peace plans to be there with them through this process by supporting projects that will give the marginalized a voice in the reconstruction of their city.
Watch our partner SAKS (Société d’animation pour la communication sociale) show the impact of the earthquake on their organization:
Since we have arrived here, a day hasn’t gone by where we haven’t received messages of encouragement from our families, our friends and our colleagues: "Thank you for what you are doing"; "We are thinking of you"; "Hang in there." If we are here, it is precisely because we have behind us an organization made up of people, who at heart, believe in solidarity and mutual aid; people who can’t remain immune to the drama unfolding so far from them, yet that touches them so closely. This great sense of humanity is at the core of Development and Peace, and through its network – in Canada and around the world – it is trying to make a difference.
At Caritas Haiti, each person is living this tragedy to a different degree, but there is no doubt that each has been affected. Yet, for the last three weeks they have been here with us, working each day to help find solutions. "How can we help our brothers and sisters?" they ask. Each day brings its own set of challenges and each day we need to adapt, to get reoriented, to find some new solution. The task is colossal, and yet, already we have to think about the Haiti of tomorrow. What do we do with the hundreds of thousands of displaced people dispersed across the country? How can we assure that they have the means to re-start their lives, to have access to land, to launch back into economic activities? How can Port-au-Prince be rebuilt after so much destruction?
Every day since we have been here, amidst the noise, dust and the crowds, those with Caritas Haiti have been here with us, loyal to their duty, smiling with good humour, ready to do whatever is needed. It is with mixed feelings that we are preparing to leave them. Of course, we are tired and anxious to see our loved ones, but we have the impression that we are leaving, just as so much work is getting started.
I found my old friend Frantz yesterday. I had come to believe he was buried under the rubble after all this time. Not long after arriving in Port-au-Prince, I crossed his neighbourhood, Canapé Vert. It was in ashes. Frantz is alive, but I can’t stop crying. For so many days I worried for him, and was overcome by the feeling of powerlessness that surfaced. My friend, like the other hundreds of thousands like him, is waiting for help. But we are not enough for the task, and they are completely destitute.
Frantz is a priest who has been devoted to the poor and community development in Haiti for decades. He participated in creating the «ti-légliz», network, which are parish committees that look into the issues faced by the village and attempt to find solutions. There was a time in Haiti, when to take up the cause of the poor was a risk, but he always took it. I met him at a time, in the late 1980s, when he was heading the a national campaign for literacy. He had offered me room and board, and he also introduced me to extraordinary people, many of whom are now buried under the rubble.
As for Frantz, he sleeps under the starry sky with the rest of the survivors in his neighbourhood. There are about 40 of them living behind the Christ-Roi church, awaiting in hope for relief. He tells me about the daily struggles of his group to find food, about the elderly who can’t seem to come out with much when the distributions are done. He also tells me about the incredible solidarity of people who together « stuck »are confronting hunger, cold and uncertainty. These generous gestures that the cameras can’t capture , that stay hidden behind the images of chaos, are so easily overlooked.
Tomorrow, my old friend will attempt to join me here and I will give him what I can. But there are no words to describe this feeling of sadness that lives inside of me for him and for all those like him, who must live this horror and dismay.
Nothing is simple after this disaster January 29, 2010
For two days, a ship flying the Mexican flag has been hovering near Port-au-Prince awaiting to be relieved of its cargo. It’s holding 1,700 tonnes of various items donated by the Mexican Red Cross, the Mexican government and private enterprises. There are kits with ready-to-eat food, dried food (rice, beans), medication and other necessities. So many articles, so much generosity. But we still need to take care of it all.
The coordination and logistic teams have launched into action: distribution plans, the unloading, the storage and putting together the kits. We need to develop a strategy for Port-au-Prince, while not forgetting the people who have gone to other parts of the country. According to official numbers, there are almost 300,000 displaced people. Up until now, they have been supported by family and friends who are housing them. It is this solidarity that allows them to keep their heads above the water. Eventually, however, these host families will be beyond their capacities and there is the real risk, in the mid-term, of a national food crisis. Even before this disaster, the situation here was precarious.
In the meantime, we had an auxiliary internet system installed to improve our connection, once again, thanks to the Mexicans. For several days, the system kept going down from the constant frenetic activity of the deployed Caritas Internationalis team.
At Caritas Haiti, it is time to pass to action and consolidate the emergency response team. Commit yourselves, they said! But the staff are exhausted. We can’t forget that they have all lived their own personal drama; that their families need them; that they are most likely sleeping under a tent and haven’t had one minute of rest since the earthquake.
And there are still the problems with shower schedules, the provision of clean water, the constant noise from the generators, the dust and dirt, the filthy clothes and throats that itch. But how can we complain?
St. Francois de Sales is a Caritas-supported hospital that was almost destroyed in the earthquake, but is now once again taking care of people thanks to the Caritas relief operation. Many of the people at the hospital were trapped in rubble and have the ghastly injuries to prove it.
Sara is a 6-year-old with what seems to be a left leg broken in multiple places. The quake buckled her house and she was trapped under it for a few hours. She was finally pulled out and now she’s here. Laying in a white undershirt and a diaper fashioned out of bandages. Her mom, wearing a red beret, sits next to her and spoons rice and beans into Sara’s mouth from a Styrofoam container. Neither of them smile.
