COVID-19, CLIMATE CHANGE & CONFLICT IN HAITI

We’ve all seen the toll that pandemics have on vulnerable communities. Three years after COVID-19 devastated the world, we’re still grappling with its aftershocks. Minority populations have suffered—including people with disabilities, those facing poverty, and the elderly.

Now, as we brace ourselves for future outbreaks, we can’t forget about those most susceptible to deadly diseases: young children.

In Haiti, children account for 40% of cholera cases. Ten-year-olds are bed-ridden from severe cases of diarrhea and critical dehydration. Second graders are hospitalized after drinking unclean water. Even newborn babies are gravely ill. Only three years after the country saw its last case of cholera, the disease has returned, wiping out dozens of people in its path. To date, more than13,000 people are suspected to have contracted the disease, and more than 180 have lost their lives. The children of Haiti—especially those with severe hunger—are dying.

Cholera has reemerged in Haiti at the worst possible moment. Haitians face a volatile political crisis and an unparalleled security risk; in Port-au-Prince, the capital city, gangs have seized control and cut off access to lifesaving resources, such as fuel, food, and medicine. They’ve attacked and assaulted citizens, kidnapped children, and cut off roads.

Some people managed to flee the city, but that does not mean they are safe from harm. Instead, they’re met with more crises in rural areas—the lack of clean water and food.

A recent IPC analysis found that 4.7 million Haitians are experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity, and 19,000 are facing famine conditions. Children throughout the country are severely malnourished. Their bodies are weak and underfed. Cholera, which often manifests as diarrhea, vomiting, and dehydration, exacerbates their condition and drains what’s left of their strength. Haiti’s poorest communities—where 90% of the cases are found—continue to take the hardest hits.

Haitians are not the only ones facing a cholera crisis. Climate change has driven the disease to spread worldwide. Recent outbreaks have also been reported in Lebanon and Syria, and in countries like Pakistan, cholera is common. Cholera bacteria thrive in warm water sources, and the globally rising temperatures have created a perfect environment for the disease to grow.

Action Against Hunger has a long history of leading the fight against cholera in Haiti, but this outbreak is more challenging than the last due to the political and security crises. Our response is three-pronged. We’re prioritizing sanitization, prevention, and treatment.

Sanitization entails educating communities about the importance of proper hygiene protocol. But education isn’t enough—we must also ensure access to essential supplies, such as latrines. So far, we’ve built 20 handwashing stations and are planning for more.

Our team is preventing the spread of cholera through water purification. Cholera often spreads through contaminated water sources, such as rivers. We are using water purification tabs to provide communities with potable water.

We’re also treating infected individuals in health centers, using oral rehydration pills and stabilization techniques. Nevertheless, these health centers are in urgent need of emergency tools, medicine, and beds.

We’ve hired eight emergency response teams and are training them to mobilize in the field. We’ve distributed essential supplies to 3,000 families. We’ve disseminated educational messages to countless Haitians. Every day, our teams focus on intervening proactively and demonstrating proper hygiene protocol in all communities where we work.

But it’s not enough. We still have a long way to go before Haiti’s children are safe from harm. Cholera is a disease of poverty – it only happens where there are extremely limited resources and infrastructure. Together, for Haiti’s children and its future, we must continue to fight for equality, to improve systems, and to build resilience against this crisis and the ones to come.

Links:

• In Haiti, Cholera is Infecting Thousands. Children are Most at R

Action Against Hunger

GlobalGiving Project Updates

July 2022

Project List:

1. RFSA Consortium Project (B2C)
2. PMSAN project (A4B /A4C)
3. Disaster Risk Reduction (D3U)
4. SIDA (F7D)
5. ICDF (F3A)
6. BHA North West (B2B)
7. CDP (H3H)

1. RFSA Consortium Project (B2C)

• Celebrated Breastfeeding Week (August 1-7)
• Trained midwives working in 12 health facilities for pregnant women, nursing mothers and community leaders
• Trained Care groups on “Infant and Young Child Feeding” practices (IYCF)
• 
  Trained Social Behavior Change for consortium staff, Community Health Worker and Care groups members

