Rose Rehab and other NGO's stage Phnom Penh ball to help kids...

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For original article click here

Cambodian Tot passes pre-op screening tests... set for surgery

Little 'Tot' in Cambodia has passed all his pre-operation screening tests and so is now set for surgery.

We needed to screen for things like hemoglobin levels, and other blood chemistry. There is so much endemic disease, in Cambodia, not to mention malnutrition / poor diet that it is very important to screen carefully before surgery.  Any of these things, not least the awful problem of Malaria - Cambodia has some of the most drug resistant strains in the world. can put down the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood (hemoglobin levels) and make surgery dangerous.  So we needed to check that all is ok. And I am delighted to say that it is.

Tot's surgery can now go ahead. It is scheduled for the 4th January in Singapore.  All staff are donating their time free, including the surgeon, Dr Myra Elliot, an experienced, Singapore registered maxillo-facial expert. Singapore, like Canada has tight regulations on who can practice there so we are very lucky to get Dr Elliot.   Current plan is for Dr Sarom from First Rose Cambodia and Joanna Thomson (physio) from Rose Rehab Cambodia (both Rose Charities projects) to attend / assist the surgery also. 

Tot will convalesce until the 15th January in Singapore then fly back to Cambodia and to our Rose Charities medical facilities there.   So things are very much falling into place.  Vancouver donors have generously donated $1500 to date which will help enormously both with the surgical as well as the rehab elements.

We all intend to follow Tot long after he has recovered and been rehabilitated.  There is the moral argument whether it is appropriate to spend a lot of money on one individual  But by ensuring that Tot gets a proper education and a happy, productive life, that amount spent can be considered to be working over a lifetime.   An individual unable to communicate by speech, malnourished, and with all his debilitation would certainly  be a financial drain on his family or community over the years.  But restoring him to a place where he can have a normal life may create, though that life which will include education, a bright future for himself, his family and his community too.  So many more will be helped by the financial outlay than just one poor little Cambodian boy.

Stand Tall Education School Uganda gets vehicle from Vancouvers 'African Nights' fundraiser .. thank you Vancouver !!!

WE HAVE A CAR!

December 7th, 2010 | Author: nicole

Here’s what our African Nights fundraiser got us. We are breathing a sigh of relief that our cherished Principal now has a much safer vehicle to travel in. One of the first outings was the transport of two Stand Tall student representatives to the The Daily Monitor Christmas celebration at the first class Serena Hotel in Kampala. Our young ladies represented us with grace and good manners.

Surgery arranged for little Tot in January..

Little5year old Cambodian 'Tot' who has the fused jaw has now had his surgery arranged. Dr Veronica Ventura of Community Health Development Cambodia.  He will fly down to Singapore for the operation which will be on the 4th January 2011.   Funds are still needed both fro Tot' s surgery and rehabilitation, but also for his education and any special needs for return to life.   Rose Rehab Cambodia will be helping with Tots rehabilitation .   Funds are still needed.  Rose Charities is collecting for the Tot fund in Canada and in the USA  (in both, tax receipts are given).  Please say donation is for 'Tot'

 

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  Dr Veronica Venturas efforts for Tot have been simply amazing. She has worked day and night to ensure the best possible outcome for Tot. There is every chance that this little boy will rehabilitate to a happy, educated life.  Bravo Dr Ventura....

Sad Phnom Penh...

"... it's horrific indeed. the feel in the city is so sombre. I've never ever seen it so quiet at night time - last night, no vendors anywhere. No music, nothing. Shrines on roadsides everywhere. Very very sad. My friend's housemaid was going to go to Diamond Island that night, but last minute decided not too. Her friend still went, and died. The girl spent all of yesterday looking through bodies with her mother to find the girl. Horrible."

Stand Tall Education in Globe and Mail. November 2010

(Click in image below to enlarge)  

Link to above article

StandTallEducation site

'Tot'...A little boy with a fused jaw..

This little 6 year old  Cambodian  boy, whose nickname is 'Tot'  is from  a very remote village in central Cambodia. He was born with a congenitally absent right hand and distal foot.  But his biggest disability was that  he was born with a fused jaw. He can’t talk, smile or eat solid food. His mouth is completely fused shut. The birth attendant pierced a hole in his gum and this boy has survived by drinking through his nose and pouring pureed food thru the small hole in his gum.. He is 6 years old and never seen a doctor.