Hovering over Sara is Dr. Guesly Delva, a Haitian who now works in Baltimore, MD, at the Institute of Human Virology. He’s lived in the United States for 15 years. He went to medical school at Tulane University in New Orleans.
"I was dreadful of coming here because of what I was seeing on TV," he says. "I broke down the first night."
And now he’s here, hovering over Sara, speaking to her mom in Creole, the language he grew up with. As the day wears on, and the more bandages he peels back, the more his face sinks.
"I feel a sense of desperation," he says. “There’s so much to do. I know that we’re probably not going to have enough time or resources to relieve all the pain and suffering.”
Ninety-nine percent of the people at the hospital are trauma cases. Stessy Jeannot, 18-months old, asleep on a bed in a frilly skirt and red velvet top, had part of her hand crushed. Dore Lalanne, 12, sleeping in his underwear next to a French bible, has severely injured legs. Still he’s in a good mood and brightens up when the subject of soccer, and his favourite player, Messi, the Argentine, comes up.
Seeing these children is difficult. But it is good to know they are finally getting help. Without St. Francois de Sales, Vanessa’s leg may have become infected and Sara would never have had someone like Dr. Delva helping her.
It was only a few days ago that patients lay listless in the courtyard here. Things seemed so hopeless that the medical director considered closing the hospital down.
With the determination of CRS/Caritas staff, there are now three operating rooms going at once, most being used for amputations and debridement. A refrigerator was pulled out of a destroyed building and cleaned up to be used for blood storage. And other supplies have been brought it. It is now a hospital of hope.
A lot of people around the world are asking the same question about Haiti: What’s taking so long for food to get out.
Spend a morning at the Petionville golf course, and you’ll have your answer.
The once-swanky country club in Port-au-Prince is now home to some 50,000 displaced Haitians. The camp is already taking on the trappings of a community. In one section of the camp, you can charge your cell phone, call Europe at a phone kiosk, buy vegetables, and get your haircut.
Cardboard street signs are even popping up on some trash-strewn paths. The place is so packed you have to turn sideways to get to some tents.
Behind the flowered bed sheets that serve as walls, you see shadows moving, hear babies crying and smell the akra sizzling in oil, the flat cakes made of flour and spices that Haitians love. The sun feels like it’s closer here, and most people lay in the shade, fanning themselves, trying to figure out how to make it through another day.
Most people keep their eyes averted from one of the hills at the camp. That’s where some Haitians bathe in their underpants, hiding behind some scrawny trees that offer only a suggestion of privacy.
But when veteran CRS/Caritas workers go to the camp, they see problems—and solutions. One of the biggest issues: Tens of thousands of people living in shelters made of bed sheets tied to sticks. In a country that has been denuded of trees, lumber is a valuable commodity. Residents have used machetes to hack off limbs of some of the trees lining the fairways. All that’s left are trunks that look chewed and frayed. The rolling fairways are balding, with the brittle yellow grass getting further ground into the dust every day.
When the rainy season starts in late March, the place is going to turn into a Haitian version of Woodstock: thousands of people living in mud. And that has a lot of people worried.
CRS/Caritas has already ordered plastic sheeting to improve the shelter of thousands. There are plans to start cash for work programs. Haitians who lost their homes will start clearing rubble in their former neighbourhoods to make space for new, longer-lasting temporary shelters.
But the urgent need right now is food. Close to 200 tons of food will be brought into the Petionville Club and stored on the tennis courts. The food is packed in 100-pound sacks. It’s offloaded from 10-ton trucks and boosted onto the heads of Haitians one sack at a time. From there, the food is divided up by volunteers sitting on the ground measuring out rations for each family. It’s then repackaged and prepared for distribution.
But getting that food to all the people in the camp is the challenge.
When CRS/Caritas distributed more than 1,000 food kits a few days ago at the golf course, thousands of Haitians thronged to the site, pushing against the rope cordon, wanting food. Thanks to Haitian volunteers, CRS/Caritas staff and the US Army’s 82 Airborne, order was maintained, but the frustration was palpable. It could have turned unruly quickly with that many hungry people. CRS/Caritas knows from years of experience you can’t just back up a truck full of food and fling open the doors. There needs to be structure to keep people safe.
That’s why a group of CRS and Caritas staff and volunteers have fanned out in the camp. Some have cans of spray paint, others hold on to about 100 yards of blue rope. A handful of volunteers circles a collection of makeshift tents with the rope. Every shelter in that circle will receive a ticket. Then an X will be painted on the shelter.
There are so many shelters, so close together, the volunteers want to make sure they reach everyone.
Then the team goes tent to tent, pulling back curtains and asking who is the head of the house, then giving them a voucher for two weeks worth of food, stuff like vegetable oil, lentils and bulgar.
It’s a rudimentary method, but it works. And at this point, that’s what’s most important: Finding something that works.
