Scots Aid Workers at Heart of Haiti Relief Operation
21 January 2010
Scots Aid workers from DEC member agencies are at the heart of the massive emergency relief operation in Haiti.
The latest Scot to fly to the earthquake-ravaged country, where tens of thousands have died and millions more lost their homes, is 30-year-old Sharon Reader of the British Red Cross. Sharon, from Glasgow, left for Port-au-Prince this morning (Thursday) as part of an emergency response hygiene unit, with 200 emergency toilets, a mini JCB digger and other essential hygiene kit. This equipment will deal with the sanitation needs of up to 20,000 people in the aftermath of the disaster.
Sharon said:
"With so many thousands of people living out in the open air, sanitation becomes absolutely paramount to prevent the spread of disease. It's important to get good, safe toilets built for public health reasons, and to give people some dignity in this desperate situation. We will also be doing hygiene promotion work to help people keep clean and safe. The work of our team will be absolutely vital for making sure survivors, who have already been through so much, continue to stay healthy."
Sharon joins other Scots aid workers already on the ground in Haiti who, shocked by the devastation, are calling on Scots to keep donating to the DEC Appeal.
John Kerr from Edinburgh is a logistician with Oxfam. John is working round the clock in Port-au-Prince with other Oxfam aid workers - including Kenny Rae, also from Edinburgh - to get the aid to those who need it most.
John said:
"The situation here is totally desperate. People are walking round with their world's possession on their heads, panicked and terrified of aftershocks. The devastation is hard to believe.
"I arrived on a plane with ten tonnes of Oxfam water, sanitation, health and shelter equipment, including chlorine for drinking water treatment, buckets, plastic sheeting and, tragically, more body bags. My job is now to help get this aid to the most vulnerable people.
"We couldn't have done this without the help and generosity of the Scottish people, who have already donated over £3 million. But the need is huge and we need more funds. Oxfam is in this for the long haul. I'm asking Scots to dig deep and support our aid effort. Every small donation adds up to make a huge difference."
Sarah Wilson, 43, grew up in Kirkcaldy and is in Haiti as part of Christian Aid's assessment team. Sarah is working on-the-ground with Christian Aid's Haitian partners to provide emergency relief items - food, tents for shelter, jerry cans, blankets and hygiene kits - to more than 15,000 people in eight different locations surrounding Port-au-Prince.
Sarah said:
"Thankfully, we now have teams of doctors and nurses working in areas around the epicentre and also in Matissant, formerly a very deprived slum near Port-au-Prince.
"There are so many personal tragedies here. On Wednesday, I met a woman who still has not heard from her husband since the quake. Clement Celis was in the shower when the earthquake struck and she said 'it was like being caught up in a giant wave.' Her daughter and three sons survived but there is still no word from her husband.
"She has now received two 5-gallon gerry cans and plastic sheeting for shelter and a blanket from one of our local partners."
To make a donation to the DEC Haiti Earthquake Appeal visit www.dec.org.uk or call 0370 60 60 900, or text "GIVE" to 70077 (donates £5 to the DEC for Haiti (UK only)), donate over the counter at any post office or high street bank, or send a cheque made payable to 'DEC Haiti Earthquake Appeal' to 'PO Box 999, London, EC3A 3AA'.
Anyone who wants to stay up to date with developments in Haiti, the emergency response and the fundraising efforts can follow the DEC on twitter at http://twitter.com/decappeal or become a fan of Disasters Emergency Committee on Facebook.
