Posts Tagged ‘Hunger’
Photojournalist David Snyder is reporting from Haiti for CRS. In his first post from Gonaives, he notes the sheer devastation brought by recent storms and the help that’s finding it’s way to the people who need it most.
Gonaives, Haiti: I was traveling with CRS in Asia through early September and saw the news headlines on September 8 about Hurricane Ike, and its effect on Haiti. Now, less than three weeks later, I am in Haiti to see CRS efforts in the wake of the storm, which devastated the island nation. Particularly hard hit was the northern city of Gonaives. It is not my first time here. In 2004, Hurricane Jeanne also devastated Gonaives, and I was here with CRS to document that response as well. From what I have seen so far, Ike has been far more devastating. The entire city is covered in deep mud – more than 2.5 million cubic meters of it – dumped into the city by the hillsides that surround it on three sides, all of which have been completely deforested. Everywhere, people are working with simple tools to clean their homes out, filling the already narrow streets with mountains of black mud. One UN staff member estimates that it would take 200 trucks, working seven days a week, a full year to remove all of the mud from the city. And there are nowhere near that many trucks here.
The Cathedral in the port city of Gonaives, Haiti is currently sheltering up to 200 people in its upper level. Mud and waters from hurricane Ike flooded the church, but the upper level managed to stay dry. Photo by Greg Elder/CRS
I went out today to see a CRS food distribution at the Missionaries of Charity compound. CRS has been working through the sisters there, as well as through partner Caritas Haiti, to distribute family ration kits of staples like rice, beans, sugar, dried fish, and bottled water. Today’s distribution reached 500 families – about 2,500 people – part of the 1,500 such kits CRS has delivered so far. Over the years I have seen many such distributions, and I am always amazed by how much organization goes into each one. Beneficiaries are always pre-registered, selected through assessments to affected communities. Once registered, a family member – usually a woman – is given a paper coupon and told to arrive at the distribution site on a given day. When she arrives – like today, for example, at the Missionaries of Charity compound – she is let in with a small group. Their names are called in turn, and each beneficiary turns in a coupon before receiving rations, sometimes moving from station to station to receive different elements of the overall kit. As one group receives their ration, another is let into the compound, and the process repeats itself – for seven hours, today. It sounds simple. But in the midst of the anxiety, frustration, and anger that often follow disasters, such organization is essential not only to make sure those most in need are reached quickly and effectively, but also for security. Everyone must see that the process is fair and equal, that no one who is not registered is receiving food, and that those who are receiving food are in fact the most needy members of the community. It is delicate and tiring work, particularly in the heat and devastation of Haiti today.
I will head out this week to see other CRS projects. Emergencies like this have their own sort of energy, and things often take shape very quickly as needs arise or priorities shift. Right now, those priorities are food and water. CRS also plans some cash-for-work projects next week, helping locals earn money they can use to buy what they need, and bring some semblance of normality back to their lives after the trauma of the past few weeks.
Posted
September 29th, 2008 in
Emergency Response, Hunger, Hurricane by:
John Lindner |
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October’s CRS Briefing’s theme is Harvest of Hope.
CRS President Ken Hackett’s letter outlines the current global food crisis. In feature stories from Burkina Faso, Haiti and Ethiopia, you’ll meet people who daily feel the pain of rising food prices.
Are rising food prices causing you to change the way you eat? Crimping your budget for other things?
We’d like to know how food costs have affected you, if at all. Don’t hesitate to add your thoughts about the Briefing stories.
The question: How have increased food prices affected you?
Posted
September 29th, 2008 in
Briefing, global food crisis, Hunger by:
John Lindner |
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Here’s the latest update from CRS’ program manager for Haiti, Greg Elder. He’s working with emergency responders and helping to keep us informed on conditions following massive storm damage.
Gonaivies, Haiti: There’s more rain on the horizon, but for us it’s still work as usual. People are used to storms coming and going during hurricane season. The U.S. embassy has sent out warnings about flash flooding, but you don’t hear a lot of people talking about it. It’s not something being broadcast on the news. Rather than worrying about future disasters, everyone is more focused on our current efforts in the aftermath of Gustav and Hanna.
A woman surveys some of the destruction in the Cathedral in the port city of Gonaives, Haiti. The Cathedral is currently sheltering up to 200 people in its upper level. Photo by Greg Elder/CRS
CRS has a contingency plan in place in case the rain exacerbates the situation. We work in tandem with the civil protection communities started by the Haitian government to help mitigate disasters. They are trained to inform people about when the storms are coming, where to find shelter, and are stocked with prepositioned supplies.