Messages from our partners in Haiti January 26, 2010
Development and Peace has been involved in Haiti for over 20 years. Last year, we contributed $600,000 in funding to Haiti, which went towards four emergency relief efforts and several community development projects led by seven partners on the ground. Some of these partners are located in some of the worst hit areas of the earthquake. They include:
Fanm Deside – A women’s movement in the region of Jacmel that has 400 members and coordinates 30 other women’s groups.
IRATAM – An organization that provides technical support for agriculture.
ITECA – An education and leadership training organization for peasants. It is one of the oldest such organizations in the country.
JACHA – A youth organization in Jacmel that has some 300 members.
Kay Famn – A women’s organization that has over 1,000 members.
Mouvement paysan Papaye – An organization that defends the interests of peasants and represents over 60,000 Haitian men and women peasants.
SAKS – A community radio station that also offers training to local groups.
Many of these partners have suffered tremendous losses. Kay Famn tragically lost one of its founding members, Magallie Marcellin, a remarkable woman who advocated for the rights of Haitian women and fought to create laws to protect women against violence.
With relief, and yet with great anguish as well, we have been receiving news from our partners and the absolute devastation they are faced with. Their courage and resilience is inspiring and we are committed to helping them rebuild their country.
Here are some of their messages:
Jean-Baptiste Chavannes, Mouvement paysan Papaye :
I'm alive and in Papaya. I am very glad to hear from you and I thank you for your solidarity. We will really need to work hard to help Haiti be reborn out of the debris and devastation. The MPP's office in Port-au-Prince collapsed. One member of our team, who was inside at the time, was injured and others narrowly escaped with their lives. Our students in some other facilities were not as lucky. Many MPP members have lost family members. Thankfully all the main leaders are still alive and able to join in the struggle to rebuild the country.
At this point, we are helping the people from Port au Prince in the Central Plateau that want to go home. We are housing earthquake survivors in our Papaya Training Center. As much as we are able, we are also assisting the injured and transporting them to area hospitals.
Many peasant families in Mirebalais and Saut d'Eau communes lost their homes. However, the rest of the Central Plateau was largely spared. Tragically, our local organizations in Leogane, Grand Goave, Croix des Bouquets and Kenskoff in the West report heavy losses. The same is true for those in the South-East particularly in Cayes Jacmel, Marigot, Jacmel Valley, etc.
I have not yet been in contact with André, however, I am happy to learn that D & P has returned to Haiti to support grassroots organizations through this incredibly difficult time. I welcome you with open arms.
Marie-Ange Noël, Coordinator, Fanm Deside :
The situation is very difficult in Haiti, much more so for women and children. We are waiting to see how we will receive aid from organizations already on the ground. Up to now, there has been little distributed, except a few rare tents and water at the shelters. Our members are still waiting for food, clothing, hygiene kits, tents and other necessities. It is difficult to organize or plan, especially without electricity, but in the coming days we will be sure to let you know of the needs expressed by our members.
Thank you for your solidarity.
Jonas Azor et Marie-Ange Noel, JACHA and Fanm Deside :
Hello Dear friends,
I want to thank you for your dedication to us. Our first report of the situation here is the following: many have lost loved ones, their homes are destroyed or heavily damaged, they are sleeping in the streets or under makeshift shelters, they are hungry and devoid of everything. We want to come to the help of 800 families, at the very least by giving them kits with food, sanitary items, treated water, sleeping bags, tents, mattresses, and we are eying the possibility of distributing hot plates for cooking food. We are staying in contact with our field offices and we are targeting the following neighbourhoods for aid: Habitation Wolf, Pasquette, Kabaret, downtown, Cyvadier, possibly more.
We have a radio station in partnership with Jacmel Radio, that has been an ongoing collaboration for over five years, and that airs programs on social and environmental issues. Now, the station faces serious obstacles to stay on air. It needs 12 batteries, a 3,000 watt inverter, a 6.5 kw diesel generator to recharge batteries and fuel if we want to be able to continue airing our programs.
We are counting on your collaboration to help us overcome these catastrophic difficulties.
The rooster is crowing. The helicopters are flying. A light breeze is crossing our office. Everything is calm. The earth has not shaken again. The weather is balmy in Port-au-Prince, a city devastated but alive. People are still at mass. It seems that this tragedy has not shaken people’s faith.
It is Father Serge Chadic, Director of Caritas Haiti, who is officiating for our small community this morning. Even in an emergency, we feel the need to stop and self-reflect for a moment. I can hear the prayers and chants in the distance. It is Sunday.
Yesterday, it was the funeral services for Archbishop Joseph Serge Miot and Vicar General Charles Benoit, whose body was found under the rubble of the cathedral. Many among us went to the funeral. It was a very powerful moment for our friends at Caritas. Father Chadic came back completely shattered. Although a memorial for these beloved figures, it was also a tribute to all of those who have lost their lives under the rubble.
And so it for the deceased, while the survivors must try to live. They get on with life. Women slowly climb the hill, balancing a heavy bokit of water on their heads. They may have travelled kilometres to find the water, but the major challenge is still to come. Water is available in the capital. But it must be treated so that it is clean. The potential for the spread of sickness and disease is high.
Caritas has installed soft reservoirs for water distribution at several sites, but there are hundreds more that are still in need. Each day, we take small steps. Each day, the load gets even heavier. But as they say around here: “Head loaded!”