The boy was discovered by the wonderful NGO  Villlage Health and Commnity Development www.villagehealth-development.com  founded by Dr Veronica Ventura,  who have been making will soon change as we have made plans to have him escorted to Singapore for surgery.   Rose Charities / Operation FIRST will be coordinating with Dr Ventrua. Careful physiotherapy will be vital in the rehabilitation process and this will be conducted by Joanna Thomson of Rose Rehab Cambodia 

There are approximately 25 known cases of this abnormality world wide.

To help this little boy, please click to www.rosecharities.ca  All donations will go totally  to Tots surgery, rehab and recovery. Rose Charities Canada has no administration fees.

Haiti nurses supported to help with cholera epidemic

Rose Charities Canada is supporting the re-establishment of nursing training in Haiti. Nurse trainers are working there now and equipment has been sent.  Support has now been extended to assist with the cholera outbreak and third year nurses are being supported to assist with the relief efforts

Promoting a video game !!!! But one everyone should play !

This is one computer  game that everyone should play....http://www.arcadetown.com/3rdworldfarmer/gameonline.asp.

Sevenoaks United Reform Church donates to Lalomanu Samoa tsunami reconstruction

A collection organized through the Sevenoaks (Kent,UK) United Reform Church by Ms Fiona Darroch of Rose Charities UK  for Lalomanu Village in Samoa post tsunami reconstruction has been delivered for the work to the WIBDI (Women in Business Development) NGO in Samoa who has been extensively involved in such work since the disaster almost a year ago.   Rose Charities linked with AMDA and WBDI immediately following the catastrophe to assist in providing material and counseling support.   Lalomanu village, situated at the south east corner of Upolu (the main) island of Samoa was the first and probably the worst affected point in the island.  Fiona Darroch and her son Lachlan visited the village in 1994 when Fiona, a recognized expert on Robert Louis Stevenson (who spent his final years living in Samoa and is buried there) was carrying out research for an article on Stevenson for the Sunday Times.Many of the friends she made there at the time perished.

The tsunami hit without warning at around 7am in October 2009 causing extensive damage and loss of life. Reconstruction still continues.
Fiona Darroch is founder and CEO of the Legal Advocacy organiztion, Protimos

Ms Adi (Co founder of WIBDI) and Ms Fuimaono Rosalia Me (from Lalomanu)  at the WIBDI Office in Apia, Samoa.  WIBDI has and continues extensive reconstruction work for Lalomanu and other tsunami damaged areas. Ms Fuimaono tragically lost many mambers of her family in the disaster

Rose Madagascar - Welcome back to School - October 2010

Welcome back Rose Madagascar students! Tomorrow, October 7th, marks the first day of the new school year for students at Mahatsara school in Tsarahonenana, Madagascar. This year there will be 270 bright eyed students attending Mahatsara - a significant leap from the 43 students we started with just four years ago. The students will be welcomed back by a passionate team of local teachers, administrators and parents who are excited to support the students on their learning journey. Students will also enjoy the benefits of a new well which will improve both the quality and supply of water available to the school.

Many thanks to all of our supporters (both in funds and in spirit). The first day of each school symbolizes a new year of hope in improving rural education in Madagascar and in supporting children to achieve their best. We are so proud of all the Mahatsara students, parents and teachers and look forward to another excellent year of learning.

Cheryl-Anne Pine Rose Charities Madagascar

 

David Waterman donates book proceeds to Rose Charities

Renowned international photogrpaher David Waterman, to donate proceeds of new book to Rose Charities ! Dave has had an illustious career in travel, sports (skydiving) and phto-journalism but in his early days was with the British 'paras' and jumped into the Suez Canal area in the 'Suez Crisis'    Later, Dave Waterman was one of the main advocates and introducers of the then new 'relative work skydiving' in the UK and set the scene which lead onto several great teams (including 'Symbiosis' )  and a movement which exists to the present day. . Dave now lives in Spain, runs professional workshops and leads photo-expeditions to Morocco and other  locations 

Please take a look at this fine book (click) which is an important and fascinating record of British and international history from someone who was directly there

Kwantlan University B.C. students working with Rose Charities

Rose Charities is excited to be working with students from Kwantlen Univeristy this term! Different groups of students will be working with different sections of the charity and will be learning about fund-raising, policy making, project planning, event planning, and how an NGO operates in Canada. They will be blogging about their experiences on the Rose Charities Canada site  http://rosecharities.ca

Supermodel Noot Seear and Roberto Luongo: Rose Charities African Nights: Vancouver