We’re moving ahead full steam. There’s really no time to waste when responding to these last few storms. There are still areas with standing water. There’s a sense of nervousness, because certain Haitian communities can’t afford any more flooding. No one is sure how much rain these storms will drop. If it’s a big downpour it could affect (relief) access, especially to Gonaives. We’ve just finished a temporary bridge, which has allowed us to travel there by land. Rains would be a huge setback and force us to return sending supplies via helicopter.
There are still some areas of Haiti that remain inaccessible, especially in the tip of the southern peninsula. Roads have been washed out, destroyed along the coast in numerous places. Dozens of towns, coastal ones, but also others in the rainforest or perched in the mountainous terrain are extremely hard to get to. Makeshift roads have cropped up and people are making do by living off the land, their remaining crops and fruit trees. There is small-scale commerce taking place, by street vendors coming and going from town-to-town on foot. Inaccessibility is not a death sentence, but it does mean the people in those regions have to suffer longer.
Catholic Relief Services workers pick up supplies to be distributed in the port city of Gonaives, Haiti. Aid workers ship food and supplies by boat and air when roads are inaccessible. Photo by Greg Elder/CRS
Today CRS is traveling by helicopter with the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) and U.S. military personnel to survey the damage and help with response in hard to reach areas. Helicopters are flying in to the central part of the country as we try and determine Haiti’s greatest needs.
The most important aspect of our work is getting food and water to hungry and thirsty people. Saving lives, helping people day-by-day until they get back on their feet, that’s our priority. We’ve started our cash-for-work program and have undertaken the task of clearing away debris and helping to reopen roads. Slowly, if the rains subside, we’ll be able to get Haiti back on its feet.
Posted
September 25th, 2008 in
Emergency Response, Hunger, Hurricane by:
John Lindner |
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Catholic News Service reports that Pope Benedict XVI urged world leaders to tackle poverty with courage, even in the face of the current global financial crisis.
“On the occasion of this important meeting … I want to renew my invitation to adopt and implement with courage the measures needed to eradicate extreme poverty, hunger, ignorance and the scourge of pandemics, which strike above all the most vulnerable,” he said.
The news service reports that the pope said he recognized that honoring commitments to development aid will require “sacrifice at this difficult economic moment in the world.”
Posted
September 22nd, 2008 in
Aid, Global Financial Crisis, Hunger, Peace, Poverty, Relief by:
John Lindner |
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CRS writer Kai T. Hill is in Miami reporting on local efforts to help Haiti and Cuba following a series of storms that battered the island nations.
My visit to relief and collection efforts in Miami began on Sunday at Saint James parish in North Miami.
Before leaving CRS headquarters in Baltimore I learned that Monsignor Jean Pierre, pastor of this prominent, largely Haitian parish, was in Haiti and would be getting back on Sunday. While in Haiti, he met with CRS country representative for Haiti, Bill Canny, and was able to tour some of the affected cities such as Jacmel and Cabaret. In addition to providing food, water and survival supplies to families in the hardest hit areas, CRS has obtained a warehouse in Port-Au-Prince to help Haiti’s bishops store incoming donated goods.
Catholic Relief Services workers pick up supplies to be distributed in the port city of Gonaives, Haiti. Aid workers are shipping food and supplies by boat and air, as the roads leading up to the city remain inaccesible. Photo by Greg Elder/CRS
“A lot of people are still living in mud, scared to go into their homes, some are still living on their rooftops, We have to keep being in solidarity with them,” says Msgr. Pierre above the bustling sound of volunteers packing donated goods that range from clothes to baby strollers and cans of beans and rice to cases of bottled water stacked several feet high.
Thus far the parish has sent about four or five 40,000 pound shipping containers to the Port of Miami to be shipped to Haiti. It’s one thing to see the fallout of disaster on television but last week Msgr. Pierre had a chance to see Haiti’s devastation first hand.
In the community of Caberet, Haiti he says “People are still in shock. It was a heartbreaking lesson to hear their stories as they have lost a child, they have lost a parent because they could not swim. But the storms happened at night so most of the people were sleeping. Most of the people who have died were children because they could not run, they could not hide.”
