Emergencies

Contents

August 2010
Terre des Hommes Intervention on Behalf of Flood Victims in Pakistan and Afghanistan

Geneva, January 26, 2010
Earthquake in Haiti: Protecting Unaccompanied Children

January 15, 2009
Violent earthquake in Haiti : Terre des Hommes assists child victims

October 2009
Earthquake in Sumatra: From First Aid to Early Recovery Measures

February 2009
North-East Sri Lanka, 250,000 civilians caught in the fighting
Terre des Hommes calls for help for mothers and children

January 2009
Gaza Strip: Hygienic equipment and thermal protection for 1000 babies and as many families

September 2008
Terre des Hommes Helps Those Fleeing the Conflict in Georgia

May 16, 2008
Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar

January 2008
700 000 Palestinians flee from Gaza to Egypt

August 2010

Terre des Hommes Intervention on Behalf of Flood Victims in Pakistan and Afghanistan

Around 17.6 million people have been affected since one of the worst continuous floods ever has hit Pakistan, according to the UNOCHA (United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs). The floods have spread across an area from the Chinese border to the mouth of the Indus River. The death toll has risen to 1’600, and more than 2’360 people have been injured. A total of 1.2 million houses have been damaged or destroyed, leaving millions of people homeless and without any livelihoods. Large numbers of people are still stranded by floodwaters while the threat of new flood waves is still high.

Floodwaters, landslides and damaged infrastructure make it very difficult for relief organizations to reach a population in need of urgent help. The number of people needing assistance is expected to rise further, as assessments continue and access improves. The funding response to the Pakistan floods is improving, but much more is needed to meet the needs of the population.

Terre des Hommes (Foundation-Lausanne, jointly with sister organization Terre des Hommes Netherlands), already present in the region, has undertaken a needs assessment in the region of Peshawar and in the Afghan border area of Torkham. In Pakistan, Terre des Hommes will intervene through its partner, a local NGO, in two districts in the Peshawar zone (Charsadda and Nowshehra) to bring relief to 7’200 children and 3’600 adult family members. One objective is to help children to go back in school at the start of the school year (September 15th). They will receive school books, while at the same time, food items (flour, rice, oil) and non-food items such as tents, blankets, hygiene kits, and cooking utensils will be offered to their families. Shelters will be provided to families who took refuge in schools, and who will soon be forced to leave these places so that they are free for the children.

Afghanistan has also been affected by the floods. Terre des Hommes (Foundation-Lausanne, Switzerland) will intervene in the areas near the Pakistani border: the districts of Monandara and Lal Pura (province Nangahar). Food items and non-food items will be distributed. Terre des Hommes will contribute to the construction of health camps where it can provide medical treatment to the families displaced by the disaster. Severe cases will be transferred to the appropriate medical institutions. Child centres will also be set up, where children will have an opportunity to take part in recreational activities which will reassure them and help them to get back to normal.

For more information please click here

Geneva, January 26, 2010

Earthquake in Haiti: Protecting Unaccompanied Children

The Terre des Hommes* team has offered support to the medical team of the Les Cayes Hospital (180 km from Port-au-Prince) where 800 casualties arrived last week and a dozen continue to come every day. In addition, tents have been erected in the grounds of the hospital to take care of the less badly wounded, and to accommodate people accompanied by their relatives. The Terre des Hommes delegation has also installed latrines and provided access to drinking water, which is in desperately short supply in Les Cayes, as it is in the whole region following the earthquake. Terre des Hommes works in close collaboration with the other humanitarian agencies operating in Haiti.

Following the earthquake, many children have become separated from their families and have found themselves without shelter, food and other basic necessities. Terre des Hommes is joining its voice to those of numerous other agencies working for the rights of children, to remind that in such emergency situations, efforts to reunite children with their families or customary care-givers should be a priority. Interim care should ensure children’s protection and well-being. Terre des Hommes is also warning of the increased danger of child trafficking among unaccompanied and separated children, and advising that long-term care arrangements, including adoption, should not be made during the emergency phase.

