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El trabajo de Cáritas en Haití
REDACCIÓN CÁCERES - 25-01-10
El pasado 19 de enero Monseñor Pierre Dumas, presidente de Cáritas Haití, en un mensaje remitido desde Puerto Príncipe aseguraba que «la manera de vivir esta crisis nos ayudará a potenciar nuestra humanidad» “Una de las primeras cosas que hice –explica monseñor Dumas al describir los primeros instantes tras el seísmo— fue intentar ponerme en contacto con los miembros de mi personal, para tranquilizarles. Les dije que no tuvieran miedo y que era una oportunidad para expresar la solidaridad y para que las personas se ayudaran unas a otras”. “Creo que nuestra caridad y la manera de vivir esta crisis –afirma el presidente de Cáritas Haitiana— nos ayudará a potenciar nuestra humanidad. Nos ayudará a ser más generosos, abiertos y disponibles unos con otros, porque se han destruido las formas simbólicas de nuestro vivir juntos.
Monseñor Dumas expresa también su convicción de que “se nos ha dado la oportunidad de reconstruir juntos nuestro país de otra manera, con el fin de comprender los lazos que nos unen.”. “De momento, todo gira alrededor de la emergencia, pero llegará el día de la reconstrucción. Y eso no significa reconstruir las cosas como estaban antes, porque tendremos la ocasión de construir un Haití mejor, en el que la persona se anteponga a todo lo demás”, concluye su mensaje.
Despliegue de la red Cáritas en HaitíA fecha de hoy, la red internacional de Cáritas ha desplegado en Haití un total de 24 expertos en emergencias procedentes de diversas Cáritas de todo el mundo, desde México y Sudáfrica, a Estados Unidos, Suiza, Holanda, Francia o Alemania. Cáritas Española también se ha sumado a esta presencia en el terreno, con la llegada a la República Dominicana de Martín Lago, técnico del Área de Cooperación Internacional, con la misión de colaborar con la Cáritas Dominicana en el operativo logístico de respuesta a la emergencia de Haití que se está llevando a cabo desde el país vecino.Hasta el momento, la red Cáritas en Haití continúa ejecutando su plan de distribución de ayuda de emergencia a los damnificados a través de 27 puntos de distribución en Puerto Príncipe y Jacmel. Estas dos ciudades son las que han sufrido el mayor impacto del terremoto. De hecho, según datos remitidos el pasado 18 de enero desde el terreno por los expertos de Cáritas Internationalis, se estima que al menos el 75 por ciento de la capital y de su área metropolitana está gravemente dañado, mientras que la destrucción en Jacmel alcanza un nivel del 60 por ciento.
Asimismo, se constata un importante desplazamiento interno de población desde Puerto Príncipe hacia la zona de Sant Marc, mientras que el flujo de damnificados a través de la frontera con la república Dominicana no supone, por el momento, un movimiento importante.
Masiva respuesta ciudadana de solidaridad a Cáritas Española
Cáritas Española mantiene un contacto permanente y fluido tanto con la Cáritas Haitiana como la red Cáritas Internationalis para coordinar día a día los términos de respuesta a la emergencia. Asimismo, se está registrando una masiva respuesta de solidaridad ciudadana al llamamiento de ayuda a Haití lanzado por Cáritas en las horas inmediatamente posteriores al terremoto. Cuando está punto de cumplirse una semana de la catástrofe, los fondos aportados por los donantes españoles a las víctimas de Haití a través de la Confederación Cáritas Española superan ya los 2 millones de euros.
El Obispo de Barbastro-Monzón y responsable de Cáritas Española de la Conferencia Episcopal Española destaca que “desde el primer momento ofrecimos a nuestros hermanos de Haití nuestro apoyo en todo lo que necesitasen y se hizo un primer envío de 175.000 € con el fin de que se pudiesen poner a disposición los medios más urgentes. Desde ese momento la red Cáritas está llevando a cabo un operativo sin precedentes para afrontar la primera fase de la emergencia. Gracias al esfuerzo logístico del personal de Cáritas, dentro y fuera del país caribeño, ha sido posible trasladar con éxito hasta Puerto Príncipe un convoy de 20 camiones con una cargamento de 200.00 mantas, 15.000 tiendas de campaña y otros lotes de productos de primera necesidad, como agua potable, tabletas purificadoras de agua y kits higiénicos. Este envío se suma al de otros 80 contenedores con alimentos que han llegado a la isla por vía marítima y que se verán completados con otras 34 toneladas de ayuda que llegaron el pasado 18 de enero a Haití.”
Social Media Revolutionises Disaster Response for Haiti
On Tuesday January 12th, a magnitude 7.3 earthquake devastated the Caribbean nation of Haiti. The earthquake has destroyed the nations capital of Port-au-Prince including the Parliament building, the United Nations national headquarters, the hospital, the prison and many homes and businesses. Tens of thousands are dead and millions displaced in an event that United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has described as the worst humanitarian crisis in decades.
Photo by IFRC.
The United Nations, who lost 46 staff members in the earthquake and have hundreds more still missing, are coordinating emergency relief efforts in Haiti. Due to proximity, the United States have been able to offer immediate assistance on the ground in Haiti, having taken charge of the Port-au-Prince airport where a large proportion of foreign aid is currently being received.
