Haiti
As advocates and activists, a lot of our support comes from actions that we take in front of our computers. Once we type in our names for a petition or click on a link, the issue is gone — unless we take the steps to stay connected, of course.
Screenshot of the site — pretty cool, right?
That’s why we’re really excited about Water.org’s latest project, my.Water.org. It’s an interactive online resource that allows people to see firsthand how water projects unfold in the real world, particularly in Haiti. You can choose a community and get weekly field reports — in the form of photos, videos and updates — from local certified partners as they deliver water solutions to the villagers.
In the Haitian village of Logalit, for example, you can find out how many households there are (60), how many of those households have latrines (46) and how many minutes it takes them to get to the nearest water source (up to 30!). You can even take a look at a photo of a villager grinding millet that reporter Kiki took just a couple of days ago.
If you have a moment, sign up for my.Water.org and play around on the website. It’s easy to use and you can even use your Facebook account to log in. And let us know what you think of the site in the comments below.
The latest situation briefs from the Pan American Health Organization are grim with reports that the cholera outbreak in Haiti continues to worsen, 18,382 people have been hospitalized and 1,110 have died. As many feared, the outbreak has spread to additional regions in Haiti, including the capital Port-au-Prince where many earthquake survivors remain particularly vulnerable to infection due to crowded living conditions, poor sanitation and lack of access to potable water. The outbreak has also spread to the Dominican Republic.
The Government of Haiti has established an emergency response center at the National Palace with representation from UN agencies and bilateral organizations. The Haitian government, humanitarian community and aid agencies have responded quickly, over thirty cholera treatment centers are operational nationwide. Officials warn that the outbreak will continue to spread and the infection and death toll will continue to rise dramatically. In the last week, there have been reports of civil unrest and anti-UN demonstrations across Haiti. The UN has responded that the demonstrations are politically motivated as Haiti faces elections on November 28. Civil unrest has hampered the latest cholera response efforts by restricting the distribution of necessary health supplies and delaying healthcare worker training and health promotion campaigns.
Screenshot courtesy of GOOD magazine
I know that infographics are all the rage these days (I just posted a piece on “The true true size of Africa” yesterday, remember?), but I couldn’t help but share another awesome graphic, “Pakistan vs. Haiti: Which got more money?” from GOOD magazine. The beautifully designed chart compares donations from countries and organizations around the world after both natural disasters, and the results aren’t pretty.
According to GOOD, Haiti got twice the amount of aid than Pakistan did, about $3.3 billion versus $1.5 billion. It’s also surprising to see that the average American donated almost triple the amount to Haiti per person than they did to Pakistan. Eesh!
But then again, Haiti’s earthquake happened in January of this year, while Pakistan’s flood happened eight months later. So, the time frame of this comparison may not be totally accurate. Maybe donors need a bit of time — and some nudging from advocacy groups — to get their act together.
Take a look at the big version of the chart, and be on the lookout for more infographics like this one on GOOD’s website.
Over the past year, Haiti has dealt with a devastating earthquake, an outbreak of cholera — and now the country is grappling with a new challenge: Hurricane Tomas.
The hurricane is forecast to pass between Haiti and Cuba tomorrow, with winds of at least 74 mph, and is expected to dump 5 to 10 inches of rain across the island. Although it is not expected to regain its Category 2 hurricane status from the past weekend, the Haiti government is cautious.
According to the Christian Science Monitor, the hurricane could have a devastating effect on the 1.3 million people living in Haiti’s precarious tent cities. Fearing the spread of cholera and people’s safety, “the Haitian government has told citizens to evacuate their tent shelters and find secure housing.”
Here’s a blog post on the Haiti cholera outbreak from our friend Dr. Joia Mukherjee at Partners In Health (PIH). For the full post, check the PIH blog.
An outbreak of cholera has been documented in the area surrounding the lower Artibonite region of Haiti by the staff of PIH’s sister organization, Zanmi Lasante, which works with the Haitian Ministry of Health and other partners.
Cholera is a disease of poverty—and was one of the earliest documented public health problems. Cholera epidemics are caused by a lack of access to safe, clean water.
While Haiti has not had a documented case of cholera since the 1960s, the conditions in the lower Artibonite placed the region at high-risk for epidemics of cholera and other water-borne diseases even before the earthquake of January 12, 2010. We believe secure and free access to clean water is a basic human right that should be delivered through the public sector and that the international community’s failure to assist the government of Haiti in developing a safe water supply has been violation of this basic right.
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On Friday, I wrote about the deadly cholera outbreak in Haiti and I wanted to update you all with developments from over the weekend. At least 253 people have died, and another 3,015 cases of cholera have been reported in the Lower Artibonite region, about 60 miles north of the capital Port-au-Prince.
The good news is that for now, the outbreak has been contained to the central and rural regions around the Artibonite River and has not reached Port-au-Prince, where crowded and unsanitary conditions in tent camps for earthquake survivors are highly favorable for the spread of cholera.
Additionally, the Haitian government, humanitarian community and aid agencies are all working closely together to continue monitoring the outbreak and provide necessary supplies such as soap, water purification tablets and rehydration salts to prevent new infections and aid the sick.
For those interested in learning more, check out the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) — they frequently post situational updates on their website.
Health officials in Haiti are reporting a severe outbreak of cholera that has killed at least 138 people during the last 48 hours and is the nation’s worst medical emergency since the earthquake in January. Another 1,526 cases have been documented in the Lower Artibonite region north of the capital, Port-au-Prince.
Cholera is a severe and deadly disease that rapidly travels throughout a community when people drink water or eat food contaminated with the bacteria. Cholera causes severe diarrhea and vomiting which can lead to dehydration, shock and consequently death in only a matter of hours. In an outbreak such as this, the main source of contamination is from the feces of an infected person which can spread quickly throughout areas with poor sewage treatment and a lack of clean drinking water. Although the cholera outbreak is not directly linked to the devastation caused by the earthquake in January, it is another reminder of the daily struggle many Haitians face living in one of the poorest and least developed nations in the world.
Cholera has not occurred in Haiti in over 100 years and this recent epidemic raises serious alarm bells in a place where the population and infrastructure is weakened and the health system overburdened. Officials worry that the disease could spread to the camps set up for the earthquake survivors where crowded conditions and lack of adequate sanitation make the camps extremely vulnerable to an outbreak. Humanitarian groups are rushing aid supplies to the outbreak region and in the coming days officials will be continuously monitoring this fast-moving outbreak.
