Good things come to those who wait and those ‘things’ came today in the form of relief supplies to the Haitian people.
The Haitian Red Cross along with the Red Cross societies of Belgium, Netherlands, Luxemburg and France conducted their first distribution of non-food items at a temporary shelter known as Daihatsu along the main artery that leads to the airport in Port-au-Prince.
Early this morning the crew of Haitian Red Cross volunteers assigned to conduct this distribution assembled at the Red Cross village in Chabouma to begin their mission. Mrs. Ferna Victor, Branch Director of the Haitian Red Cross gathered her troops for an operations briefing before setting out. She recalls the last time she oversaw such an operation, “The last major intervention was in 2007 following tropical storm Noel which affected Nippes. On that occasion we had to train volunteers in the field.”
With 13 branches and over 110 local committees, Mrs. Victor has a hefty task coordinating the work of the Red Cross throughout the island. However, today, her job was made easy by the fact that most of the volunteers have been with the Red Cross for many years. Olwich Bazile, a Red Cross volunteer and Economics student whose university was destroyed in the earthquake, chimed in, “ Now we are specialists.” Another volunteer, Martine St. Louis, who works as a nurse, added, “The society needs people who help them. That’s why we are here.”
Evaluation teams have been visiting temporary shelter sites across Port-au-Prince to identify and assess the needs of those made homeless due to the earthquake. Many persons whose houses are still standing have also opted to stay at these shelters out of fear of aftershocks and the uncertainty of possible impacts on their homes. Last Sunday, Haitian Red Cross volunteers distributed tickets to the persons identified during the evaluation with the promise of returning to distribute relief supplies. Today, the Haitian Red Cross delivered on that promise.
Tanya Petit-Frère was the first in line and first to receive the long awaited relief supplies which consisted of blankets, tarpaulins, a kitchen kit with pots and cooking utensils and a hygiene kit with toiletries. Petit-Frère is a 23 year-old mother of one child and a baby due in April. A hair stylist by profession, Petit-Frère glowed when she saw the wide-toothed comb in the box of goodies. She joked, “I can comb your hair with that and make you look like me.” Barely had she and her sister inspected the contents of the boxes, than she pulled out the comb and generously offered to style the author’s hair. It was an offer that could not be refused.
To date 7000 persons in different districts of Port-au-Prince have been given relief distribution tickets. 350 persons received supplies on Tuesday and distribution continues to other districts including Croix des Prés, Camp Simon, Camp Pélé and others.
Author: Gennike Mayers , IFRC, Caribbean Office
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| Mrs. Ferna Victor (centre), Branch Director of the Haitian Red Cross, briefs her team of volunteers. |
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| Olwich Bazile, a Red Cross volunteer and Economics student is eager to go out in the field. His friends in the background all agree. |
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| An orderly line of persons await their turn to collect relief items. |
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| An overview of the Daihatsu camp |
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| Haitian Red Cross volunteers verify the list of registered beneficiaries. |
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| Tanya Petit-Frère gets help to carry her new supplies back to her tent. |
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| A truck load of relief makes its way to the people of Haiti |
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| Smiles of satisfaction from Red Cross beneficiaries |
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