Representatives from many non-government organisations are also in the country assisting with distribution of water and food to displaced Haitians and with hospitals overwhelmed, Medecins Sans Frontieres are assisting with medical care in makeshift hospitals run out of tents.
Role of Social Media
The use of social media platforms including Twitter and Facebook in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake has meant that an increasing level of coverage has reached more people in less time than that achieved through traditional media outlets. Social media has proved its value as a tool that can not only be used to communicate information but also to increase awareness and instigate a global call to action.
Photo by treslola.
Less than a week after the catastrophic event, donations of $US22mn had been pledged through the Red Cross text message campaign. Text message campaigns enable individuals to easily and impulsively donate while Twitter allows for promotion of the campaign to spread and reach a large global audience. Spokesperson for the American Red Cross, Gloria Huang, has said “…twitter has played an extremely significant part”.
Social media platforms such as a Twitter have been able to bridge the geographical and even causal distance that individuals may once have felt from such disasters. The response to the social media promoted campaigns for relief for Haiti have proven that solidarity with those in the midst of tragedy can be achieved, all that is needed is a simple method by which to become aware of unfolding devastation and similarly simple way to act on that awareness.
Photo by IFRC.
What You Can Do
There is much to be done in the rebuilding of the nations capital and supporting its displaced population in the interim. Out of this crisis comes the opportunity to not only restore but improve infrastructure in Haiti. A conference, to be held in Montreal on January 25, has been called to discuss the long-term plan for rebuilding Haiti.
While millions of dollars have been donated, continuing support will be needed over the upcoming months and years. You can assist by pledging a donation to any of the following campaigns:
- United Kingdom: Donate 5 pounds by texting 70077 or donate online (via Disasters Emergency Committee)
- United States: Donate $10 by texting “Haiti” to 90999 (via Red Cross)
- Donate 1 Days Wage to Haiti Relief Rebuild Fund.
- Donate to Wyclef Jean’s Yele or donate $5 by texting “YELE” to 501501.
- Donate to Oxfam. Oxfam have around 200 staff in Haiti and are currently distributing water and sanitation supplies.
- Call for Haiti’s foreign debt to be cancelled.
Labels: earthquake, haiti, social media, twitter, united kingdom
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Oxfam launch action calling on IMF to Drop the Haiti’s debt
Help Haiti today and tomorrow: Cancel the debt
Our biggest concern right now is dealing with the immediate aftermathof the humanitarian disaster caused by the devastating earthquake. But in our concern to help those suffering, let’s not forget the long term.
Take the action nowThe world’s attention is focused on Haiti. Leaders are pledging to stand shoulder to shoulder with the people and help them to build a brighter future out of the rubble. The debts that Haiti owes will hamper efforts to rebuild the country and lock them in poverty for years to come.
Leaders are meeting in Montreal on Monday to decide on the amount of aid that they will give. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said that it will work to cancel the debt, and this now needs to happen.
Email the head of the IMF Dominique Strauss-Kahn to demand that when leaders meet on Monday, they cancel Haiti’s debts immediately.
Why is debt cancellation so important?
Haiti still owes hundreds of millions of dollars in debt - a legacy of loans from global financial institutions and donor nations to unelected governments of years past. It is one of the poorest countries in the world and yet the IMF response to the earthquake was to offer a $100 million loan. This loan would increase Haiti’s debt burden at this time of crisis.
Oxfam join, ONE.org, Avaaz, and others to demand that Haiti’s debt be dropped/
Oxfam America Blog » Blog Archive » In Haiti, uneasy sleep amid quake fears
Oxfam’s Coco McCabe is one of several Boston-based colleagues on her way to Haiti to help with the relief effort, where they will join over 200 Oxfam staff already on the ground. Here’s her latest update, dated January 18.
I suspect tonight might be my last night of sleeping soundly. Aftershocks are continuing to rattle the nerves of people in Port-au-Prince.
“Be careful,” said Yves Gattereau, a program director for Oxfam Quebec in the Dominican Republic, as we gathered for a debrief in San Juan. “You won’t sleep a good night of sleep. You’ll hear it coming. You won’t know if it’s the big one.”
Oxfam water distrubution in Haiti, January 18, 2010. Photo: Oxfam
And after the 7.0 temblor turned much of Port-au-Prince to rubble, the big one is on the minds of everyone–including Gattereau’s mother.
After the quake, Gattereau, who had not received word from his parents, went to look for them in their neighborhood near Port-au-Prince and found them sleeping in their car . Though their house and a guest house next door were still standing, neither felt comfortable spending the night inside. They’re not alone.
“Everybody is sleeping outside their house,” he said.
When the quake struck, his parents, who live half the year in Montreal and half the year in Haiti, were just about to leave home to visit a friend. Gattereau’s mother was outside, waiting for her husband.
“She fell down and the ground just opened in friont of her eyes,” he said. The memory of that gaping hole is too strong to bear. Gatterau said his parents have now come to live with him in San Juan while they decide what to do next.
Save lives now by donating to Oxfam’s Haiti Earthquake Response Fund
Learn more about how Oxfam is responding
