Haiti earthquake: Trócaire’s Response

1. Haiti earthquake: Trócaire’s Response

2. Haiti: Fact file Haiti is and island located in the Caribbean. • Capital: Port-au-Prince • Population: 8,400,000 • Language: French • Religion: Catholic, Protestantism & Voodoo Source: trocaire.org

3. Haiti Earthquake: Facts • On 12th January, at 16.53h local time, an earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter Scale hit a highly populated area in Ouest Province of Haiti, 17km south west of the capital city, Port-au-Prince.

4. Haiti: Context • Haiti is the poorest country in the Americas. • Annual income per person is $560. • It is ranked 146th out of the 177 countries in the world on United Nations Human Development Index. • 78% of people were already were living on less than $2 per day before the disaster. • Haiti is also one of the most disaster prone countries in the world due to its high latitude tropics, mountainous terrain and severely degraded environment. • Nearly every year brings extreme climate shocks. In particular flash foods as recent as September 2008; four consecutive storms and hurricanes which killed 800 people and another 800,000 also affected. • Take Action • Check out www.trocaire.org for background information on Haiti before the earthquake occurred. Hold a classroom debate on the following topic: ‘It is more important to reduce poverty around the world than to raise money for disaster relief’.

5. The latest figures estimate that 200,000 people have died since the earthquake struck (as of 20/01/10).

6. Hundreds of thousands of people have been left homeless.

7. United Nations (UN) estimated that 3.5 million people will be affected by the quake. UN emergency teams estimate that over half of the buildings in the worst hit area’s, have been damaged or destroyed.

8. Trócaire’s Response… • Trócaire has been working in Haiti since 1991. • Through our partners, Caritas Internationalis, Caritas Haiti and Catholic Relief Services, Trócaire will be responding to those worst effected by the disaster for quick delivery of emergency aid. • Trócaire’s partners have been working in Haiti for a number of years. They know the area and the people very well and so were able to respond to those most in need immediately. • Caritas Haiti is the local branch of Caritas Internationalis. Within hours of the earthquake their staff were providing food and temporary shelter for survivors. • In addition to running over 200 hospitals and medical centres in Haiti, Caritas Haiti has access to their network of parishes allowing them have direct contact with communities.

9. Catholic Relief Service (CRS) was able to respond immediately. CRS is distributing food and water to desperate quake survivors in Port-au-Prince.

10. Trócaire’s emergency programme manager Maurice McQuillan said , ‘The immediate needs are for tents for provisional shelters, covers, clothing, clean water, food, psychological support, first aid materials, drugs, flashlights and batteries’.

11. Emergency workers are still trying to save the lives of those trapped and buried. • The main priority will be to provide food, water , healthcare and shelter to survivors. • Trócaire’s Director, Justin Kilcullen stated ‘We need to ensure that we respond not only to the material needs of those affected but also to concerns around safety and security of the most vulnerable’. Hygiene Kits

12. Curriculum Activities. • Junior Cert: CSPE (Section 4- Ireland & the Wider World) • Concepts: Interdependence and Development. • Gather news stories, pictures and information from national newspapers and from the sources listed below. • www.trocaire.org • http://news.bbc.co.uk • http://www.alertnet.org • www.guardian.co.uk • www.reliefweb.int • Hold an awareness display at your school. • Put a presentation together and show it to other classes. • Hand out information flyers.

13. Curriculum Activities. • Junior Cert: Geography (Unit A1: The earth’s surface: shaping the crust) • Look up a map of the world and mark out all the countries an earthquake has occurred in the last 10 years. • Look up the following words: • Epicentre • Seismic Waves • Richter Scale • Hypocentre

14. Curriculum Activities. • Junior Cert: English (Social Literacy) • In emergencies, like the earthquake in Haiti, it is often argued that people who already live in poverty, that suffer the most. People living in poverty are vulnerable to start with. For example, the houses they live in are often made from poor quality material. • Hold a classroom debate on the following topic: • ‘ The poorest areas are the ones that suffer the most during and after a natural disaster’.

15. Curriculum Activities. Prayer for Reflection God of all creation, as we weep with our family in Haiti, console us. In this time of crisis, open our eyes to look beyond the disasterto see Christ in our brothers and sisters in Haiti, as Christ sees us. Be with all creation; strengthen us in solidarity with those living and working in Haiti. All creation returns to you in mourning and your grace guides our efforts to feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, comfort the grieving and stand for justice. With your mercy, sustain us at this time as we continue to work for peace and justice. Amen. Care of Catholic Relief Services/CRS

16. Trócaire would like to acknowledge our partner Caritas Internationalis for allowing us to use their photos. www.caritas.org.