O.N.E - February 2010

February 2O1O

This photograph was taken before the earthquake of 12 January 2010.

Please help the people of Haiti rebuild their homes, their communities, their lives.

HELP HAITIdonation hotline 3120 5000

online donations www.oxfam.org.hk

HELP HAITIdonation hotline 3120 5000

online donations www.oxfam.org.hk

O.N.E February 2O1O �

after the earthquakeHaiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere

before the earthquakeHaiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere

Population : 9 million

Population living on less than US$2 a day : 6.84 million (76%)

Population not using safe drinking water : 3.78 million (42%)

Debt : US$890 million

Infant mortality rate per 1,000 live births : 48.8

Children underweight for age : 22%

Probability of not surviving to age of forty : 18.5%

Adult literacy rate : 38%

Adults living with HIV-AIDS : about 120,000

Telephone subscribers : 15.6 out of 100 people

Internet users : 7 out of 100 people

CO2 emission rates (metric tons per capita) : 0.2

Source: United Nations Statistics Division and United Nations Development Programme

Oxfam is providing

Drinking water for about 400,000 people

Hygiene and sanitation services in 14 urban and rural locations

Latrines also provided for people with disabilities

Therapeutic activities with children

Emergency shelter

Cash-for-work, such as for clearing rubble and constructing latrines, began on 24 January

More than 60 tons of Oxfam supplies have been sent from Canada, England, Panama and SpainInformation correct as of 25 January 2010

For updates, please visit Oxfam International website: http://www.oxfam.org/en/emergencies/haiti-earthquake

Oxfam has been working in Haiti since 1978 on three main areas: sustainable livelihoods (such as coffee cooperatives); disaster management (not just to prepare for earthquakes, but also against floods and hurricanes) and access to education, water, health care and electricity).

OXFAM in THE PRESSMetro Hong Kong, 20 January 2010 (in Chinese): /www.metrohk.com.hk/index.php?cmd=detail&id=126453&search=1

The Standard, 22 January 2010 (in English): www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=20&art_id=93476&sid=26769760&con_type=1

A collection of reports from Oxfam and others: http://haitiquake.posterous.com/

HAITI FACTS

OXFAM in HAITI


Two children in a makeshift shelter / Photo: Jorge Silva, Reuters, courtesy www.alertnet.org

14January

Aid delivery on the way / Photo: Joe Raedle, courtesy of Getty Images

16January


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXgmCkuuQtU

Public figures supporting Oxfam’s response in Haiti:

“THE UNITED NATIONS REGULARLY CALLS ON OXFAM”Haiti's clean water supply and its drainage system have been damaged, and the risk is that diarrhoeal disease

will break out. Water in the damaged drainage system will attract mosquitoes, which can cause other infectious

diseases. Survivors are already weakened, and these diseases can be fatal.

I call on Hong Kong people to support Oxfam to carry out humanitarian responses in Haiti. The United

Nations regularly calls on Oxfam to coordinate water-sanitation work; Oxfam's expertise in this area is held in

high international regard.

Dr. Lo Wing-lok, Infectious Disease Specialist; Association Member, Oxfam Hong Kong / in a media statement on 15 January

“I CALL ON HONG KONG PEOPLE”I visited the affected areas of Sichuan Earthquake with Oxfam Hong Kong in 2008. I understand survivors of

earthquake need help from others, especially in water supply, sanitary facilities and temporary housing. Oxfam’s

relief work fulfill the current needs of the survivors in Haiti. The damage and scale of the Haiti Earthquake is large,

and the country’s poverty heightens the survivors’ vulnerability. I call on Hong Kong people to take immediate

action, supporting Oxfam’s relief efforts to help people in Haiti.

Denise Ho, singer and actress; Oxfam Ambassador, Oxfam Hong Kong / in a media statement on 15 January

“A COUNTRY OF EXTREME POVERTY”I visited Haiti with Oxfam a few years ago. It's a country of extreme poverty and brutal living conditions.

Most people in Port-au-Prince live in tin shacks. The earthquake that has struck Haiti will have turned the city

into an unimaginable hell.