Soon the rains will come
January 22, 2010 - Gressier
It was an early-morning start today with a departure for Gressier at 6 a.m., which is about 30 km west of Port-au-Prince. It is there that one of our partners ITECA has its training centre.
Chenet, the director of the centre and an old friend of Development and Peace, came to pick me up in his vehicle. After five days in the crush of Port-au-Prince, the ITECA centre, which is nestled on a hill surrounding by lush greenery, is a haven of peace. Almost all of the ciment houses here have crumbled. For ten days, Chenet has been working non-stop with whatever means at hand to get ITECA back up and running. He has been working morning and night to help his brothers and sisters in the community of Ti Boucan. Along with a few members of his team, they have been hammering away to give the centre some order and to evaluate the damage and needs on the hill. His determination and good humour have made an indelible impression on me. The priority at the moment is to re-establish a water supply system that is channelled from the hill. The channel is intact but the purification centre is destroyed. Despite being clear, sadly the water is no longer drinkable. The distribution system is equally damaged.
ITECA is also mobilizing the community to evaluate all its needs so that we can help them. They are getting organized and there is solidarity all around us. In this rural region it seems that people have a better capacity to face this crisis and some have not lost everything. But we can’t neglect anything. Soon the rains will arrive and it will be the time to plant the crops. We have no choice but to work quickly.
Our day started around 5 a.m. today. Maybe, even earlier. The South African search and rescue team were packing up their things to go home. Slowly, we got ourselves together. We make a line for the shower and we organize a few articles in our tents before going to grab a coffee that is already waiting for us. The women who bring it to us, were up well after midnight preparing food, cleaning the kitchen, putting away dishes, washing sheets, all to keep our small community, that is made up of a good thirty people, going. We will need to recruit more support staff. These devoted women need to rest, and for us having our camp organized is a huge boost to our morale.
We finally got to meet with Chenet, a colleague from our partner organization ITECA. He nearly had to move heaven and earth to get to us. It is not easy to be in contact with people here or to get around. We were so happy to see him! André left with him along with some partners from Caritas Switzerland, to see what could be done in Gressier. Chenet did not ask anything for himself or for ITECA. He wants to respond to the needs of his community and came to ask us to if we could support him in any way. Another meeting with a truly extraordinary person.
The face of courage Port-au-Prince, January 21, 2010, 2 :31 p.m.
There is a beautiful blue sky over Port-au-Prince. In the distance, one can clearly see the sea from our hilltop vantage point at 65 Delmas. With such beauty, it is easy to believe that all of this was dreamed up. However, reality sets in all too quickly. People wander aimless; others queue up to get help, the smell of burning fills the air, and then there is the overwhelming odour of decaying bodies.
At this point, things are beginning to gain momentum. André is once again out with the water and sanitation team, which has been expanded. CRS has provided staff and a team of Austrian experts have arrived to set up water purification systems. As we say, it is becoming a little less difficult to deliver the goods. As of last night, the makeshift camp that sprung up at St. Marie’s parish finally has access to drinking water.
As for me, I am beginning to settle into my job as a coordinator with my counterpart Maria Fausta. Our role is to support the team’s efforts, to see to assigning technical experts, and to iron out communications problems. My partner, Maria Fausta is great! A young woman, she is full of initiative and skill. A real survivor! Between calls from friends checking to see if she is alive, she is making an incredible difference.
Many Caritas Haiti volunteers have begun to appear wanting to get back to serving their community in this time of need. What selflessness! Just imagine, most of them are homeless, themselves. Yet, not a sigh or breath of complaint. Exhausted but brave, they simply set to work. How can one but be humbled in face of such generosity?
Caritas gets aid to hard-hit Léogâne January 21, 2010
Caritas has taken truck loads of aid to the earthquake-hit town of Léogâne, 30km outside of Port-au-Prince.
Accompanied by UN peacekeepers, the convoy contained tents, plastic sheeting, blankets, water purification tablets and water containers. It will help 5000 people.
5000 thousand people also received food kits in a separate Caritas distribution in the town.
A medical tent will also be erected to take care of the immediate health needs of the community in Léogâne.
"The healthcare system in Léogâne was very weak to begin with," says Dr Joost, Butenop, Caritas health advisor in Port-au-Prince.
"Our medical kits are specially designed for disasters and will allow us to treat wounds, prescribe medicines and treat infectious diseases that are common after disasters."
The clinic will be put up behind Léogâne’s destroyed church and is expected to treat up to 80 patients a day.
Léogâne’s hospital was not destroyed in the earthquake, but people are not entering the building until assessments have been carried out.
The 7.0 magnitude earthquake which devastated large parts of Port-au-Prince had a massive impact of Léogâne. Many buildings are destroyed and much of the community is sleeping in the town’s central square.
Caritas has been ramping up its aid effort in recent days. A plane-full of tents, sheeting and medical tents and medicines arrived on Wednesday.
This followed twenty truck-fulls of food and hygiene items and 80 containers of food arriving earlier in the week.