2. PMSAN project (A4B /A4C)

• Carried out 24 fresh and dry food coupon distributions. 1,858 beneficiaries were reached on PASAN APROS and 1,244 on GIRE SECALM with an average participation of more than 65% of women. The vouchers are intended to support vulnerable families/households to properly take care of their family through the purchase of local food using a network of 15 selected markets that offer a large variety of local products, mobilizing more than 200 vendors.
• Supported training and material distribution to 200 vendors of fresh food products (Fruits, Vegetables, etc.) in the selected markets and stores, as part of the market restructuring process.
• Held 4 animated sessions between select vendors and local Agricultural producers in their zones to reinforce market linkages and ensure continuous availability of locally-grown products for the beneficiaries.
• Provided training support to nearly 400 beneficiaries as part of planned income generating activities (IGA).
• 
  Led follow-up and training in governance and financial education for 251 AVEC/VSLA groups created within the beneficiary communities in order to strengthen capacities and ensure sustainability.

3. Disaster Risk Reduction (D3U)

• Developed response plans for 19 school authorities and conducted a multi-hazard analysis.
• Trained 36 key persons (Brigadiers DGPC and civil society) to respond to WASH emergencies.
• Informed 14,063 people including: 5,806 men and 8,257 women on risks and disaster prevention measures. Provided awareness-raising activities in schools: 245 girls and 129 boys reached.
• 6 Atansyon Refleks Clubs were created and trained. 
• 
  Carried out 6 SIMEX (Simulation Exercises) in 6 selected schools.

4. SIDA (F7D)

• Designed and updated cash and voucher beneficiary database for family dialogue activities.
• Revitalized former JADEN Pam Clubs created during Phase 2 of the project.
• Conceptualized impluvium construction.
• Held Impluvium Management and Monitoring Committee Training.
• Trained vendors for the exchange of vouchers on the market.

5. ICDF (F3A)

• Screened 1,307 children under the age of 5, including 712 girls and 595 boys, in the two project communes by Community Health Workers.
• Distributed 4,000 packages of enriched flour (AK-1000) to 800 households (32 HHs with pregnant women, 48 with lactating women and 720 with children from 25 months to 59 months.
• Organized cooking demonstrations during the past 3 months. These demonstrations were conducting by Community Health Workers with the participation of pregnant women and mothers of children under five and their children to prevent household malnutrition.
• 
  Celebrated Breastfeeding Week.

6. BHA North West (B2B)

• Managed awareness raising activities on complementary feeding during the first year of life through gathering stations and home visits by the Community Health Workers.
• Distributed vouchers to beneficiaries.
• Celebrated of Breastfeeding Week.
• Screened 4,012 children (2,017 girls, 1,985 boys) in the 3 communes, including 38 SAM (19 girls, 19 boys), 118 MAM (72 girls, 46 boys).
• 
  Coached health providers (Brachial perimeter measurement, height, weight, weight/height ratio).

7. CDP (H3H)

• Distributed Hygiene Kits for people living with disabilities.
• Screened children under 5 and pregnant and breastfeeding women in 4 communes.
• Conceptualized rehabilitation of water points and Latrines in Schools and Health Centers in Camp Perrin, Maniche, Cavaillon and Saint Louis du Sud.
• 
  Celebrated Breastfeeding Week.

Globally, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a tremendous negative impact on vulernable communities, creating massive pressure on local economies and collapsing existing public health systems. In Haiti, the authorities had recorded more than 30,340 cases of Covid-19 as of February 23, 2022. The devastating 7.2 magnitude earthquake that hit the South Department on August 14, 2021 intensified the humanitarian needs resulting from the simultaneous food insecurity and the nation's ongoing political crisis. Approximately, 53,000 homes were destroyed and more than 77,000 homes sustained damage. About 800,000 people have been affected and an estimated 650,000 people – 40% of the 1.6 million people living in the affected southern departments – were determined in need of humanitarian.

Since this earthquake, Action Against Hunger has been responding to the identified needs in water hygiene and sanitation (WASH), mental health and nutrition in the South Department. However, the response to the disaster has been quite limited in comparison to the consequences of the earthquake, which have exposed the population to even more precarious situations in terms of hygiene and water access. Additionally, the destruction of infrastructure during the earthquake had a serious impact on the spread of Covid-19 due to disruptions to the health system, which has impacted both testing and treatment. For instance, in 2020, the South Department registered a total of 262 Covid-19 cases while 892 cases were registered in 2021. Between January and February 2022, 211 cases have been registered.

Currently, Action Against Hunger's programs are focused on mitigating the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on vulnerable communities in the disaster affected department through improving access to basic health, WASH and nutrition services.

Links:

• Country Page