Haiti

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Joshua hasn’t always had this much attention.  He was found after the earthquake hit by some rescue workers who were searching through the rubble for survivors.  Joshua was significantly dehydrated, malnourished and bleeding profusely from deep lacerations to his arm.  In the aftermath of the biggest earthquake to strike Haiti in more than a century, he had been left alone to fend for himself in the dust and rubble. 

Somewhere between eight and ten years old (no one is sure), Joshua is non-verbal and struggles from the debilitating effects of Cerebral Palsy.  He has clearly never received treatment for the disorder, which has especially stunted in his development.  Yet when you look at him, Joshua stares right back into your eyes, offering facial expressions and hand gestures that tell you he understands much more about what is happening than he can convey. 

Some weeks after abandoning him in the quake’s aftermath, Joshua’s mother learned of his new home at CDTI.  She has dropped by a couple times since the quake to try and remove him from the hospital before his wound treatment has been completed.  Joshua’s mother uses him to make a living, dragging him with her on the streets as a token of helplessness to use to beg for money.  To her, she once told the hospital staff, he is nothing more than a dog. 

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US President Barack Obama has warned of a second disaster in Haiti, saying people should be under no illusion that the crisis there is over.

Mr Obama said the situation in Haiti remained “dire” almost two months after the earthquake struck.

He was speaking after talks with Haitian President Rene Preval in Washington.

Mr Obama told Mr Preval that the US would continue to help Haiti in its recovery and reconstruction efforts.

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Update March 10th, 2010 Haiti Relief efforts

by Jonathan White

- Additional humanitarian assistance needed for increasingly strained host families
- Large parts of population leaving Port-au-Prince and putting a huge strain on underequipped communities in both outlying and border areas.
- Shelter and sanitation remains as top issue in all locations. So far emergency shelters have been distributed to 50% of those in need.
- Reported cases of malaria rising steadily in line with season/conditions in the temporary camps.
- Contingency planning committee under the UN for upcoming rainy season began this week.

President Obama, commenting on the precarious situation in Haiti after his meeting with Haitian President Rene Preval said: “The challenge now is to prevent a second disaster, and that is why at this very moment, thousands of Americans, both civilian and military, remain on the scene at the invitation of the Haitian government,”

The latest OCHA situation report from the UN reports that contingency planning has begun for the onset of rainy season and the challenges confronting Haiti going forward.  The early onset of rainy season last week has clearly shown the dangers ahead of large displacement camps, particularly for those located in flood and landslide prone areas. The report states that approximately 160,000 people have relocated to the Artibonite area and are overwhelming an already challenged community with basic services strained and reportedly leading to an increase in prices.  Additionally another 160,000 people have relocated to the border region of Dominican Republic and are in need of services/shelter.

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Dear Friends,

Help us build and man our LA Marathon Cheer Station!

As an Official Charity, Real Medicine is given the opportunity to decorate nearly 1/2 mile of the course in any way we would like. In support of the people in Haiti, we have decided to make our cheer station a statement of hope for Haiti. We are collecting solid color sheets and decorating them with messages of support and healing from the LA Community. Then, on race day we are going to hang them as a kind of tent city as a reminder that that there is still so much to be done for the people of Haiti, and also that there are still so many people here in the community who want to get involved and show their support.

Here is how you can help:

1) Collect and decorate sheets with classmates or friends

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Take a drive around Port-au-Prince…

Immersive Media developed a camera with roughly 15 lenses all shooting at the same time and the technology to allow the viewer to choose the vantage point while wacthing the video play back. Basically, you can “take a look around the frame” in a full 360 degrees. In this video someone stuck the camera to the roof of a car and drove around Port-au-Prince. Take a look… Video

Support RMF Haiti

After Haiti’s quake: children in Pétionville danced at a day care program run by the French Red Cross. More Photos »

By SIMON ROMERO

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“…but long-term care isn’t even on the horizon.” –Associated Press

Maybe, but we just signed on to pay long-term, living wages for local medical staff in Port-au-Prince. There is still a lot to do–people are sleeping under sheets in the rain, there is still no food or clean water–but there are still groups trying …to help Haiti get back home again. Find out more: www.realmedicinefoundation.org

Billions for Haiti, a criticism for every dollar (AP)

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — The world’s bill for the Haitian earthquake is large and growing — now $2.2 billion — and so is the criticism about how the money is being spent.

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Haiti Relief efforts
March 1, 2010
By Jonathan White

➢    Number one issue is provision of adequate shelter/housing.
➢    Food assistance moving into second surge phase with food baskets.
➢    Decongestion of settlement camps and creation of adequate sanitation is top priority.
➢    Rubble/Debris removal begins with over 86,000 Haitian workers hired.

The latest OCHA situation report from the UN reports that while the immediate emergency needs (food, water, health care) in Port-au-Prince are being covered, organizations continue to deal with many requests from outlying areas.

While the Port-au-Prince and directly surrounding area suffered the highest levels of destruction, the other provinces of Haiti have seen an inflow of over 400,000 people from the capital.  This has put a tremendous strain on already struggling communities and the humanitarian assistance provided must be balanced between these two areas.   Updated figures in this report include the latest estimate that 222,517 died and over 1.2 million are in need of shelter.

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Port-au-Prince, Haiti
February 20, 2010
By Kevin Connell


Much-Needed Rehab Equipment Obtained through Portlight.org

We made a great connection tonight with a supplier from Portlight.org working out of Quisqueya University.  The school was shut down after nearly all of its building collapsed in the earthquake, but it is currently being used (along with the other Quisqueya schools) as a staging point for relief operations.
As mentioned in the previous post, our partner, Sacred Heart Hospital, has been inundated with amputees for weeks without the proper human or physical resources to treat them.  In our efforts to get help with supplies, one of our contacts here in Port-au-Prince Tweeted a request for physical therapy equipment (crutches, walkers, etc) on our behalf, setting the process in motion early this afternoon.
Two hours later through the help of Twitter users all around the world, we were sent word of Portlight’s supply of rehab products located less than five minutes from our location at the hospital and ready for distribution.  After a simple phone call, we had setup a time to meet their coordinator, Richard Lumarque, fifteen minutes later for pickup and were on our way.  With a little help from Google Maps, Mel (physical therapist) and I made it to Portlight’s depot at Quisqueya before sundown and were reviewing inventory with Richard for receipt.
Soon we had stuffed my small SUV rental from Avis full with a three-wheel walker, 23 walkers, some crutches, two boxes filled with platform attachments used for complex mobility needs and a load of neck braces.  The equipment was added to the supply room at Sacred Heart, set to be handed out to the 50+ Sacred Heart amputees who have been bed-ridden since January 12th.  Mel estimated the equipment to be worth roughly $5,000—a big score for the community at Sacred Heart, waiting to walk again.. and not bad for two hours of effort.
Many thanks to Richard Lumarque, Portlight.org, and the Twitter community for making it happen.

Mel with our impromptu supplier, Richard from Portlight.org

Mel and I after loading the car full of rehab equipment for her clients at Sacred Heart.

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IPS

FEBRUARY 18, 2010

Haiti’s misery after last month’s earthquake will be compounded by a food catastrophe if the international community continues to ignore the country’s agricultural needs, the United Nations has warned.

Despite pledges covering over 95 percent of the 575-million-dollar target set for the U.N.’s Flash Appeal to rebuild Haiti, where food insecurity was a massive problem even before the earthquake that killed over 200,000 people, there is a big shortfall in the campaign’s agriculture component.

Indeed, only eight percent of the 23 million dollars required for the sector’s immediate needs have been raised, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has said.

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