Caritas distributes all of 1100 blankets, water purification tablets all the tents and tarpaulins to Leogane. 90 percent of the town was destroyed in the earthquake. Credits: N. Fischer/Caritas Switzerland
Interview with Bishop Pierre Dumas, President of Caritas Haiti January 21, 2010
I was visiting parts of my diocese the day before the earthquake. To get to one place I had to cross a lot of rivers. As we crossed one the water was “bubbling” and there were waves. We decided to stay that night at the diocesan training centre in Matean which is near the sea. But during the night waves started to hit the building and I thought “this is a tsunami!”
The next day I returned to Port-au-Prince and ten minutes after I got out of the car the earthquake happened. There was a big bang and the house jumped , and I didn’t even have time to get out of the door before everything calmed down.
Everyone came out onto the street. One of the first things I did was to try and contact my staff and reassure them. I told them not to be frightened and that this was a chance to show solidarity and for people to support one another.
I lost my two and a half month old niece and my brother-in-law in the earthquake. All the people who died didn’t deserve to go so soon. For those of us left, at the moment there is only pain. This is a test for all of us. It won’t last forever, but we have to live through this test with faith so we can come out at the other end more whole.
But I believe that our charity and the way in which we live this crisis will help increase our humanity. It will help us be more generous, open and available to each other, because the symbolic ways of living together has been destroyed. All of the symbols that join us together: the cathedral, the president’s palace, ministries, the schools, religious communities and many more places are in ruins.
Now we have to build again to be able to live together. We have to do it in a way that prejudice and discrimination are done away with and in a way that engenders trust. It must be done in a way that gives rise to solidarity and an open spirit.
I think it gives us the possibility to rebuild our country in another way and understand the bond that binds us together.
We are facing certain questions. At the moment it’s all about the emergency, but one day the questions will be about reconstruction. That doesn’t mean rebuilding things as there where before; instead we have a chance to build a better Haiti in which people are at the heart of everything.
Resilience in the face of so much desolation January 21, 2010
The camp was already stirring at 5 a.m. The cooks were preparing food and each one of was trying to get to the showers and toilets before the rush.
Last night, several people who are staying in rooms, decided to sleep outside. In the tents, some were talking on the telephone all through the night. I imagine they want to be in touch with loved ones, to confide in those, who like them, have lived through this horror from the start. The concern of more aftershocks and tremors is omnipresent.
Whether night or day, we are all jostling for a place at the computer stations. It is a corner where we can connect to the rest of the world. Fortunately, we at least have that! It makes us feel less trapped. Journalists send off their articles, others file their daily reports. And we all try to slip in a message to our families, to reassure them that all is well.
Requests for help or to do searches come to us daily, as much from Canada as from here. There are so many needs. We can’t help but feel quickly overwhelmed. We grab on to our small successes, and the hopeful promise of more to come tomorrow.
In the streets surrounding us, those who now make these crumbled roads their home, are up and about. Some are singing, other doing chores as if they are going about their daily business. They sweep away the dust, organize the few measly possessions they have left; take care of their children. Cars go by endlessly. We can’t help but asking: how can there be so few houses left standing, yet still so many jalopies!
In the midst of all this desolation, life goes on. Courage; resilience …I don’t know where these people find their strength. To the people of Haiti: hats off!
Struggling to get water to those who need it
January 21, 2010
Today was not an easy day. Lots of effort, lots of available resources, but too few accomplishments. We realized to what point coordinating our work is difficult when we no longer have the proper means to communicate.
Myself and a colleague from Secours Catholique France, have teamed-up for the water and hygiene program. When we left the Caritas Haiti office in the morning, our objective was to install two soft water reservoirs, each measuring 15 m3 on the site of a large makeshift camp for the homeless that has been set up on the golf course of the Pétionville Club Hotel. It is estimated that 30 to 50,000 people have installed themselves there – and they have no access to clean water or proper hygiene. On the eve, we had installed a reservoir at the Ste-Marie Parish in the Canapé Vert neighbourhood, with the hope that would serve to provide water to the thousands of displaced people who have gathered at two camp sites around there.
After making several preparations to get material and the people needed, we travelled to the golf course only to discover that another organization was responding as well. Thankfully, these displaced people will soon have clean water. In the meantime, the water delivery for our reservoir at Ste-Marie parish never happened. The reason? We hope to find out tomorrow at the coordination meeting. Yet, the reservoir was installed and ready to go.
We returned to the office feeling empty and disappointed. We felt like we had failed on our mission, especially when the needs are so great. These unexpected turns are frequent in this kind of situation and they show the need for good preparation and constant coordination. There are so many obstacles here, but we will find the ways to overcome them. With lots of patience, and united teamwork, we will get there. Tomorrow, we will be ready to head out and take on whatever new challenges come our way.
Caritas is appealing for US$ 42 million (Euro 30 million) to provide 200,000 Haiti quake survivors with immediate food, shelter, medical help, and clean water.
Support has been flooding into Caritas offices from around the world. So far Caritas agencies have received $US 33 million (EUR 23. 5 million) in donations. Many supporters are holding collections this weekend.
Caritas Internationalis President Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga said, "Caritas aid is starting to reach the people in Haiti in large quantities. Caritas will be increasing the amounts of food, water, tents and medical help over the coming days. Our teams are doing wonderful work getting help to the most vulnerable."