Noot Seear is should be swaying to the drums on tuesday night at the Rose Charities African Nights fundraiser. If she can get the time off from her busy acting and modeling schedule in L.A. she will be jetting in for the show. Roberto Luongo of the Vancouver Canucks (and gold medal Vancouver Olympics 2010 winner)  won't himself be there, but is represented in the most presigious item to many in the silent auction, a goalie stick autographed by him !  Noot and Canucks fans.. make sure you come    africannights.ca
                                                                                  

Pakistan Floods: Generosity from Physicans and Nurses

Thankyou to two Canadian and one Hongkong Physician and his wife. for incredibly generous individual donations to Rose Charities Canada for Pakistan Emergency relief totaling over $5000. The media has been reporting 'slow response' to this crisis - not so with these incredibly generous individuals. In addition, two previous volunteer nurses immediately stepped up an volunteered to be go to assist with the relief. For security reasons the offers were not taken up, but the speed and spirit with which the offers came were very touching and appreciated.

Relief efforts continue through partners 'Frontier Primary Health Care' who have had medical and other support team working full time from the beginning of the crisis

Books for Haiti !

Now arrived in Haiti are dozens of pediatric and nursing textbooks, a first start in Rose Charities' commitment to re-equip the nursing school devastated in the quake. Many more books and equipment will follow, some kindly donated.

Training mannequins-also essential for teaching purposes, are being sourced ready for the start of the nursing course in October 2010.

Social Symbiosis !

Bravo Josephine de Freitas for coming up with what defines Rose Charities 'social symbiosis !'... great term... !

Textbooks for Haiti Nurse training

Text books for the State University School of Nursing

The State University School of Nursing was destroyed in the earthquake and 74 students and staff were killed. There are 30 surviving 2nd year students and 64 thrid year. They are determined to get back to their studies as soon as they can. The School is now run out of 3 tents and there is a leaky storage room with big cracks in the walls. . In the storage room are a few battered textbooks that were dug out of the rubble and a heart-breaking pile of dusty stained uniforms. When our nurses visited the school and brought back the photos we (Rose Charities) were determined to help.

Thanks to the Montreal School of Nursing and many others who helped us with advice and contacts we have a shipment of wonderful new french-language textbooks arriving in Haiti this week. The publisher gave us 30% discount and donated 30 free books.

Prosthetics and Football for Haiti Kids - AMDA Project

Click here for full report

Letter from Sarah (#77 in her wonderful ongoing Cambodia series)

Hi everyone,
Well the heat has broken – thank god, it is not until now that I realize quite how much it was effecting Gareth and I, I feel like a new woman – energy, enthusiasm and inspiration has returned – now we feel like we can just enjoy our last 5 months here rather than drag ourselves around each day….
Part of my returned inspiration has come through the Rose Charities International Conference which I took part in over last weekend. I have been a Director for Rose Charities Australia for the past 4 years or so but have not managed to be too involved since being over here – apart from promoting the AYAD Program to a friend who is now here with Rose starting a Physio Rehabilitation Centre in Takhmau, 30 mins south of PP. Jo’s been to Cambodia quite a few times before and on one of her last visits decided she needed to come for a longer period of time – I hooked her up with the AYAD In-country Manager and now she’s here for a 12 month assignment. She can really hit the ground running too because of her previous experience and 1.5 months in construction has started on a Rehabilitation Playground at Chey Chumneas Hospital, Takhmau – this really is going to change the face of physiotherapy in Cambodia…Jo and I are meeting this weekend in Prey Veng so I can help her with some of the admin stuff to get the project up and running seeing that’s more my forte than the medical side of things – and it really is the best use of my skills from what I have learnt here in Cambodia – I am armed to the hilt with templates, policies, procedures, staff manuals, contracts, etc, etc which will definitely save time for all the projects I’m involved with in the future – only have to do develop these things once and then I can adapt them to each project – what a relief that I won’t have to start from scratch again!
On the first day of the Conference we heard from all the Rose Charities chapters around the world and were given an update of their current project activities – you can really see from this how far the Rose projects now reach, there are projects in Cambodia, Vietnam, Nepal, America, Madagscar, Sri Lanka…and they have been involved in emergency relief in Haiti…not to mention working in Sri Lanka after the Tsunami, Vietnam in recent cyclones, New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina…they really have done so much – all through networks and partnerships and working with local organizations on the ground, it’s a great set up and really follows a framework that I am much more keen on working within instead of the large multinational NGOs which are prevalent these days – not to say I might not try to work for one of those one day – but at this stage I really feel working with the small local NGOs is much more worthwhile – a pity that means I will probably have to continue to be a volunteer for most of my career!!!
It was great to meet people from all different backgrounds who all had different interests in Rose – many from a medical background as many of the Rose projects are medically based, but also people who just thought they’d help in their own little way, whether that’s running a small fundraiser or offering their lawyering skills, or running the whole show – each had their bit to offer and all came from all around the world…as you can see, I would have been in my element!
A great opportunity too was that Will, one of the originators of Rose Charities, who has provided me with great knowledge, feedback and encouragement since I’ve been in Cambodia asked whether Mekhala Silk could provide the delegate gifts for the Conference – a nice silk wallet. We then came up with the idea that Mekhala Silk products could be sold at the event to create awareness and perhaps gain some feedback on products and prospective markets. We gained a great response – made some profit selling direct to the public and also gained the support of about 4 new “Sales Reps” who have offered to show our Catalogue around to some shops that they think might be interested in their area. This means we may now have some interest in Canada and America as well as Australia – who knows, it may not go anywhere but it’s always nice to have some more people believing in the products and the idea! The best bit was that some of the sales we made were Rose Directors who were running fundraisers soon in Australia and New Zealand and felt that they could sell or auction these products at their events – therefore not only will we be helping the producers in Cambodia and the children in Mekhala House but all the Rose Charities projects through money raised also – can’t ask for more than that – each gets their little slice and awareness and extent of reach is expanded….ahhhhh inspiration is a wonderful thing……………and so is cooler weather!