I’d never met Msgr. Pierre in person and figured that I would have to dodge between parishioners after Mass to introduce myself and borrow a few minutes of his time. When I pulled up in the church’s side lot a man wearing casual clothing greeted me. I told him that I was looking for Monsignor Jean Pierre. He smiled whimsically and told me that I was looking at him. He was not how I had pictured a monsignor. It was just in May that I sought his guidance for a CRS web article on the Archdiocese of Miami’s efforts to raise money for CRS and send goods to Haiti. Although his parish is one of the most prominent in South Florida’s Haitian community, he also encouraged me to visit Notre Dame D’ Haiti a ways south.
Today, the floods from three successive hurricanes have become the latest affliction to Haiti. Msgr. Pierre was eager to talk about his recent trip, South Florida’s collection efforts and how CRS is helping hurricane-affected families recover.
One of the most important things families things need now are building materials.”I’ve seen so many families homes there, I think that’s an urgent need. I would encourage people to donate so that we can get people back on their feet.”
Posted
September 22nd, 2008 in
Emergency Response, flood, Hunger, Hurricane by:
John Lindner |
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CRS’ program manager for Haiti, Greg Elder, is reporting from Gonaives.
The Haitian city of Gonaives is still only reachable by air and water. I sailed along the coastline with five other CRS staffers in an old fishing boat navigated by diving instructor well known in Port-au-Prince. Its insides had been stripped and there was plenty of room for supplies and the food provisions we carried in our bags to last us the 5-10 days we’d be in the field. It was a two-hour boat ride through debris littered water -empty bottles, trash, and pieces of wood stirred up by the hurricanes.
The Cathedral in the port city of Gonaives, Haiti, is currently sheltering up to 200 people in its upper level. Mud and waters from hurricane Ike flooded the church, but the upper level managed to stay dry. Photo by Greg Elder/CRS
The port of Gonaives was teeming with activity. There was a U.S. freighter with three landing crafts, those had been released and were taking supplies in to the city. Six helicopters flew overhead, carrying more supplies -including ours- from Port-au-Prince to Gonaives.
My first impression as I surveyed the city was of the very tall mountains devoid of any trees or grass. There was no foliage in sight: only rock and dirt. It was so barren, and it was very hot because there is hardly any shade. Mud caked buildings lined the Gonaives streets. People were scooping out bucketfuls of water or shoveling through the 3-4 feet of mud that Ike and Hanna had dumped into their homes. Overturned vehicles were everywhere, also cars and trucks that had either gotten stuck in the mud or had tried to cross while the water was rising.
The need is tremendous. As we drove through the streets people would see the CRS logo and run up to our truck with outstretched hands pleading for help. Every food distribution done by the World Food Program (WFP), for example, is guarded by U.N. troops. If a truck pulls up with food, people will chase it. They’ll follow it. One night, out of safety concerns, we left our truck parked by the police station. The next morning we had to walk through a wave of people. At least a 1,000 had gathered thinking there was going to be a food distribution. We had to maneuver our way out from the crowd with the help of the police.
Posted
September 22nd, 2008 in
Emergency Response, Hunger, Hurricane by:
John Lindner |
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CRS writer Kai T. Hill is in Miami reporting on local efforts to help Haiti and Cuba following a series of storms that battered the island nations.
For weeks I sat behind my desk at Catholic Relief Services in Baltimore processing details from storm-torn Haiti and Cuba. During emergencies we rely on updates and photos from the field to provide our Web readers and donors with “on the ground” accounts as quickly as possible.
Catholic Relief Services workers pick up supplies to be distributed in the port city of Gonaives, Haiti. Aid workers are shipping food and supplies by boat and air, as the roads leading up to the city remain inaccesible. Photo by Greg Elder/CRS
Yet, to my surprise the situation reports not only included details of the destruction and loss inside Haiti, but also the remarkable Church response by parishes and communities throughout the United States. From small towns like Gary, Indiana, to New York, New Jersey and South Florida, parishes are collecting money, residents are filling church halls with clothes, canned goods, food and other items. Volunteers are working around the clock to fill shipping containers headed for the ports.
As the associate web producer for CRS my current assignment is to tell the stories of lay Catholics and Church leaders who are donating money, goods and time for both islands. No better place to start is Miami, Florida—the closest point to Haiti and Cuba geographically and in heart and spirit.
CRS has shared a long relationship with the Archdiocese of Miami, where Archbishop Favalora recently sent a strong message for Catholics to live their faith through outreach for the suffering in Haiti and Cuba.