“Terre des Hommes calls on donor countries to prepare a long-term plan after their first meeting in Montreal, which will enable Haiti not only to rebuild the areas affected by the earthquake, but also to engage in a long-term process of consolidating children’s rights ”, said Raffaele Salinari , Chairperson of the Terre des Hommes International Federation. Government estimates of the death toll following the earthquake, have now reached 112’250, with a further 194’000 injured. More than 235’000 people have left Port-au-Prince, and the number of people living in temporary shelter in Port-au-Prince could be as high as 800’000.

Terre des Hommes has worked in Haiti for decades to provide health, hygiene and nutrition programmes, and also to provide vulnerable children with educational opportunities and protection against violence and exploitation.

For more information

Terre des Hommes Denmark
Terre des Hommes Foundation (Lausanne, Switzerland)
Terre des Hommes Germany
Terre des Hommes Italy
Terre des Hommes Netherlands
Terre des Hommes Switzerland (Geneva)

January 15, 2009

Violent earthquake in Haiti : Terre des Hommes assists child victims

Following the 7.0 magnitude earthquake which devastated Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, casualty figures are increasing at medical facilities, while many victims have been left in the open or are still trapped in rubble. The death toll remains unknown. Terre des Hommes has been operating in Haiti for decades and is deploying first aid measures for affected children and their communities, while also preparing for the reconstruction phase.

TdH staff helping victims
copyrights : Tdh Fondation (Lausanne, Switzerland)

Terre des Hommes* is supporting children and communities in the affected areas, with EUR 133 000 already committed, and is sending a specialist team to reinforce its presence in Haiti, with the backing of Swiss Solidarity. In collaboration with local organisations, Terre des Hommes is planning the distribution of essential items to respond to the immediate needs of many thousands victims of the disaster.

Terre des Hommes will provide daily food rations, hygiene kits, and water containers to affected families, enabling them to cope with the large scale destruction following the earthquake. Its long collaboration with communities in Haiti should ensure substantial sanitary and food support for children and their families hit by the disaster.

“The Terre des Hommes organisations are mobilising their capacities in order to help the children of Haiti, in collaboration with local populations, not only during the first aid phase but also during reconstruction”, said Raffaele Salinari , Chairperson of the Terre des Hommes International Federation. Terre des Hommes will participate in the reconstruction phase by further assisting affected families and providing badly affected children with psycho-social support.

Terre des Hommes has worked in Haiti for many years to provide health, hygiene and nutrition programmes, and also to provide vulnerable children with educational opportunities and protection against violence and exploitation. Some of the project partner organisations of Terre des Hommes have suffered considerably as a result of the earthquake.

For more information :

Terre des Hommes Denmark
Terre des Hommes Germany
Terre des Hommes Italy
Terre des Hommes Netherlands
Terre des Hommes Foundation (Lausanne, Switzerland)
Terre des Hommes Switzerland (Geneva)

* Terre des Hommes Foundation Lausanne, Terre des Hommes Switzerland and Terre des Hommes Denmark supported by Terre des Hommes Germany, Terre des Hommes Italy, and Terre des Hommes Netherlands and Terre des Hommes Spain

Marie Jude, Tdh psychologist
copyrights : Tdh Fondation (Lausanne, Switzerland)

 

Nerlande, Tdh nurse, providing health care
copyrights : Tdh Fondation (Lausanne, Switzerland)

October 2009

Earthquake in Sumatra: From First Aid to Early Recovery Measures

The earthquakes, measuring 7.6, that struck the Padang area of Sumatra on September 30th and October 1st , have left more than 1000 people dead, 3000 missing, and thousands more homeless