Stand Tall Education Training Center opening week..

The Stand Tall Education organizers .. say  ."Say hello to our new students on opening week at Stand Tall Training Center. Thanks goes to everyone who has supported the realization of STAND TALL TRAINING CENTER (STTC). Together, we have created a beautiful school with great potential for the future. Special thanks to our Ugandan team who has worked tirelessly to get the school off the ground in record time".   Well done Stand Tall !!

News from Haiti

Note from a wonderful doctor (Canadian) who was living in Haiti when the earthquake struck - he took a few days off to re-group but quickly went back to help and has been there ever since:

...Displaced camps still on the rise, 3 months after the event, something is going very wrong here.... Baseline of those people: very poor, no job, no future, no nothing. So: move into a camp, and get free services! However: hello tuberculosis, typhoid, diarrheas,...

Helping the Auckland Refugee Committee: Rose Charities New Zealand

 The chairperson of Rose Charities NZ, Trish Gribben, recently presented a cheque for $1000 to Kafeba Mundele, the chairman of theAuckland Refugee Community Coalition Trust. The money is a seeding grant for the establishment of an independent Trust to help with re- unification of refugees and their families. Under New Zealand law, when visas are granted for a refugee's family members to join him or  her in New Zealand the visas have a time limit.  It is often extremely difficult and heartbreaking for a refugee to try to raise the money for airfares to bring their family person to join them. A trust has been operating for seven years in Wellington and has raised $500,000 to help refugee families re-unite. Sometimes the financial help is in the form of a loan. The Auckland Refugee Family Trust, which is to be launched in June, will raise and loan or grant money to support the refugee reunification. "Nothing is more important for refugee mental health and to help them become established as New Zealand citizens than to have their close family with them,"  said Kafeba Mundele. "You say $1000 is a small step towards our goal, but for us it is huge. Thank you very much."

Terri departs for Haiti to join 5th Rose / American Pediatric Assn / Health Frontier team in Port au Prince

Reg. Nurse. Terri Lubin left Vancouver today to help make up Rose Charities (and partners) 5th pediatric relief team. She took with her for the clinic,  a brand new Minispot Oximeter with two reusable sensors (for the larger and the smaller kids respectively). Terri replaces  R.N.  Linda Warner (B.C's Children's Hospital)  who has been writing a blog (www.bethechangeinhaiti.blogspot.com)  while she was there.   Linda took a glucometer with her foo the clinic.

Offiicial winery of Rose Charities ! Cortes de Cima ...

