The following are stories about CARE's response to the cholera outbreak in Haiti.
By Marie-Eve Bertrand, CARE Canada
November 11, 2010 - Today, I met Rosette
November 11, 2010 - A word from Yveline Telson
November 8, 2010 - A triple dose of disaster
November 11, 2010 - Today, I met Rosette
The sun is shining, dogs are barking, and the wind is blowing. This could be a normal day in Gonaïves. But it’s not. Streets are empty, kids are not in school and mothers are concerned. As I was with a Community Volunteers team, we were training women on how to purify the water they sell with chlorox that CARE is providing them. A woman showed up. Wearing a mask, she was scared to approach me, scared to touch anyone else.
Our team then visited an area called Descoteaux. This part of Gonaïves was flooded by Hurrican Tomas a few days ago… Now mud and garbage are covering streets. We stopped at Rosette Noël’s house situated in a zone where CARE’s volunteers and staff have done Non Food Items distribution. A little girl is looking at us. Suddenly, another one joins her, then a grandma, a dad, two teenagers and a mom. Rosette is the mother of many kids she tells me. Her family includes her sister, her brother, and many siblings. I tried to get an exact figure. I don’t think she knew.
Rosette tells me that when Tomas struck, they did not have enough time to gather their belongings. I could tell this was true by looking at the clothes and miscelleous household items drying on the brick wall between the houses. “There was mud everywhere”, she says. “We sought refuge with our neighbors. In this neighbourhood, we take care of one another. But what concerns me now is that my niece was sick yesterday. And now it is my sister. They are resting in bed, and we give them rehydration salts, and clean them. We do what we hear on the radio messages.”
When I asked her why she was not taking them to the hospital, she turns her head. Rosette is concerned about the fact that the hospitals are already over capacity and that the staff does have the ability to take care of her loved ones. “We know that some people were left on the streets because they were sick. I don’t want that to happen to my family. We can take care of them. I am afraid that they will get more sick in the hospital. Family is everything” Rosette adds. Her youngest looks at me. She is gorgeous and smiling. Her eyes are full of life and joy. I just wish I could do something to help them.. But they know what to do. “CARE helped us a lot after Tomas. They came here to tell us how to protect ourselves before Tomas, and then after how to avoid being sick. We received soap bars and Aquatabs. Now we need to stay healthy.” Rosette explains. As I leave the house, they wave good bye to me. The grandma tells me to take good care and to stay healthy. These people are generous and I am so proud I got to meet them.
November 11, 2010 - A word from Yveline Telson
Yveline walks up to me with a nice smile. She is smiling but I can tell she is reserved. As we walk into the house, I notice that all of their belongings are stored on the table, on the higher cupboards or shelters. “When Tomas approached, CARE staff brought a speakerphone and told us to get prepared. We have stored our things and therefore did not lose too much. The rain and water filled the streets and our house,” Yveline says. She shows me the mark on the wall, indicating the water level. Three feet high… I am surprised that no one drowned in this community.
Yveline is one of the 333 kids that CARE sends to school here in Gonaïves. She has been in the project for six years and is really thankful for the help her family gets from CARE. “My dream is to be a doctor because I want to help my community and other people who are disadvantaged. I know it is a lot of work, but thanks to CARE’s generous donors, I have been able to concentrate on my studies. My family supports me, and I know that one day I will do good work,” Yveline tells me.
I asked her about cholera and the situation in Gonaïves. She tells me about what they have learned so far with the prevention training: "Cholera is an illness that is treatable and preventable. People need to wash their hands, disinfect their house if someone is sick, and give them rehydration salts. It should not kill so many people. The problem is that we have little sanitation infrastructure, and now with Tomas’ flooding it is even worse. And we need to make sure that we should not abandon those who are sick. They need help!" When looking at her, you see that she does care for her neighbors. She is volunteering with CARE, attending meetings and training. She wants to make a difference in her world. She is smart and caring.
Some friends have asked me if Haitians feel like God has abandoned them and I ask her this question.. ‘No! God is here, it is just that we have very poor land management. We cut too many trees with no plans, and did not pay attention to our natural resources. Now, it is our infrastructure that is missing. We do not have enough gutters, and we do not care enough for our environment,’ says Rosetta as she looks at me…
We walked outside of her parent’s house, and jumped on stones to avoid stepping in the mud that covers their yard. And now, she’s off to the streets filled with waste and mud. She is trying to see how she can help spread information on how to prevent cholera. And I wonder how many other young Yvelines did not have the chance to to go to school and won’t be able to live their dreams.
November 8, 2010 - A triple dose of disaster
Saturday was a busy day for CARE's team. Assessment had to happen in order to start distributing help where needed most. I joined our WASH and Shelters team on their field visit to Léogâne. When we arrived in the downtown area, I was shocked by the level and the strength of water in the streets. The Rouyonne River had overflowed. Once again. And it has washed away a substantial part of downtown.
People are walking in the knee-deep water filled with garbage, human waste, bugs, and what else...
Women and men were cleaning their houses or shelters, removing the mud and trying to make it look clean. Truth is, I am concerned that a broomstick is not enough to sanitize a place that was filled with filthy water.
I stopped to visit the family living in CARE's first temporary shelter. I remember meeting her this summer, as she was just about to move in. It would have been great to meet her in a better situation. She lost everything but her family in January. This time, their belongings were pilled up, the mattress was wet, the walls were dirty, and her ti-moun (kid) was hungry. She looked at the sky and said: "This is an act of God, what else can I say? But it's enough. I want fresh food for my kids, I don't want them to be sick. There are very few latrines here. People do their things in bags and throw them in the canal. It was always like that. Now the canal is overflowing."
Yes, it is. And I saw those bags floating around. Filled with human waste. While kids were playing around...
Cholera, of course, is on the mind of everyone, including the CARE staff. Sunday, our CARE team distributed help to 9,500 beneficiaries in Léogâne. We gave them aquatabs, hygiene kits or BP5 (high energy biscuits) based on their needs. The response is done in partnerships with the other NGOs on the ground.
In Bino Lester, a grandma walked up to me. Her crops had flooded. She was frustrated. Enough, she said. This has to stop. Even the strong people of Haiti have their limits.
Yet, amazingly, not everyone we met was in despair. Indy, a young women living with her mom, kept her head up as she cleaned their little brick house. Indy was removing the muddy water from the one room they use as a kitchen, living room, dining room and bedroom. I was amazed: Indy was smiling at me. I asked her if she was upset. She said: "No... What would it change?"
Tomorrow, I head to Gonaïves, where a CARE team will continue distributions and raise awareness of health risks such as cholera. The flooding was quite serious there. I might see another smile like Indy's. But given the triple-dose of disaster in Haiti these days, it would not surprise me if I did not.