Chris Martin, singer of Coldplay, in a media statement on 14 January; He went to Haiti with Oxfam in 2002

“WE CAN TRANSMIT HOPE”All of us in our staff, we’re all affected as the rest of the population, losing our houses, losing our family – in

my case, my mum… I buried my mother in our garden; and I know many other people have done the same…

As Oxfam staff, we can maintain hope and we can transmit hope, since we know as Oxfam we will have

some resources to help people…

It’s like we are starting from zero…There is no capacity within the government, because so many were

killed. Not only that, but important sections of the population are dead. We lost a lot of famous professionals

and experts, who were unique in their fields. They’ve died. Some prominent figures in the feminist movement

were also lost.

In spite of this, I think it can be a moment to see our need to work, to change direction and the direction of

others… It can be an opportunity and can be shared.

Yolette Etienne, on 18 January, Oxfam Great Britain Country Director, Haiti

OXFAM STARS

OXFAM VOICES

Bono / Coldplay / Colin Firth / Denise Ho / Djimon Hounsou / Scarlett Johansson / Annie Lennox / Chris Martin / Pearl Jam / Pet Shop Boys / Radiohead / Rosemary Vandenbroucke and more…



An open air Catholic mass / Photo: Jorge Silva, Reuters, courtesy www.alertnet.org

17January

Installing an Oxfam water tank to hold 10,000 litres/ Photo: Caroline Gluck, Oxfam

18January


1 / DONATETelephone hotline : (852) 3120 5000 Online donations : www.oxfam.org.hk

� / LEARN AbOUT HAITI Go to HELP HAITI: http://www.oxfam.org.hk/public/

� / TAKE ACTION TO CANCEL HAITI’S DEbTwww.oxfam.org.uk/get_involved/campaign/actions/haiti_drop_the_debt.html

� / FUNDRAISE FOR HAITI Collect donations among friends, relatives, and colleagues and send to Oxfam

� / JOIN EVENTS FOR HAITI� Feb / Hong Kong for Haiti – A Relief Benefit for the People of Haiti / www.hongkongforhaiti.com /

11 Feb / Project C:CHANGE – 6 people from Hong Kong will climb Mt. Kilimanjaro / http://twitter.com/projectcchange

1�-�8 Feb / Exhibition at Foreign Correspondents’ Club, Hong Kong / www.fcchk.org /

“THE WHOLE CITY WAS SINGING”In my thirteen years of working in Haiti, not once before have I seen such massive destruction as we are

experiencing now. Nor have I seen such motivation, determination, compassion, and solidarity among people…

the city had fallen and was continuing to fall as a result of continuous aftershocks. The streets were full of people

sitting together. Everyone was sitting in the middle of the roads for fear that the houses would continue to

fall on them. They were singing. The whole city was singing. They were singing songs of solidarity. They were

singing songs of thanks and praise that they were still able to sing and to be together. These people have lost

everything. The city is now a city of refugees. But they are putting their voices together to be thankful.

Amber Munger, on 15 January 2010, a community worker with the Haiti group, Konpay

“IN HAITI, NObODY EVER REALLY DIES”Today is a good day to remember that in Haiti, nobody ever really dies. The many thousands who've had the

breath crushed out of their bodies in the earthquake, and the thousands more who will not physically survive

the aftermath, will undergo instead a translation of state, according to the precepts of Haitian Vodou, some

form of which is practiced by much of the population. Spirits of the Haitian dead — sa nou pa we yo, those we

don’t see — do not depart as in other religions but remain extremely close to the living, invisible but tangible,

inhabiting a parallel universe on the other side of any mirror, beneath the surface of all water, just behind the

veil that divides us from our dreams.Madison Smartt bell, author of a trilogy on Haiti,

in The New York Times, 17 January 2010

“WE ARE UGLY, bUT WE ARE HERE”There is a Haitian saying which might upset the aesthetic images of most women. Nou led, Nou la, it says.