Of many loyal and generous supporters of Rose Charities, two of the stars are Carrie and Hans Jorgensen who founded, own and run the well known Cortes de Cima Vinyard in Portugal. Rose Charities is truly lucky to have such wonderful friends and ones who produce such wonderful products ! On many occasions Cortes de Cima has greatly helped the success of fund-raises with wine donations, as they will do again in the forthcoming FOTORELIEF Haiti exhibition and photograph sale in New Yord (18th March 2010) in aid of Haiti. Rose Charities owes a big, and continuing thankyou to Carrie and Hans and Cortes de Cima.   www.Cortesdecima.com    We are incredibly grateful.   And to everyone else,  please remember if you buy and drink any of the wonderful Cortes-de-Cima wine.. you are helping Rose Charities too !

General information....

Cortes de Cima, 7690-999 Vidigueira, Portugal
Tel: +351 284 463119 Fax: +351 284 463292
E-mail: wine@cortesdecima.pt Website: www.cortesdecima.pt

The Alentejo has led the way in Portugal’s wine revolution. It’s a region that has enjoyed tremendous success over the last decade, producing red wines in two distinctive styles. On the one hand, there is the traditional Alentejo style, perhaps typified by José Maria da Fonseca’s José de Sousa, the Cartuxa wines from Evora, or JP Vinhos’ Tinto de Anfora. On the other hand, there is the modern, fruit-forward, almost new-world style that has been such a huge commercial success and which has propelled this region forward so fast. Cortes de Cima, owned by Hans and Carrie Jorgensen, falls firmly into the latter bracket, and has rapidly established itself as one of the leading wineries of this region.

The Alentejo is huge, with its flat plains covering almost a third of the country. Much of this area is given over to cereal production. It’s also hot, and irrigation is common. In contrast to the northern regions, with their fragmented smallholdings, production is dominated by larger, professional outfits. Cortes de Cima are following in the trail João Portugal Ramos and Esporão, who have mainly concentrated on local grape varieties but who have also been working with Syrah, the only foreign grape to so far to have made much of an inroad into the region. Cortes de Cima’s most celebrated wine, Incognito, is in fact a varietal Syrah.

The great success of the Alentejo has been in making thoroughly modern, concentrated wines that still retain a distinctly Portuguese character, and this is what Cortes de Cima have done very well. There is strong local demand for these wines, their high intrinsic quality, and the ambitions of the producer. As an aside, Cliff Richard fans might like to know that the first vintage of his wine, Vida Nova, was made here

Novel Rose Charities Vietnam income-generation project by the Sia Center for the Blind, Hue.

Projects that aim at being self sufficient are the long term goals of Rose Vietnam. In the province of Hue, we support four Blind Centers through our Laundromat Income Generation Programme. We donated washers, plastic package sealers and towels to these centers to wash and package wet towelettes for the local restaurants.

Wet towelettes are usually provided on long haul air routes to Asia in a small, sealed plastic bag. Many restaurants and hotels in Viet Nam also have these wet towelettes as an additional service to guests for coping with the humidity. It makes more practical sense than a paper tissue which tend to stick to the skin.

Our pilot location is in Phong Dien Village, many thanks to Mr. Phuoc, our Board member, who works on site to ensure that our first site is in full operation mode and Mrs. Tina Nguyen, an online donor from U.S.A. We provided full line of equipments, training and helped them find customers.



Rose Vietnam hopes to expand the Laundromat Programme to the other three sites. All sites are now equipped with washers but we are looking for financial donors in order to purchase the plastic package sealers and more towels. The total start up cost is no more than $600 for each site, including the washer, but such an amount can go a long way. Rose Vietnam is actively seeking funds for this programme.

Chuc Mung Nam Moi from Bill and Jan

We would like to wish our friends in Vietnam a Happy Lunar New Year and good health and happiness during the Year of the Tiger. We are thinking of you all during this time of celebration, especially those who came into our lives through our affiliaton with Rose Charities Vietnam.  With the help of our generous donors Rose Vietnam plans to continue and expand its support for the school for the blind in Hue and the very special children at Be Tho Orphanage. 

Artificial limbs in Haiti

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti—The only place in Haiti that makes artificial limbs and teaches people how to use them was destroyed in the earthquake, a loss that symbolizes the hard road ahead for this impoverished nation's countless new amputees. Healing Hands for Haiti, a nonprofit with a rambling headquarters in the capital's Delmas neighborhood, has treated more than 25,000 people over 10 years. Now, as experts estimate that as many as 40,000 people underwent amputations in the quake's aftermath, the group's facilities are in a shambles.

