Aid Success Story Archives - Page 13 of 16

First signs of reconstruction in Haiti

19/05/2010 Aid Success Story, Conflicts and Disasters, Emergencies, Emergencies in Haiti, Haiti, Latin America by Caritas Communications

By Mathilde Magnier As the resettlement of hundreds of thousands of earthquake victims in Port-au-Prince becomes ever more challenging ahead of the rainy season, Caritas starts setting up temporary shelter in rural areas. Bolivar Tasic is resting. The burning sun at midday is wearing her out. Sitting in the shade of the only tree on ...

Children’s laughter returns to Haiti

14/05/2010 Aid Success Story, Conflicts and Disasters, Emergencies, Emergencies in Haiti, Haiti, Latin America by Caritas Communications

By Mathilde Magnier in Haiti “The children’s laughter just changes the atmosphere, it is the most therapeutic thing in the world ! Since we started with activities for the little ones, things have really changed around here,” says David Valeus. He has a ball in one hand and a paintbrush in the other one. Life is ...

Back to school in Haiti

14/05/2010 Aid Success Story, Conflicts and Disasters, Emergencies, Emergencies in Haiti, Haiti, Latin America by Caritas Communications

By Mathilde Magnier Seated on a little bench in the shade of the large tarpaulins that are used as class rooms on her former school playground, Kethia Phélizaire is straightening the creases on her skirt and brushing of dust from her sandals with great care. “I need to take good care of my school uniform, ...

Helping children in Haiti rebuild their lives

30/04/2010 Aid Success Story, Conflicts and Disasters, Emergencies, Emergencies in Haiti, Haiti, Latin America by Caritas Communications

By Mathilde Magnier, Communications Officer in Haiti Protecting children remains a priority after the 12 January earthquake in Haiti. Four out of ten people are under 14 years old. The disaster threatens a child population that was already very vulnerable before the disaster. Caritas child protection staff reach more than 2,000 children with counselling in ...

Graffiti for change in Haiti

30/04/2010 Aid Success Story, Conflicts and Disasters, Disaster Preparedness, Emergencies, Emergencies in Haiti, Haiti, Latin America by Caritas Communications

By Mathilde Magnier Graffiti artist Jerry has been covering the walls of Haiti’s relief camps with his works of art. His objective is tough is to encourage the Haitians to apply basic hygiene principles. “I am spraying for change. It is my mission to talk to the Haitian people,” says Jerry. He has a spray ...

Haitians making a living through cash-for-work

30/04/2010 Aid Success Story, Conflicts and Disasters, Emergencies, Emergencies in Haiti, Haiti, Latin America by Caritas Communications

Many Haitians have been left jobless after the dramatic quake that struck Port-au-Prince on January 12, claiming the lives of over 225,000 people. Two months after the event, employment is one of the most pressing issues in Haiti. Cash-for-work programmes remain the most significant sources of income in a country where up to 70 percent ...

Resettling earthquake survivors in Haiti

31/03/2010 Aid Success Story, Conflicts and Disasters, Emergencies, Emergencies in Haiti, Haiti, Latin America by Caritas Communications

Following Haiti’s earthquake in January 1.3 million people are homeless. They are spread across 200 camps and they live in desperately precarious situations. As the rainy season arrives it is essential to resettle these vulnerable people. “These tents are spacious! At least we’ll stay dry tonight. But we’re so far from the centre of the ...

Putting a roof over the heads of Chile’s quake survivors

31/03/2010 Aid Success Story, Chile, Conflicts and Disasters, Disaster Preparedness, Emergencies, Emergency in Chile, Latin America by Caritas Communications

By Andreas Lexer, Caritas Communications Officer in Chile Iloca used to be a beautiful little village everybody went to in the summer, about 100 km away from the city of Talca. The blue, red and yellow coloured houses built on poles were close to the shore, the river ran in to the sea just in ...

Caritas working to rebuild lives in Congo

31/03/2010 Africa, Aid Success Story, Conflicts and Disasters, Congo, Democratic Republic of, Emergencies, Emergencies in Congo by Caritas Communications

Caritas works in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo by providing humanitarian relief to victims of the conflict through Caritas Goma. Life as a survivor of sexual violence In ten parishes, Caritas Goma has set up centres where rape victims can get help from psychologists. “The most important part of my work is to give my ...

Baghdad’s beehive: a day in the life of Caritas Iraq

30/03/2010 Aid Success Story, Conflicts and Disasters, Development, Emergencies, Iraq, Middle East & North Africa, Peacebuilding by Caritas Communications

Caritas centres are dotted across the poorer areas of Baghdad. The typical working day of a Caritas employee begins with traffic jams, road checkpoints, closed streets, and, in some cases, bomb explosions. It takes some workers up to two hours to get to the centres, although they live less than 10 km away. They need ...