We are ugly, but we are here. Like the modesty that is somewhat common in Haitian culture, this saying makes

a deeper claim for poor Haitian women than maintaining beauty, be it skin deep or otherwise. For most of us,

what is worth celebrating is the fact that we are here, that we against all the odds exist. To the women who

might greet each other with this saying when they meet along the countryside, the very essence of life lies in

survival. It is always worth reminding our sisters that we have lived yet another day to answer the roll call of an

often painful and very difficult life.Edwidge Danticat, Haitian-born author, in The Caribbean Writer, Volume 10, 1996

OTHER VOICES

WHAT YOU CAN DO

HONG KONG TO HAITI: The Hong Kong public has donated over HK$25 million to the effort, and counting...As of 29 January, the Hong Kong SAR Government Disaster Relief Fund has contributed HK$8 million (US$1.03 million)


“All of us in our staff, we’re all affected as the rest of the population, losing our houses, losing our family – in my case, my mum… I buried her in our garden…

As Oxfam staff, we only can maintain hope and we can transmit hope, since we know as Oxfam we will have some resources to help people.”

- Yolette Etienne, Oxfam Country Director/ Photo: Caroline Gluck, Oxfam

18January

30 tons of Oxfam water and sanitation equipment leaving East Midlands Airport, England/ Photos: Doug Marke, Page One Photography

19January

O.N.E February 2O1O 8

LISTENINg, TALkINg:KEY fACTOrs In rEbuIlDIng HAITIBy Roger Ricafort

Some may feel that it is too soon

to talk about rebuilding Haiti when

massive rescue and relief work is still

underway. But to recover from such

a catastrophic disaster takes some

serious strategic thinking, based on a

robust understanding of the Haitian

context – and this takes a lot of

listening and talking.

So how do you rebuild a country

like Haiti? Long before it was battered

by the worst earthquake in 200 years,

it was already a human disaster zone

- being one of the poorest countries in

the world. We should not forget the

images of Haitians scrambling for food

and making do with mud-cakes during

the height of the food crisis less than

two years ago.

C o o r d i n a t i o n i s e x t r e m e l y

important in an emergency situation

and this requires the willingness

to share assessment and response

information, among others. This

involves a lot of talking and listening

among various agencies – government,

non-governmental organisations,

and business. Without such efforts,

major areas of needs can be so easily

overlooked. For example, when the

Philippines was hit by a series of deadly

typhoons in September and October

last year, the media coverage and

images predominantly focused on

the dire situation in the capital Manila

whereas the predicament faced by the

less-developed northern part of the

country was largely neglected.

Participation by those who are

adversely affected by disasters in

the discussions and decision-making

processes is likewise important.

Support agencies need to actively

listen to those whose lives have been

turned upside down as they are best

placed to know what they need. It is

about doing aid with people rather

than to people. Such participation

will contribute a lot to ensuring

targeted and effective relief services.

An important element of people’s

participation is that they see access to

quality relief resources as a right, and

not simply a matter of charity.

I t i s impor tant for suppor t

agencies to adhere to internationally-

agreed relief standards, called SPHERE

standards, which lay out the guidelines

and benchmarks for quality relief

services – such as water requirements,

food and medical entitlements, etc.

But talking and listening alone have

never put a roof over people’s heads

or food on the table. Coordination,

consultation, talking and listening

need to lead into effective planning

and swift action.

Effective planning and swift action

in emergencies, as well as for longer-

term reconstruction, begin much

earlier, with disaster preparedness.

This involves preparing communities

to deal with disasters – in terms

of disas ter awareness , disas ter

mobilisation plans, etc. For longer-

term reconstruction, fundamental

decisions need to be taken early on

as to what life is going to be like for

communities - not just individuals. It

is no good, as happened in Aceh after

the 2005 tsunami, to say that everyone

will have a house, if you don’t also

think about building the roads and

infrastructure that make a town.

E f f e c t i v e c o o r d i n a t i o n i s

dependent upon good national and

sub-national disaster preparedness

and response policies and mechanisms.

Strong leadership of any aid effort

is likewise important. An agency,

preferably the national government

- but if not, then the UN, should be in

charge of the plan and assign tasks.

It should be strong enough to say

‘no’ to efforts that are not in the best

interest of the people affected. During

the drought in southern Africa in the

early 2000s, governments did refuse

genetically modified (GM) maize

November 2009 / Survivors of two typhoons in the northern Philippines discuss their needs with Oxfam Hong Kong.

