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PRESBYTERIAN WORLD SERVICE & DEVELOPMENT
Emergency Relief for Long-term Recovery
36
PRESBYTERIAN
WINTER 2021
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ACT Alliance members in Haiti provided food for survivors following the August 2021 earthquake. PHOTO CREDIT: THOMAS NOREILLE/ACT ALLIANCE
hope. Progress made in response to past disasters has not been lost.
Following Hurricane Matthew in 2016, ACT Alliance members (with support from PWS&D) helped con- struct 100 houses for families who lost their homes in the hurricane and repaired over 1,000 more. Following the August 2021 earthquake, when assessment teams began visiting communities, they found that every one of the houses built and repaired by ACT was still standing and struc- turally sound.
Prospery Raymond, the convener of the ACT Haiti Forum, said, “We are really proud that we did a really good job in this situation. All the houses that we have seen since the earth- quake that we built are still standing.
“Some neighbours went to those houses, and put their children in those houses, because they felt safe in them in the first days after the earthquake,” he continued. “They were confident in those houses. They became points of safety for the com- munity in those first days.”
To continue to build back better, ACT members will use the same mod- el to design and rebuild strong homes in response to the earthquake.
In addition to having engineers design better houses, ACT members also made sure strong foundations
were built, which was unusual in the area at the time. They worked with familiestofindthebestplaceontheir property to build the house and fol- lowed international standards when mixing the cement and sand used to make the materials. All these factors helped to produce houses that re- mained standing after the earthquake.
“As we have a good model already, that means that as soon as we have the resources, we can move forward to rebuild faster—the construction will be better,” said Prospery.
In addition to aiding with shelter construction and rehabilitation in response to the August earthquake, PWS&D is also supporting ACT Al- liance members in a variety of other ways, including essential food and non-food items, unconditional cash transfers for the purchase of essen- tial items and agricultural support to farmers.
Community leaders and local vol- unteers will also learn about commu- nity-based humanitarian action when confronted by a crisis. This capacity building will ensure that when future disasters happen, communities will know how to plan and implement a response.
But PWS&D doesn’t only respond to humanitarian needs in Haiti. To help address issues of environmental inse-
Houses constructed with support from PWS&D after Hurricane Matthew in 2016 survived the recent earthquake in Haiti. PHOTO CREDIT: ACT ALLIANCE HAITI FORUM
curity, we work with local partners to support farmers as they learn how to navigate a changing climate. Farmers receive training in soil conservation, soil fer tility management and produc- tion diversity, which helps increase yields and builds disaster resilience.
While challenges persist in Haiti, we also know that progress is being made. Families who had new, strong- er houses were able to weather the earthquake in safety, offering secure places for others to shelter as well. Malnourished children are receiving nutritional therapy that provides hope for better health. Farmers and their families are addressing the impacts of climate change and improving their livelihoods for the future.
To learn more about how PWS&D is helping build back better in Haiti, visit WeRespond.ca/Haiti.
By Karen Bokma, PWS&D Communications
In August 2021, Haiti experienced a magnitude 7.2 earthquake that ren- dered tens of thousands of people homeless. It quickly recalled the year 2010, when a devastating earth- quake hit the Haitian capital of Port- au-Prince, and we were inundated with images of flattened buildings and so many in need of food, shel- ter and medical care. Hundreds of thousands of people died. The world
responded generously, including Ca- nadian Presbyterians, to assist those left homeless and destitute.
The visuals from more recent dis- asters, including Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and the earthquake in Au- gust, can sometimes make it feel as though Haiti will never recover from the disasters and trauma inflicted on the country.
But while political instability, lack of infrastructure and environmental insecurity continue to be issues fac- ing the country, there are signs of
Human Tragedy in Tigray
By Emma Clarke, PWS&D Communications
In a community in Tigray, Ethiopia, a water pump sits broken. This vital piece of infrastructure is yet another casualty of the devastating violence that has marred the region since No- vember 2020.
Just over one year ago, the Ethio- pian government sent troops into Tigray, escalating a long-standing political disagreement. Many faced sexual and gender-based violence, and even death, amidst the conflict. Dropping everything to flee the fight- ing, families walked hundreds of kilo- metres seeking safety. Sadly, many left behind loved ones, as well as homes and livelihoods.
Throughout the region of Tigray, over two million people, including
residents, internally displaced per- sons, returnees and Eritrean refu- gees, need immediate humanitarian assistance in the form of shelter, wa- ter, sanitation and hygiene facilities, and reliable access to food.
One of the injustices of war is that it not only puts people’s safety at risk, but robs them of the systems they need to survive. “Every war is a human tragedy,” explained the ACT Alliance Ethiopia Forum. “It not only destroys lives but the social fabric of society.” It is important, in the face of this humanitarian disaster, to rec- ognize and respond to people’s di- verse needs. These include safe ac- cess to clean water, sustainable food sources, and psychosocial support. The ACT Alliance response in the region—which PWS&D is support- ing—is helping to meet these needs
for 855,000 people.
Water rehabilitation projects are
making wells and latrines available, through work programs that also cre- ate income for people who have been displaced. Families facing food inse- curity are receiving grain, flour and oil, as well as seeds and tools in are- as where there is access to farmland. Food supplements are providing mal- nutrition treatment for children who are undernourished, and for pregnant and lactating women—these same supplements are providing multi- generational hope. Professional clini- cal care is also being made available for those struggling to cope with the trauma they have experienced or who have faced sexual and gender- based violence.
PWS&D is also supporting a three-month food assistance pro- ject with Canadian Foodgrains Bank. The project is supporting internally displaced populations with food ra- tions. Additionally, our partner in the region hosts three sites that provide in-patient support to people with
PWS&D is responding to help meet the diverse needs of people displaced from their homes in the Tigray region of Ethiopia. PHOTO CREDIT: LWF ETHIOPIA
mental health issues, the chronically ill, and elderly people in need of care. Daily meals, including locally avail- able food and nutritionally fortified supplements, are provided to clients at these homes.
How can you respond to this cri- sis? You can advocate for peace, do- nate for action and pray for affected people.
Earlier this year, PWS&D, together with other ACT Alliance members, wrote a letter to the Canadian For- eign Minister calling for an end to the
hostilities, as well as the creation of a humanitarian corridor so that aid could reach those in greatest need. You can continue to raise awareness by engaging others in conversations about the conflict and writing the Ca- nadian government to let them you know you care about peace-building efforts in this region. You can finan- cially support PWS&D’s humanitar- ian work in the region. Finally, you can pray for peace, and for the safe- ty, food security and other needs of those who have been affected.
“Every war is a human tragedy as it not only destroys lives but the social fabric of society.” —ACT Alliance Ethiopia Forum