Miracle as woman pulled from Cathedral rubble six days after Haiti quake by Caritas January 20, 2010
Search and Rescue teams working with Caritas rescued a woman Tuesday, a week after the earthquake in Haiti.
The Cancun Mexico Rescue Brigade and the South African Relief Team pulled Enu Zizi from the ruins of the Cathedral in Port-au-Prince. The rescue took two hours. She had hurt her hips, was in considerable pain and had a possible broken leg, but was not critically injured.
The first thing she said to the rescuers was "I love you".
Caritas Austria’s Ruth Schöffl was the first voice she heard. "It was like witnessing a small miracle," said Ms Schöffl. "After a week of searching we heard this voice. I was able to speak to her, translating for the rescue team."
The Search and Rescue experts arrived in Port-au-Prince last Thursday in a team organized by Caritas Mexico and Caritas Latin America Regional Coordinator Fr Antonio Sandoval. Their search for more survivors continues today.
South African Relief Team Leader Ahmed Ham said, "The rescue of Zizi has been the best thing in the team we have experienced. It is the first time we have saved somebody´s life after such a long time after the quake. The team has got an energy boost new and we are heading out to do more work as there is still hope."
Caritas carried out a large scale aid distribution yesterday at Petain Ville club in Port-au-Prince. The seven trucks brought 1000 family food kits in large buckets, packages of water, plastic sheets and non-food items.
Rose St-Preux, 32 years old, was one of the people to receive Caritas aid. She is homeless along with her family after the quake destroyed her house. “It’s very hard”, she says, "We have nothing. We live on what a small shop owner could save from his destroyed shop. This Caritas distribution is the first aid we get".
A shocking wake-up Second earthquake hits Haiti January 20, 2010
This morning, we were abruptly awoken by tremors that shook our tents from left to right. We heard that it was an aftershock that measured 6 on the Richter scale. Sometimes, there are advantages to sleeping in a flimsy shelter like a tent! As soon as it happened, everyone immediately ran out of their tents and rooms. Even so many minutes later, our hearts are still beating in our throats. Our hands are shaking, but everyone is fine.
The fear was palpable in the Haitians amongst us, those who lived through the first earthquake and its awful consequences. The sensation of feeling the earth tremble beneath your feet - it is absolutely overwhelming. Where do you take refuge?
Yesterday, I accompanied the water and sanitation team in the field. It was terrible to see the state of Port-au-Prince. All these neighbourhoods I had once known and that now look as if they have been flipped upside down. It gives me so much sadness. Canapé Vert, Bourdon, the large avenues and the beautiful residences and the maisonnettes – they are all demolished. Everything is broken and it smells of death.
André joined the team that is installing distribution centres across the city to give out clean water. Today, they will go check on the status of a soft reservoir that is filled with 15,000 litres of water. It was installed yesterday at nightfall. They will also check that DINEPA, the national water management department, comes by with its trucks to fill the reservoirs. They will be used to supply several of the makeshift sites that have cropped up around the city for all those left homeless. The team will also try to plan how best to supply water to the Pétionville Golf Club, where it is estimated that 25,000 people have installed themselves.
As for me, I am part of the coordinating team. I will be participating in the strategic coordination meeting this morning along with my colleagues from Caritas Haiti and CRS. After the meeting, I will go out with the distribution team to one of the sites where we will try a distribution approach that uses the participation of the recipients.
There is a buzz of activity and despite this massive aftershock it is back to work.
Caritas aid is arriving in Port-au-Prince, while rescue attempts still continue for those caught in the rumble after a devastating earthquake in Haiti.
Caritas rescuers pulled three people out of a collapsed building alive as late as Saturday, five days after the earthquake.
In a massive swell of solidarity, Caritas organisations have sent 200,000 blankets, 15,000 tents, water cans and purification tablets, as well as food water and hygiene kits. Twenty trucks of aid arrived in Port-au-Prince on Sunday.
Caritas has set up two mobile operating theatres with pre- and post operative care and provided medicines and fuel. Six mobile clinics are also planned.
A Dutch plane will contain a surgeon, six technical staff for installing water purifying installations and seven water purifying installations.
Thirty-four tonnes of aid will be flown into Haiti from Germany on Tuesday. Half will given out in Port-au-Prince and the other half will be distributed in Jacmel, in the south of the country. A ship with 80 containers of food has also arrived.
"The real strength of Caritas is its network of parishes that gives us direct contact with communities and a point from which we can provide help," said Alistair Dutton, Humanitarian Director for Caritas Internationalis, who is leading the international coordination of the Caritas aid agencies response from Port-au-Prince.
Distribution of aid remains a challenge. Caritas has undertaken small-scale distributions of food, water and hygiene kits. Aid agencies fear a breakdown in public order in larger distributions as many people have had limited food and water since the earthquake.
Last Tuesday’s disaster has left up to three million people in need of help. The 7.0 magnitude earthquake flattened tens of thousands of houses in Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas and caused massive damage to infrastructure.
Aid deliveries were initially hampered when the airport was closed in the aftermath and the port was too damaged to function. Roads are blocked by rubble and earthquake damage to infrastructure means that aid delivery has been slow.