Nori De Dios (second from right), a humanitarian worker with Oxfam Hong Kong, is currently based in the country, coordinating various rehabilitation efforts.

In Carrefour, one of the hardest-hit areas in the Haiti earthquake, people set up their own tents for their first emergency shelter.

Photo: Louis Belanger / Oxfam


Prehistory to 1�00s Ta no and other Amerindian peoples inhabit the

Caribbean, including what is now called Haiti,

which derives from the Ta no name, Land of High

Mountains; by 1550, many of the Taíno people

had been decimated

Spain and the 1��0s Christopher Columbus lands and Spain colonises

the island, now called Haiti (the mountainous

western part) and the Dominican Republic (the

eastern part)

1�� Haiti is ceded by Spain to France

1800s Haiti becomes independent and abolishes

slavery (1804); the former slave-turned-emperor

Jean-Jacques Dessalines is assassinated, and

Haiti is divided into a black-controlled north

and a mulatto-ruled south (1806); Pierre Boyer

unifies Haiti, but excludes blacks from power

(1818-1843)

USA 1�10s to �0s USA invades Haiti (1915), withdraws troops

(1934), maintains fiscal control until 1947

Duvaliers 1��0s – 1�80s Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier seizes power in

military coup (1956) and is succeeded by his son,

Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” (1971) who flees Haiti

among public discontent (1986)

Aristide 1��0s and �000s Jean-Bertrand Aristide elected president (1990),

ousted in coup (1991), returns to power (1994),

loses power (1995), elected again (2000), and

then forced into exile (Feb 2004)

Civil Conflict �001-�00� Armed at tacks , at tempts to over throw

government, National Palace seized, UN forces

are sent in to help stabilise Haiti

Natural Disasters �00� -�00� Floods in 2004 and Hurricane Dennis in 2005 kill

thousands of people

Democracy �00� Rene Preval wins the first elections since Aristide

was overthrown, (Feb); a democratically-elected

government headed by Prime Minister Jacques-

Edouard Alexis takes office (June)

Food Crisis �008 Severe hunger leads to food riots (April) ;

Government cuts price of rice; World Bank and

USA announce extra food aid (US$30m)

Four Tropical Storms �008 A series of tropical storms and hurricanes hit

Haiti (August and September) - Oxfam assists

tens of thousands of people

Debt Relief �00� World Bank and International Monetary Fund

cancel US$1.2bn of Haiti's debt (July) yet about

US$890 million remains

Earthquake �010 The country’s worst earthquake in over 200 years

hits Haiti on 12 January - Oxfam is assisting more

than 400,000 people

Source: Oxfam http://news.bbc.co.uk/ http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/

seed as food aid. They insisted that

the seeds must be milled into flour

so as not to contaminate the nations’

maize crop.

Disasters will be with us, and

increasingly so, on account of climate

change impac ts . Over the past

decade, the world has witnessed

an upsurge of large-scale disasters.

According to the Centre for Research

on the Epidemiology of Disasters,

the frequency of natural disasters

grew by an average of 8.5 per cent in

the period 2000 to 2007. The world’s

poorest countries and communities are

increasingly under threat.

In light of this, the readiness to

respond to emergencies is of utmost

importance. Each response in an acute

emergency is a matter of life and death;

our ability to respond immediately

saves more lives. Oxfam Hong Kong is

thus strongly considering setting up an

emergency relief fund to strengthen

our capacity to make timely decisions

and to contribute significantly to

humanitarian response.

We are one with the world in

efforts to help Haitians. Inevitably the

focus is on the short-term relief effort;

but Haiti’s long-term future is at stake.

Our immediate response should make

it possible for Haiti to take initial steps

to address problems that underlie

poverty and vulnerability to disasters.

Haiti is already mired with USD 890

million foreign debt and should not be

further burdened. Today’s aid-lifeline

should not end up being tomorrow’s

debt noose.

It is striking to see people in Port-

au-Prince having already organised

themselves in what may look like

chaotic collection centres and rickety

tarpaulin centres. But these are acts of

active citizens and not passive victims.

We just need to talk and listen to

them to understand. They are taking

control of their lives and not just

sitting down twiddling their thumbs

awaiting international agencies’ aid

efforts to get into gear. There would

be far fewer survivors if they did.