In the North of the Padang area, in the Pariaman district, 90% of buildings were destroyed, including hospitals, according to Terre des Hommes (Germany). Many homeless people were unable to reach the aid camps, especially those from distant villages. “There are thousands of people who have left their houses and do not know where to shelter”, said Aron Cristolletti, from Terre des Hommes (Italy).
Furthermore, there is a significant lack of water, food and medical supplies, and personnel and their transport are still hindered by damaged facilities. According to Terre des Hommes (Netherlands), damaged roads and bridges still cut off access to surrounding provinces/cities.
Terre des Hommes (Foundation Lausanne/Switzerland, Germany, Italy, and Netherlands) began working on October 1st. TDHIF was one of the first organizations to provide assistance to the victims, thanks to its pre-existing presence in the area. “Our operators give priority to the children, as per our mission statement, to both the injured and those indirectly affected by the quake”, said Mr Cristolletti. Basic relief packages have already been provided, including water, food, medical supplies, and blankets.

Terre des Hommes (Foundation, Lausanne/Switzerland) has already allocated 100 000 CHF to its emergency actions, and will provide assistance to about 6000 children and their families. Meanwhile, in the devastated North Pariaman area, Terre des Hommes (Germany) has set up a hospital to better treat injured people, to which it has allocated 30 000€. The total sum contributed by Terre des Hommes (Germany) amounts to approximately 85.000€. According to Roosa Sibarni, Terre des Hommes crisis coordinator in Sumatra, up to 200 people per day will be treated there.
Terre des Hommes (Italy) is also helping the local health authorities to build field hospitals near the destroyed ones, as well as to provide drugs and medical aid to the victims. Having assessed the needs of the victims, TdH (Netherlands) is currently in Phase I of its programme to which it has allocated 286 500€. From October 11th to December 15th, Terre des Hommes (Netherlands), as well as its partners (for example Yayasan Bina Vitalis, an NGO based in Palembang), will be concentrating their activities around relief in five areas: water, sanitation, infant kits, temporary schools and psychosocial support. Aimed at fulfilling children’s needs, Phase II, which will last one year, will be a recovery phase, and will focus on mental recovery and a protection program for the affected children.

The Terre des Hommes organizations will also start a post-emergency aid plan, with protection and psychosocial activities, in order to help children to overcome the traumas caused by the catastrophe.
Therefore, Terre des Hommes plans to introduce psychosocial/recreational activities within the schools, using this environment to improve the psychosocial status of the children. The idea of setting up psychosocial/recreational activities in each temporary school will help the children to better cope with the situation, by providing a safe environment and by working with them on self-esteem and resilience to pass through this event as best as possible. As part of this plan, it will also run reconstruction and livelihood programmes based on experience gained with previous natural disasters in the area, for example to cater for parents as they start to rebuild their home. Indeed, in the aftermath of the earthquake, the population is facing numerous losses going from loss of relatives to houses and goods. Parents who themselves are in difficulty, find it challenging to adequately care for their children and to have appropriate responses to meet their needs, especially psychological needs, because they are in distressed as well.

For more information please visit the Terre des Hommes national websites:

TdH Foundation in Lausanne/Switzerland - http://www.tdh.ch
TdH Germany - http://www.tdh.de/content/index.htm
TdH Italy - http://www.tdhitaly.org
TdH Netherlands - http://www.terredeshommes.nl

February 2009

North-East Sri Lanka, 250,000 civilians caught in the fighting
Terre des Hommes calls for help for mothers and children

In north-eastern Sri Lanka, children and the civilian population are unprotected, trapped in the war between the Sri Lankan army and the Tamil Eelam forces (LTTE). With its 430 collaborators in health care a few hours drive from this hell, the Terre des Hommes Foundation (Lausanne, Switzerland) is asking, together with other humanitarian organisations, for access to the victims and displaced people.