D&P team arrives in Dominican Republic January 18, 2010
We arrived in Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) yesterday afternoon. Tired, but happy to be well received, and everything seems to be in place for things to advance quickly. We went directly to the offices of our Dominican Republic partners, Caritas Dominican and CRS (the US - Catholic Relief Services), who are working together to respond to the emergency. Their offices and warehouses were abuzz with activity, as they were busily preparing yet another shipment of humanitarian aid to Caritas Haiti.
At this stage, colleagues at Caritas Dominican and CRS in the Dominican Republic are working night and day. What is more, all of Santo Domingo seems shocked and appalled at the devastation that has hit their neighbours.
Caritas and CRS have been able to mobilize hundreds of volunteers to package provisions, dry goods, bottled water, and soap to be sent to Port au Prince, with everything packaged in buckets that can later be used to carry water.
As of yesterday evening, our partners had seen to the transport of eight 20-ton truckloads of materials and hope to Haiti. And still others are on the way! Caritas and CRS are doing everything they can to speed up the pace and are preparing to remain mobilized over the many months that this operation is likely to take. They already look exhausted but are not about to give up!
We expect to pitch tents in our Haitian counterparts' yards and to join the many others from around the world, who like us, have come to Port-au-Prince to lend assistance. We took advantage of our stopover in this city of relative abundance to buy a large supply of food, including dry rations appropriate to the situation, so we can contribute our share of the supplies for the team. We will be bringing kilos of rice and beans, peanuts, oil, coffee, tinned tuna and tomatoes, and gallons and gallons of water. We also brought along some pots and an opener just in case.
In waiting to move on, we have been privileged to witness the real "war effort" that Caritas Dominican and CRS have mounted and to lend whatever support we can. We are humbled by their well-organized and efficient operation. We are also using the opportunity to eat well and to resolve small technical issues that might arise on-ground before making our leap into the abyss. Teams returning from Haiti appear haggard and exhausted. Still, I feel relatively confident. I know that Andre and I are not going in haphazardly. We will find our place in a well-oiled operation. We are eager to get going.
We will do our best to help find those that are missing with whatever means available to us.
I believe that our charity and the way in which we live this crisis will help increase our humanity. It will help us be more generous, open and available to each other, because the symbolic ways of living together has been destroyed. All of the symbols that join us together: the cathedral, the president’s palace, ministries, the schools, religious communities and many more places are in ruins.
There was shooting in the street last night, but that didn’t stop people singing. Every night around 11.30 people who are sleeping in the street start to sing and pray. It’s one of the few signs of hope amid the shock and devastation.
When we flew over Port-au-Prince yesterday I can remember looking down at the houses and thinking “There’s not that much damage!” But today we drive through the city. In some areas house after house is completely flattened. We see a school that has collapsed. There are bodies still in the courtyard and most likely many more still under the rubble. In Haiti, schools have a morning shift and an afternoon shift. The earthquake happened at 4.53pm so half of the children in many schools were probably in their classrooms.
Haiti: The aid distribution challenge January 16, 2010
How hard can it be to get food, water and medicines to three million people? When you’re talking such a large number of people who have been without food and water for days, the answer is “very hard”.
Today we follow a Caritas convoy from the border of the Dominican Republic. There are five trucks containing water, ready-to-eat food and hygiene kits. The journey goes smoothly and we unload quickly into the Caritas warehouse in a suburb.
Development and Peace staff on their way to Haiti January 16, 2010
Development and Peace emergency staff members Danielle Leblanc and André Charlebois left early Saturday morning for Haiti to join the Caritas mission that is already underway there. They had a long journey ahead of them as they would be flying into Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic and then travelling over land to Port-au-Prince.
Both Danielle and André have extensive experience in emergency relief and they will be a valuable addition to the Caritas team that is working around the clock to get aid to people.
Before leaving they spoke briefly about their mission and their concern for our partners in Haiti, who are mourning the loss of loved ones, still searching for missing family members and friends, and struggling to stay strong amidst the rubble and collapsed infrastructure surrounding them.
It has been reported by Caritas colleagues on the ground that many thousands of people may have died and over three million are in desperate need.
Fortunately, Caritas Haiti and CRS were able to respond quickly to the earthquake thanks to supplies, such as water, that it had stocked in its warehouse. The team is now focusing on receiving shipments of food, oil, water purification tablets, hygiene kits and other essentials, and setting up distribution points.
The 200 Caritas clinics are also being used to provide healthcare to the wounded.
This is just the first step in what will be a long road ahead.
"Rebuilding Port-au-Prince will be a mammoth task. The international community will have to work together on a plan that saves this country from its misery," said Fr. Antonio Sandoval, Caritas Latin America and Caribbean Regional Coordinator, from Port-au-Prince.
Development and Peace is committed to being part of that process.
Edwige and Enerson's father died in the quake. Thanks to Caritas they've found shelter with their mother. Credit Hough/caritas 2010
Message from the executive director concerning the Haiti emergency January 15, 2010
Dear friends and colleagues,
One is inevitably at a loss for words to speak of a tragedy of such scale as the humanitarian crisis that has just afflicted our brothers and sisters in Haiti.