In the days leading up to my trip I made sure that I had enough notebooks to fill with quotes from people like Sister Hilda, a petite elderly nun, who is directing the Daughters of Charity’s collection efforts for Cuba in west Miami. In addition to helping the Daughters ship emergency items to Cuba, we recently learned that we have helped them obtain a warehouse to store the great volume of donated goods coming in each day.
CRS is grateful to its donors who make these efforts possible by contributing to our Latin America Severe Weather Fund. On the islands themselves we’ve been able to provide food and survival essentials for thousands of families in some of the hardest hit areas.
CRS’s relationship with the Daugthers goes back more than 10 years. For Haiti I plan to visit two key parishes, Notre Dame D’ Haiti located in the heart of Miami’s Little Haiti neighborhood and Saint James parish in North Miami. It was only four months ago that I arrived at Notre Dame’s white gates to talk about the food crisis. Today, it’s the floods.
- Kai T. Hill
Posted
September 22nd, 2008 in
Emergency Response, flood, Hunger, Hurricane by:
Catholic Relief Services |
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Dear Friend,
The global food crisis has brought an end to what The Economist magazine has called “the era of cheap food.” This refers to the two decades before 2005 when food prices fell by three-quarters in real terms on world markets.
Food was so inexpensive that many developing countries found it was more cost effective to import food than to produce it themselves. In many African countries, for example, imported rice from Asia was so cheap that local farmers couldn’t compete, and so production flagged. But with many Asian nations limiting exports as a result of the food crisis, cheap imported rice is a thing of the past for African families—perhaps forever.
This is certainly the case in Burkina Faso. Rice there is the fourth most important food crop, after millet, sorghum and maize. For years, the west African country imported more than 70 percent of its rice from abroad, with local production covering the rest. But this has all changed after the price of rice rose by at least 60 percent in the first half of this year. Although this is a disaster for urban consumers, small-scale rice farmers can find in it an opportunity to increase their production, which will benefit them and their fellow Burkinabe.
Catholic Relief Services is carrying out a broad-based response to the global food crisis caused by skyrocketing prices for both food and fuel. A key part of our strategy is helping small-scale farmers to boost local crop production, increasing their incomes and putting more food on the market, which should lower prices for all.
An important component of this response is the CRS Rice Initiative, which seeks to increase the productivity of rice farm families in Africa. Sixteen CRS country programs across Africa have committed to participating in the Rice Initiative, which will provide small-scale rice farmers, most of whom are women, with access to improved seed varieties and high-quality nitrogen fertilizer that will quickly produce higher yields. We will also provide support to farmers in preventing post-harvest loss and in marketing their crops.
CRS has already begun “quick start” activities in four countries—Burkina Faso, Gambia, Ghana and Madagascar—using our private funds to support farmers so they can take advantage of the upcoming planting season.
CRS has also been invited to participate in a $5.1-million, two-year proposal by the West Africa Rice Development Association (WARDA, also known as the Africa Rice Center) to boost productivity in Nigeria, Senegal, Mali and Ghana.
It is our hope that we can build on our quick start in west Africa, and expand this Rice Initiative to east and southern Africa, as well as to Asian countries including the Philippines and India. In addition to WARDA, CRS intends to partner with the Philippines-based International Rice Research Institute, which brought the Green Revolution to Asia.
The Rice Initiative is an example of CRS’ ability to leverage our expertise acquired over long years of experience to launch bold new programs. Our work in seed fairs and vouchers will help us effectively distribute seed and fertilizer to the farmers most in need. Our ability to provide follow-up technical assistance, including agro-enterprise initiatives linking African farmers to profitable markets, will help them to help their neighbors by producing a more bountiful harvest.
Thank you for your continued support and for your prayers for all the suffering who are going hungry as a result of this global food crisis.
Ken Hackett
President
Posted
September 22nd, 2008 in
Agriculture, Farming, global food crisis, Hunger by:
John Lindner |
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More grim news on Haiti with this Jacksonville.com story by the AP’s Travis Reed.
From the story: “After this storm, there’s nothing,” said Gonaives’ assistant mayor Jean Francois Adolphe, who joined more than 100 Haitian leaders in Miami to solicit help and learn how the country could help itself. “Everything is under dirt. The person that had stores, the people that did commerce, they all have to start at zero now, and they’re in great despair. They’ve almost given up hope.”
The BBC quotes U.N. special envoy to Haiti Hedi Annabi: “There is not a single house that has not been destroyed or damaged, that is not full of two or three feet of mud.”
Posted
September 19th, 2008 in
Emergency Response, Hunger, News by:
Catholic Relief Services |
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