Around 250,000 children and civilians, caught into the merciless fighting between the governmental forces and the rebels, are on the run, deprived of shelter, food and medical care. According to the UN, at least 300 people were killed, and more than 1000 hospitalised during January 2009. A total of 248 children under 15 were injured last week, said the Sri Lankan government.
The Terre des Hommes Foundation (Lausanne, Switzerland) provides health care to some 30,000 children and relatives in eastern Sri Lanka, with the help of 430 Tamil (from the North-East in particular), Muslim and Singhalese employees. It is the largest international humanitarian organisation operating in the Batticaloa district, and it delivers health care to 150 villages. A year ago, the Terre des Hommes Foundation (Lausanne, Switzerland) rescued thousands of mothers and children displaced by the civil war. Terre des Hommes is willing to rapidly extend basic health services in the camps of displaced people in the North-East of Sri Lanka.
According to Reinhard Fichtl, the Terre des Hommes Foundation (Lausanne, Switzerland) delegate in Sri Lanka: “Rescuing the victims is a matter of urgency, given the abuses committed and the obstacles imposed by both sides in the conflict, which must respect international humanitarian law. But whatever the outcome of the war, the country should make significant reforms, which would help the Tamil minority to secure its political and cultural identity.”
The Terre des Hommes Foundation (Lausanne, Switzerland) has been present for 31 years in Sri Lanka to protect children, support vulnerable children with psychological and social care, and to ensure maternal and infant health.

January 2009

Gaza Strip: Hygienic equipment and thermal protection for 1000 babies and as many families

Health Centres Resume Functioning in Gaza and Khan Younes

Since 22 January, supported by the Terre des Hommes Foundation (Lausanne, Switzerland), the health centres of Gaza City and Khan Younes have been able once again to receive mothers and children, and meet their most pressing health needs after the war. A reinforced Terre des Hommes team brought blankets, warm clothing and hygienic equipment, essential for 1000 babies and as many families.

Since the ceasefire, the organization Ard el Insan, which has been supported by the Terre des Hommes Foundation (Lausanne, Switzerland) since its creation in 1997, has evaluated the extent of the destruction and the needs of the surviving families. Since last Thursday, the organization has resumed advice and support for mothers and children in its health centres in Khan Younes and in Gaza City. Ard el Insan will be able to store and distribute to the most fragile nutritious food, hygienic equipment and protection against the cold, which have been conveyed with many difficulties through the occupying forces. During the forthcoming months, it plans to develop psychosocial support for children and their relatives, with the support of Terre des Hommes.

“The destruction of three weeks of war is enormous, especially after months of blockage which already suffocated the inhabitants of the Gaza strip”, said the delegate of the Terre des Hommes Foundation (Lausanne, Switzerland) regarding the occupied Palestinian territories. “Children suffer the worst: 410 of them died. 1855 are injured, according to the UN. Many suffer from cold, disease and lack of food. Relief provides a little hope”.

Active since 1973, the Terre des Hommes Foundation (Lausanne, Switzerland) has strengthened its team with a logistics expert and a specialist on programs for child survivors of war. A partner of Swiss solidarity (Chaîne du Bonheur), Terre des Hommes is making
200 000 CHF available for relief to mothers and children in the Gaza strip. Other contributions will be added to this amount soon.

In addition, Terre des Hommes is ready to activate its network to provide surgery in Europe for injured children who require specialized care.

September 2008

Terre des Hommes Helps Those Fleeing the Conflict in Georgia

2000 Children and Relatives Supported in Tbilisi and Gori

The Terre des Hommes Foundation (Lausanne, Switzerland) has ensured that 2000 people displaced by the conflict in Georgia will receive protection and support as of September. In Gori and Tbilisi, recreational centres will help children to deal with violence and anxiety, and to regain strength and self-confidence.

Terre des Hommes brings protection and psychosocial support to displaced children by the conflict in Georgia.
(copyright Alexandre Chevallier/Tdh)

The Head of the Emergency Humanitarian Assistance Unit of the Terre des Hommes Foundation (Lausanne, Switzerland), Jean-Marie Dubey, has just returned from Georgia: "In the centres that shelter people displaced by the war, everything is missing: water, health services, electricity, as well as a private space to preserve intimacy… Children have almost no games to play with during the very long days, only of a few chunks of wood. The stress and the tensions are evident. And the worsening of East-West relations does not improve prospects for a future return to home."