Many of us have close ties with the country, and are anxiously awaiting news from people we care about. At the same time, the media images being thrown at us of suffering, hunger, sadness and despair, and the fear and insecurity of the uncertain future, can make us feel anxious and powerless.
And yet, we are the fortunate ones
because we, at Development and Peace, know that we can help.
We have witnessed, over the past few days, an outpouring of support from our faithful members, donors and friends in our network within the Catholic Church in Canada, encouraging us to fulfill our mission of mercy and compassion, backing us in our initiative to quickly and efficiently provide emergency humanitarian aid to the victims of the earthquake.
It is truly inspiring to witness spontaneous acts of generosity springing up across the country in the rapidly growing list of dioceses and parishes organizing to collect funds in support of our mission and our partners’ work.
In this dark hour of tragedy, when the people of Haiti may feel most alone, wounded and abandoned, our thoughts, our prayers, and our voice of solidarity are being heard and felt both here and in Haiti. We all need to recognize the power and importance of these thoughts and prayers, in equal importance with the donations being received. Our prayers go out, not only for the victims and survivors, but also for the courageous selfless people who are working day and night to help them. They, too, need our support.
It is the eve of the departure for Haiti of our own two Development and Peace staff members, who must prepare for what they will see and feel. They will join in the important task of laying the foundation for our work in assisting to rebuild lives, livelihoods and communities in the stricken country. We assure them that our thoughts and prayers are their constant companions during their difficult and challenging journey.
Their mission is one of bringing our solidarity and compassion to our partners as we begin to work together in the long and arduous task of reconstruction. Here in Canada we have the responsibility to continue offering Canadians with the opportunity to transform their generosity into concrete action in a spirit of faith and hope in our common humanity.
Caritas Haiti staff have been visiting some of the worst affected people following the deadly earthquake near the capital Port-au-Prince to deliver aid.
They’re handing out tents and blankets, as well as providing first aid and care to people that are in desperate need of help.
Haiti is a difficult place to work, but Caritas has the community networks which will help it find and help those in the direst need. It also has the experience and infrastruture in Haiti to get aid in quickly.
The scene is one of utter devastation.
"Many people have been killed in Port-au-Prince," said Caritas Haiti Head of Emergencies Joseph Jonidès Villarson.
"Their bodies are everywhere on the streets of the capital. People are still under the debris. The hospitals are overwhelmed with the dead and injured. The risk of disease is great. The streets and public places are filled with people who do not know where to go."
Development and Peace launches emergency appeal for earthquake victims in Haiti January 13, 2010
Development and Peace is launching an emergency appeal to support humanitarian aid relief in Haiti in the wake of a devastating earthquake that is estimated to have affected millions of people in the country.
"People have been screaming and praying all over the place throughout the night. It is a disaster of the century, we should be prepared for thousands and thousands of dead and injured", said Karel Zelenka of CRS'(Caritas member in the US) Haiti country representative.
Development and Peace has already responded with an initial pledge of $50,000 to go towards emergency relief efforts organized by Caritas Haiti, which runs 200 medical clinics in the country.
"Caritas Haiti can count on our support to help them provide first aid supplies, food, shelter and other basic necessities. Our thoughts are with the people of Haiti in this time of crisis and we are anxiously awaiting news from our partners there. We are concerned for their safety and well-being," said Michael Casey, Executive Director of Development and Peace.
Development and Peace is the official international development organization
of the Catholic Church in Canada and
the Canadian
member of Caritas Internationalis.
10 St. Mary Street, Suite 420, Toronto, Ontario CANADA M4Y 1P9
I found my old friend Frantz yesterday. I had come to believe he was buried under the rubble after all this time. Not long after arriving in Port-au-Prince, I crossed his neighbourhood, Canapé Vert. It was in ashes. Frantz is alive, but I can’t stop crying. For so many days I worried for him, and was overcome by the feeling of powerlessness that surfaced. My friend, like the other hundreds of thousands like him, is waiting for help. But we are not enough for the task, and they are completely destitute.
It was an early-morning start today with a departure for Gressier at 6 a.m., which is about 30 km west of Port-au-Prince. It is there that one of our partners ITECA has its training centre.
I was visiting parts of my diocese the day before the earthquake. To get to one place I had to cross a lot of rivers. As we crossed one the water was “bubbling” and there were waves. We decided to stay that night at the diocesan training centre in Matean which is near the sea. But during the night waves started to hit the building and I thought “this is a tsunami!” 
Search and Rescue teams working with Caritas rescued a woman Tuesday, a week after the earthquake in Haiti.
This morning, we were abruptly awoken by tremors that shook our tents from left to right. We heard that it was an aftershock that measured 6 on the Richter scale. Sometimes, there are advantages to sleeping in a flimsy shelter like a tent! As soon as it happened, everyone immediately ran out of their tents and rooms. Even so many minutes later, our hearts are still beating in our throats. Our hands are shaking, but everyone is fine.
One is inevitably at a loss for words to speak of a tragedy of such scale as the humanitarian crisis that has just afflicted our brothers and sisters in Haiti. 
