Childrens Hope India, Inc: EVENTS

Children's Hope India partners with HOPE worldwide

HOPE worldwide

The world has been united in grief and compassionate response to the horrific 7.0

earthquake in Haiti, which has claimed at least one hundred thousand lives, and

devastated millions of people in an already very poor and troubled country.

HOPE worldwide has a history of responding on the ground to disasters, with immediate

relief provided by volunteers and donors, and with long-term rehabilitation in partnership

with other noble organizations, through dedicated staff on the ground. Already we are on

the ground in Haiti, and we are in a position, with the right partners, to help in a

significant way both short-term and long-term. There are huge fuel supply, food

shortage, and security issues. Relief work is difficult but gradually more relief is coming

through. HOPE worldwide is closely coordinating with the Red Cross and other partners

to ensure maximum effectiveness and avoid duplication of efforts. Our overseas team

slept in a car and in tents with our local team while they were there, showing great courage and dedication.

HOPE worldwide’s current work in Haiti

HOPE worldwide has an affiliate in Haiti, as well as working with Haitian Support

and the Les Eglises Internationales de Christ-Haiti, which owns a property (the

building was destroyed by the quake) at 7, Rue Audant, Sofa Green, Port-Au-Prince,

Haiti. Pictured below is food distribution; temporary housing at this site for refugees;

Dr. Mark Ottenweller and two local doctors serving as full-time volunteers; medical

clinic; HOPE worldwide office; and remnants of church building and community

center. The work is modest but genuinely meeting needs in very difficult conditions,

and it will expand significantly in the coming weeks and months.

HOPE worldwide’s team has provided temporary shelter, food, water, and medical

care to over one hundred families (several hundred people) daily since the earthquake

using supplies routed through the Dominican Republic. Logistics are very complex,

since phone lines and public transport are down, there is no electricity, almost all the

buildings have been destroyed, and criminal elements are looting in various places.

Our team is able to communicate using laptops connected to inverter batteries, but

these will run out of power in a few weeks.

Our team noted, “The environment in Port-au-Prince is becoming increasingly chaotic

and difficult. Indeed, decomposing corpses under the rubbles everywhere, dust,

hunger, thirst, and sometimes the aggressiveness of the victims of the earthquake all

are signs that remaining in Port-au-Prince will not be easy. All community health

care experts fear a health crisis in the city more devastating than the earthquake

itself.”

In the short term the team will continue to focus on meeting basic medical and

survival needs (food and water). It will assist families, especially those with children,

in securing temporary shelter (currently many are living on the streets or in tents we

have provided).

In the medium term medical assistance will continue; medical clinics will be opened,

and families will be assisted in finding housing (either locally or by being relocated).

In the long term livelihoods will be crucial, with education, training and jobs creation a priority focus.

www.hopeww.org

Childrens Hope India partners with World Vision

Homes and buildings collapsed, trapping many people inside the rubble. Search and rescue efforts continue, while sights and sounds of grief fill the streets. The estimated death toll ranges from 85,000 to 200,000, with at least 1 million people homeless. Your help is desperately needed as World Vision seeks to support people whose lives have been completely changed.

When the earthquake hit, many homes and buildings were seriously damaged or devastated. Many were built on hillsides or on soil that were unable to withstand the tremors. Within seconds, people found themselves homeless and without any of their possessions. Many displaced families have set up makeshift camps in places like open public areas, on a soccer field, in a car-wrecking lot. They are in desperate need of safe shelter, food, water, and other essentials. Many hospitals and health clinics also were damaged in the quake, and those that weren’t structurally impacted are running low on supplies and personnel. Some patients are beginning to get gangrene because they are not being treated quickly. Others lie on beds outside, because the hospital buildings are unsafe. Thousands of people are fleeing Port-au-Prince and are heading toward the Haiti-Dominican Republic border town of Jimani, overcrowding local hospitals. World Vision’s main office in Port-au-Prince was rendered unusable, but operations continue in a second building. Thankfully, none of World Vision’s sponsorship communities reported casualties or major damages.

World Vision’s response

In anticipation of hurricanes and other disasters, World Vision already had relief supplies in Haiti, enabling us to immediately begin distributing blankets, hygiene kits, cooking sets, water containers, food, tarps, and other necessities. As of January 21, nine World Vision airlifts had arrived in Port-au-Prince, bringing more relief supplies for distribution. To help meet medical needs, World Vision has been distributing supplies such as gloves, bandages, gauze, and antibiotics to hospitals in Haiti, and will continue doing so as long as resources allow. We also are providing triage medical assistance at local clinics. World Vision is helping to coordinate discussions between the Haitian and Dominican health authorities to open a hospital that

will treat quake survivors, while more severe cases will go to Jimani.

In addition to meeting the physical needs of quake survivors, World Vision places the safety and well-being of children as a high priority. Especially during emergencies such as this, children who are alone are incredibly vulnerable to harm, and World Vision seeks to ensure their safety and to provide physical and psychological support. On January 22, World Vision opened two Child-Friendly Spaces in Jimani, giving children a safe and structured place to go. At the children’s centers, trained volunteers are engaging children in activities and games, and providing them with food, pediatric care, and child-focused psychological support. Based on an initial assessment in Port-au-Prince, World Vision has prepared a draft of our plans for the first 90 days and beyond, targeting approximately 125,000 people in Haiti’s Oueste Province and the Dominican Republic’s Independencia Province. We are continuing to assess needs outside of Port-au- Prince, specifically in Jimani and rural areas of Haiti, which have experienced an influx of quake survivors. World Vision’s current plan includes:

Meeting immediate needs by distributing relief supplies such as hygiene kits, blankets, tarps, and more, and eventually supporting survivors with transitional shelter and permanent housing.

Distributing ready-to-eat meals and food rations.

Addressing the lack of clean water and proper hygiene by providing water purification items, collapsible water containers, and hygiene kits, until water storage tanks and water filters can be placed. Our medium- to long-term plans include establishing or rehabilitating water sources and sanitation facilities, and promoting safe health and hygiene.

Caring for children by identifying and registering children separated from their parents, and setting up Child-Friendly Spaces to provide children with safe places to play and receive care. In the long-run, our child education activities will include informal education through Child-Friendly Spaces, temporary schools, establishment or rehabilitation of schools, disaster response preparedness in school curriculum, and more.

Meeting healthcare needs by distributing medicine and medical equipment, establishing mobile clinics, providing resources and support to deliver critical medical treatment at a health center in Jimani, and providing medical treatment at various sites.

Our long-term plans include Rehabilitating or constructing medical facilities, restocking much-needed supplies, providing health and hygiene education, and more.

www.worldvision.org

Within the past days, strong aftershocks have hit Port-au-Prince, where millions were already suffering from the impact of a 7.1-magnitude earthquake on Jan. 12, 2010.