Roger R i ca fo r t i s the D i re c to r o f the International Programmes Unit of Oxfam H o n g K o n g . O x f a m H o n g K o n g h a s programmes in China, South Asia, The Mekong, Archipelagic Southeast Asia and Southern Africa. This article was published in The Standard on 22 January 2010.

Haiti – Land of High Mountains

OXFAM HONG KONG 17th Floor, 28 Marble Road, Northpoint, Hong Kong

O.N.E is also on-line: www.oxfam.org.hk/oneEditor: Madeleine Marie Slavick ([email protected])Hong Kong

www.oxfam.org.hk

ONEOxfam News E-magazine is published at the beginning of every month, at

www.oxfam.org.hk/ONE.

To receive a copy in your inbox, please subscribe – it is FREE.

To subscribe: www.oxfam.org.hk/one/subscribe.html

O.N.E (Oxfam News E-magazine) is published monthly by Oxfam Hong Kong, 17th

Floor, China United Centre, 28 Marble Road, North Point, Hong Kong. The publisher

does not necessarily endorse views expressed by contributors. For permission to

reprint articles, please contact us; normally, we grant permission provided the

source is clearly acknowledged. O.N.E is available free to all, in both an HTML and

PDF version, and in Chinese and English.

MOKUNGThe current edition of MOKUNG magazine focuses

on Climate Change.

In Chinese, MOKUNG means both 'infinity' and 'no

poverty' – there are so many things to be done to stop

poverty and its injustice.

Published by Oxfam in Traditional Chinese, MOKUNG

is available for free at various locations across Hong

Kong, by subscription for delivery to any Hong Kong

address for HK$20/year, and on-line at <www.oxfam.

org.hk>.

To subscribe: www.oxfam.org.hk/public/bookstore/?lang=big5

Every day, Oxfam Hong Kong

works alongside hundreds of

groups around the world, from

small NGOs to international bodies,

from government departments of

developing countries to community

groups based in Hong Kong. Here

are 7 ‘partner organisations’ that

we are supporting for the first

time.

For more information, visit: www.oxfam.org.uk/books

7N e w PartnerOrganisations

OXFAM bOOKS

EARTH, AIR, FIRE, WATEROX-Tales is a series of four paperback originals that highlight Oxfam’s

work for the world: Earth (from land rights to farming), Air (campaigning to

climate change), Fire (supporting survivors of conflict) and Water (safe water

in emergencies).

OX-Tales features 38 authors – including Hanif Kureishi, Ian Rankin and

Jeanette Winterson – who have donated their writing to Oxfam. In Hong

Kong, the books are available at selected Dymocks, Metrobooks and Page One

bookshops.

MAINLAND CHINAGansu

• HuiCountyPovertyAlleviationandDevelopmentOffice,Gansu

Yunnan

• MaternalandChildHealthCenter,TengchongCounty

• YongdeCountyCivilAffairsBureau

• YongdeCountyPeople'sGovernment

PHILIPPINES

• CenterforEmergencyAidandRehabilitation

• CordilleraDisasterResponseandDevelopmentServices

HONG KONG

• HongKongInstituteofEducation/DepartmentofSocialSciences

In this edition of O.N.E, we highlight the Hong Kong Institute of education,

the largest provider of teacher education in Hong Kong. Oxfam Hong Kong has

commissioned the Institute to conduct research on how primary and secondary

school students use the Internet as part of their schooling.

It is common knowledge in Hong Kong that the Internet is an important

channel for learning, both at the primary and secondary school level. Access to

the Internet can be seen as a basic need, and a basic right, for students. However,

many low-income families do not have the resources to provide a computer

with Internet access for their children, who therefore struggle to complete their

schoolwork. This lack of access has the potential to widen the digital divide.

HKIED, as it is colloquially known, has a wide network with primary and

secondary schools. Experienced in participatory research, HKIED actively

cooperates with schools during the research process, as is the case in this

commissioned research. The research will be completed by March 2010. The

findings will be used to advocate for measures to ensure that the needs of

children from low-income families are addressed.

O.N.E - February 2010

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