BLOG: World Vision in Haiti
Read aid worker Anna Ridout's exclusive blog
While headlines report violence and looting in Haiti's capital and observers speak of chaos and desperation on the streets, I'm seeing another side to Port-au-Prince often lost in disaster reporting.
Young boys scramble and leap over rubble chasing their ingenious kites made of flimsy plastic bags. A dozen teenagers sing their hearts out at a spontaneous church service overlooking the devastated city. Small businesses – barbers, corner shops, bars – have already sprung up in many of the haphazard settlements of tents and makeshift shelters. Children dance, sing and laugh in one of World Vision's safe play areas. Only three weeks after the earthquake caused catastrophe here, people are already finding ways to rebuild their lives, often with a smile.
Yesterday when World Vision and other agencies launched a city-wide distribution of rice, with the World Food Programme, to reach close to two million people in just two weeks, many feared chaos. However, thanks to solid preparation with the leaders of the area beforehand, World Vision provided 34,000 people with a fortnight's worth of rice without incident.
In fact because we worked with those who know the people in their community well, they were able to put the most vulnerable to the front of the queue. One was an elderly woman who didn't even know that the price of rice in the market has doubled, because she has no money to spend there. She has been getting by until now because her neighbours have been sharing the little they have with her.
Such generosity was echoed by a woman I met in a lively and crowded camp. She has lost both her home and job. "When we get help here, we never fight," she said. "We are friends and we share our things and support each other."
The generosity of the public all over the world in response to this disaster has been incredible. Today that money is helping provide families with food, healthcare, water and shelter – immediate life-saving relief that is still needed. Over the coming weeks and months, it will go way beyond this to help those businesses grow and families flourish. Here in Haiti, it's good to know that's already slowly beginning.
To read more of Anna's blog click here
PICTURES BY Jon Warren/World Vision
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Weather for Milton Keynes
Saturday 11 February 2012
Today
Sunny
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