Healing Hands is among many organizations and private doctors that are attempting to create, virtually from scratch, a system to treat amputees, who need urgent care now and maintenance for decades. The immediate need is for crutches and exercise therapy that will keep remaining muscles functioning. Artificial limbs, once fitted, need to be changed every three to five years, and every six months for growing children.

A group, headed by Handicap International with representatives from the Haitian government as well as Healing Hands, Doctors Without Borders, Christian Blind Mission International and others, will start producing temporary "emergency" prostheses in mid-February with salvaged equipment from Healing Hands in a tent compound near the Port-au-Prince airport. The group is planning to build at least one more new prosthetic factory in addition to the one Healing Hands intends to rebuild. The goal is to train workers to use local material to produce limbs at a cost residents can sustain—about $35 to $75 each for materials and labor.

Rose Charities was Canadian founded in Cambodia in 1998 as a response to a similar terrible amputee scenario - in those years through land-mine injuries. Several excellent prosthetic organizations, including Handicap International, VVI, Cambodia Trust etc,  were functioning in the country but medical services were very limited to prepare the shattered limbs for the artificial limbs. Working with these groups, Rose Charities provided surgical facilities to allow the limbs to be properly fitted.   Rose Charies is currently contributing to AMDA orthopaedic surgery teams through AMDA Canada in Gonaieves, Haiti.

The problem is among many acute medical issues facing Haiti. Trauma cases are decreasing, doctors say, but more patients now require mental-health care. Also on the rise are cases of diarrhea, tetanus and chicken pox,.

Update from Madascar

Over the last few weeks there has been quite a bit of action on the Rose Madagascar - Mahatsara front. Our little board has been aware of the ongoings but we haven't had a chance to spread to the word to the broader team. So I will do my best to update everyone and please don't hesitate to write if you have any questions, comments etc. Opinions are more than welcome as our wee team chugs along...

In short, our school has grown yet again. We now have 199 students, 11 teachers and 3 support staff (not all are full time to my knowledge). Bina and the Mahatsara Parent's Association have built another school building as well as a smaller building (both located on the hill above the first school building). I have attached some of the photos that Bina sent to give you an idea of what things look like.

To be perfectly honest, these buildings were an entire surprise to us and we were unaware of the school's growth until after the fact. As you are well aware, budgeting and finances have been an incredible struggle for us and our relations with Bina. Our reaction to these new developments was (as you can imagine) mixed. While the growth and developments are amazing and we have no doubt that Bina is spending the money with the upmost of intentions, we are well aware and concerned about Mahatsara growing to the point where we are unable to remain the sole financial supporter. As there are currently no other financial backers that I am aware of, we are in the position of trying not to get in over our heads.

The school is now in a state of financial difficulty, as it appears that almost our entire first money transfer has been spent. While we (Rose Madagascar) have a significant amount of money in the bank, we have decided to stick to our agreed budget ($7000/yr sent in two allotments - next one to be sent in February). Although we would love to meet the school's needs, the consensus (thus far) is that the only way we will ever attain accountability is if we stick to the budget. So long and short of it is....yay school looks great...but boo, still have a long way to go re: planning and communications.

'Mekhala' Cambodian silk products raising funds for orphanage and child educaton

Rose Charities has close informal links with FDCC Cambodia, an excellent organization which helps orphans, livelihood assistance projects, education etc.  They run a silk weaving school cooperative which teaches the skills to Cambodians and sells their beautiful products to support.   Clickto view  full catalogue   Any sales links would be very welcome.

Letter from Haiti: 31st January 2010

Hi there friends.  Life continues on in Haiti - Port-au-Prince should be renamed Tent City as everywhere you go, wherever there is a small space of land it is now covered with tents.  The ones who are in tents are the lucky ones, as we are worried that by the end of February the rainy season could come and this would be disastrous. Even with the tents the situation will still be difficult, as they will not cover them completely, from not only the rain, but also from the floods that accompany the heavy rains we have in Haiti. Normally the rains come in March, but last year they  came earlier during Carnival time which was towards the end of Feb. so we pray that they won't come until March when Haiti might be a bit more ready for them. If you know any companies that could send tents down to Haiti then please beg for their assistance as there are thousands without cover.