Terre des Hommes is collaborating with the Faculty of Psychology at the University of Tbilisi, and with other Georgian psychologists, to support children and vulnerable relatives. Assisted by social workers, some 40 volunteers recruited from among the displaced persons will be trained in animation techniques and will help around 800 children – through play, painting or sport – to strengthen their self-esteem, express their creativity, and develop their capacity to cooperate and overcome difficulties. Parents will have the opportunity to meet regularly in groups to help each other during the crisis. Depending on the need, some vulnerable children and adults will be directed to other relief agencies active in the region, which also intervene on the ground.

After natural disasters or wars, Terre des Hommes sets up a system to provide protection and psycho-social support for children and their families through recreation centres and a network of social action. Elaborated in Algeria in 2003 after the earthquake, this model has restored the emotional and behavioural balance and the sociability of thousands of children in Iran (Bam earthquake), Sudan (Darfur conflict), Sri Lanka (after the tsunami), Pakistan (2005 earthquake) and Lebanon (after the summer 2006 war).

May 16, 2008

Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar

Cyclone Nargis struck Myanmar on 2 and 3 May 2008, sweeping through the Irrawaddy delta region and the country’s largest city Yangon. Five states and divisions (Yangon, Irrawaddy, Bago, Mon and Kayin) have been declared to be disaster areas. Basic infrastructures and roads, have been almost entirely destroyed The official figures are 77,738 people dead and 55,917 missing, however unofficial figures are much higher. The humanitarian community indicates that 500,000 people are receiving some form of international assistance. This is substantially less than the 2.4 million estimated to be affected, of whom more than half (1.4 million) in severely affected areas requiring prioritized assistance.

Terre des Hommes (Germany, Italy, Netherlands and Terre des Hommes Foundation in Lausanne/Switzerland) has been one of the first to help survivors after the cyclone due to a prior presence in the country.

photo : Reuters/Stringer

Terre des Hommes is helping villages in the outskirts of Yangon. It distributes emergency aid materials and has started the cleaning and restoration of the sewage systems. Some 4'500 people, including 2'500 children, are benefiting from this direct help. Furthermore, Terre des Hommes provides five child centres with clothes, generators and water supply and supports a rural health centre with oral rehydration salts packages.

photo : Reuters/Stringer

Terre des Hommes is also supporting its local partners for operations that will benefit to approximately 20’000 victims in the Irrawaddy and Yangon divisions including distribution of medicine, water, purification tablets, food aid and blankets.

photo : Reuters/Stringer

For more information please visit the Terre des Hommes national sites :

TdH Foundation in Lausanne/Switzerland - http://www.tdh.ch
TdH Germany - http://www.tdh.de/content/index.htm
TdH Italy - http://www.tdhitaly.org
TdH Netherlands - http://www.terredeshommes.nl

January 2008

700 000 Palestinians flee from Gaza to Egypt

Terre des Hommes goes to Rafah to evaluate families’ needs

After the wall separating Gaza and Egypt was blown apart by a series of explosions in January 2008, the Terre des Hommes Foundation (Lausanne) asked its delegate in Cairo to evaluate the needs of children and their families in Rafah. Some 700 000 Palestinians left Gaza for Egypt to get basic sanitary goods before the partial closure of the opening by the Egyptian army.

The children of Gaza have already endured an oil embargo and electricity failure, as well as the resulting loss of heating and gas. But the lack of food and the deteriorating sanitary situation due to repeated water-cuts have worsened this difficult humanitarian context.

The embargo also affects the beneficiaries of the sanitary aid programme (including food support) implemented by the local organisation Ard el Insan (TDH in Arabic), an organisation created and supported by Terre des Hommes (Foundation /Lausanne) in the field.