 

The other aspect for the tents is the situation regarding schools.  A leading economist Kesner Pharel, whom I listen to regularly on Sundays on the radio, and who is extremely practical and has so much common sense, was saying that because the Dept. of the West which is the Capital area has the biggest population, and including Jacmel and Leogane etc. 47% of the total of schools have been affected by the quake!!  Most of these schools have suffered damage, if not collapsed completely. This of course means that in the beginning there were no proper building codes for the schools because anyone can build and run a school.. So most of the schools have not been built safely!! Now they have to check those that are still standing to see if they are safe to let kids back into them for this scholastic term. But the majority of the kids will have to have school in tents!! So once again the tent situation is critical.

 

He also said that sadly a whole generation of young people have been badly affected and this will now affect the Life Expectancy figures. Many thousands of young people and children died in the quake. Plus the Universities were affected by having lost many students - the future leaders/business people of this country.  Many professors died as well, as the Universities were in session at the time of the quake.

 

He counselled the leaders of the country not to talk, but to listen and learn from the situation - to listen to the people and to rebuild the country along much better lines.

 

A school  up in Fermathe, beyond the Baptist mission, over in the mountains, lost part of their roof and many kids died in the area because their parents had built poorly constructed houses - due to their poverty. We are trying to see how we can raise funds to help these people in this area which has not yet been receiving aid.  There are many scenes of people criticizing  the aid people and the government because they haven't yet received any help, but imagine the vast need of all these different little pockets of people around the capital and in Jacmel, Leogane and Petit Goave.

 

In Petit Goave there was a beautiful old house dating  from the mid 1800's which was the previous house of Emperor Soulouque (King Faustin 1er) and in the 1980's and 90's it was turned into a wonderful hotel called the Relais de l'Empereur. It was renowned at that time for receiving the Jetset of the world who came in to enjoy Haiti's beautiful beaches etc. Sadly it collapsed in the quake killing the owner and many people who were holding a political meeting.  

 

Keep Haiti in your hearts...

J....

Haiti - Exerpt from Paul Farmer (Partners in Health Organization) article

"...aid should be coordinated and conceived in a way that shores up Haitian capacity to respond. The planeload of surgeons mentioned above were responding to a call from the Haitian National University hospital. It should be noted that the leadership of that hospital (also surgeons) and the director of nursing have been at their posts for days. They are showing up to work even without the coordination and cash and supplies they need. Identifying such priceless local partners is important for many reasons related to relief and rescue, but it is most important for reasons related to recovery."                            Paul Farmer

2010 The Year of the Tiger: are you one ?

We are now entering the Year of the Tiger...

(Click image to enlarge)

 

Words from Haiti: 24th January 2010

These emails are coming from a friend of a friend.  This lady lives in and work in Haiti, clearly part of the ex-pat community there.  Much of her info is covered in the news but some of the more personal comments are interesting - eg the reported who is impressed with the calm and non violence - unlike the pillaging and shooting that we hear about in the media; it's no wonder that some of us grow cynical about what we read.  ("I read the newspaper avidly, it is my one form of continuous fiction"  A.C. Benson). 

Below the letter  are some recent news notes..

Subject: more news
Hi there friends. Well life goes on and so far in the last 24 hours we haven't had any aftershocks, but now I've said that they will probably come.  The radio was announcing that we have a 90% chance of having another earthquake at 4+!!! Please God no - the people have suffered enough and news like that is not helpful to anyone's mental health. I gather it's the US Seismology people who are saying this.

They are announcing 110,000 already dead and 250,000 injured and 3 million people affected.

Amazingly an 84 year old woman and a 22 year old guy were pulled out of the rubble after 10 days !! They reckon 132 people have been saved from under rubble and it's amazing that after these 10 terrible days they are actually alive!!

A French reporter was interviewed and she said she was impressed with the calm and non violence that was felt in the capital, despite news to the contrary.  This will be a chance to rebuild Haiti and change things for the good of the country. She said she didn't feel any insecurity.

The DR has done an assessment of the electricity situation and now they're costing it and hopefully things will start to happen.

Thank God, the banks were open today and we were able to get money. F… stood in line from 9am to about 12 midday to get some money out for me.
The Port is working partially - not fully and they are only receiving aid supplies - no ordinary commercial things.

Although there is only 30% of the gas stations working, the situation is much better.

300,000  have received food rations  thru the aid organisations this week.

134,000 people left the country on free flights to either the States or Canada.

There has been several concerts which are fundraising for Haiti.

I shall be glad when the supermarkets are open so you can go and get basic stuff like milk. G… is doing a great job finding what food and meat he can get every day.

The …. are still down at Aux Cayes so we don't have to worry about them.
My car is now back working thank God and so I'll be more mobile.

Q…. didn't need my help as they are very very well organised and are working as facilitators for the medical teams. I'm checking out where else I can be of help.

Simple things like taking a shower - you just take it so fast as you don't want to be caught in the shower when another aftershock, or worse an earthquake happens!!

Thanks again for your support and your thoughts.
 
NOTES..
       * The overall security situation remains calm. Fortunately, the weather has been kind to us. However, were it to rain heavily, the situation could worsen.

       * The Haitian National Police and MINUSTAH have taken measures to secure the re-opening of banks in Port-au-Prince, which will begin business on Saturday 23 January, according to bank representatives.

       * MINUSTAH’s UN Police reports that 70% of the manpower of the HNP throughout the country has been reporting for duty and performing their tasks this week.

       * The UN Police Commissioner, Gerard Chaumont, met last Wednesday with the US Ambassador in Haiti, Kenneth Merten, to discuss the construction of 50-100 supplementary housing areas for prison inmates in the PAP area.  The mobile units were already dispatched from the US.

       * Research and rescue operations are still ongoing. No live rescues have been reported during the past 24 hours. The total number of live rescues is 121 people, so far.

       * Around 8,700 people are living in eight camps in Jacmel, to whom MINUSTAH and WFP are providing food and drinking water. 


       * The SRSG, the Force Commander, and advisors to President Préval visited Jacmel and Leogane yesterday to examine the impact of the earthquake in those cities.  Out of the 2 cities, they noted Leogane was the hardest-hit, requiring urgent medical sanitary, and food assistance.   They also overflew the municipality of Gressier, located between Leogane and Carrefour, which was also severely affected.

           * According to WFP the port in Port-au-Prince, which has not been functioning since the earthquake, is now partially functioning.  For the moment, it can only receive humanitarian ships equipped with their own cranes. 

   *  Resumption of some economic activities, among which:

1.      The fact that 30% of the gas stations are operational and that there is no fuel shortage. 2.      The soft drinks industry is operational at 50%, and will be operational at 100% by next week. 3.      Most surviving supermarkets will be functioning by next week, and so will the manufacturing industry.  4.      Telecommunications is expected to be operational by the end of this week.

2 Commercial flights in and out of Haiti have not yet resumed their operations.  Delta Airlines may reportedly start operating twice a week, starting on 26 or 27 January.

Words from Haiti: 18th January 2010

Dr. T.. and  RN Karla are on full schedule already. we are based in a local hospital at the moment with doctors from a hospital in  America. Our hospital is inundated with more and more patients. there are other hospitals near by also need urgent help. there are about 150 patients waiting to be operated and there are other cases. people are losing their legs hands and life simply because the operation is not done on time. it is really a pathetic situation and we are working as hard as we can. But we need more help...   NV

Dont forget Darfur !! Read Amy Osborne's words..

"Why should I care about the people dying in Africa?” In one of the Darfur facebook groups that I'm in, someone posted a note on the wall that included the sentence "well if the villagers are too stupid to defend themselves...". I pointed out that they had been disarmed by their government so they couldn't defend themselves (though I may have worded it more strongly than that), but this person still wasn’t particularly concerned. My best friend pointed out, in reply to that post, “I’d like to see YOU try to defend yourself from a Kalashnikov”  Amy Osborne

As new crises, man-made or natural occur, its easy to forget those that continue.   Amy Osborne's blog on Darfur, is current, graphic and moving. Please read it    www.amyosborne.blogspot.com 

New help for single sided deafness (SSD) sufferers

Many millions of people worldwide suffer from 'single sided deafness' (SSD). Not having the 'stereo hearing' of two ears this makes 3D locating of sounds impossible and hence life more dangerous (walking in traffic etc). Picking up conversations in noisy rooms is also difficult Now a small device which picks up vibrations by a small microphone from the deaf ear and transmits to a small device that wraps around the teeth has been developed. (Sonitus Medical of San Mateo in California). The vibrations then travel through the bone to the working ear and the 'stereo sound' effect is thus reproduced. The device has been listed by the Cleveland Medical Clinic as its top medical device for 2010. It is now being tested with other forms of deafness.

Rose Charities supports Operation FIRST Rehab Surgery www.firstrose.org in Chea Chumneas Hospital, Takmau-Kandal, Cambodia. It is one of Cambodias leading ear surgical units (thanks to support by IMPACT).

Thought snip....

"Those who start out by burning books, end up by burning men"          William Napier