Rosie Scribble

Proper nutrition for children endangered by cholera

Nadege is only 16, but she has been burdened with adult responsibilities since her cousin Cherline fell sick with cholera three days earlier. She is the only person in her family that can take care of her cousin’s six-month-old girl. Nadege has no money, and could hardly find enough food to feed herself, when suddenly she had also to find food for her cousin’s little girl.

Nadege is still a child, and doesn’t really know how to look after little Christelle, who is malnourished. Nadege is also afraid for herself. She is a child doing an adult’s job, but with the support of UNICEF and partners she is not doing this on her own.

Haiti one year on - a father's story

Twelve months after the earthquake turned much of the capital Port-au-Prince to rubble, life has moved slowly in Haiti. While the main roads have been cleared of much of the debris and bodies under it, throngs of people still hunker down under tarpaulins in spontaneous camps out of the glare of the midday sun. The traffic is grindingly slow, moving at the same pace as the women who meander past the street vendors balancing water or baskets of vegetables on their heads.

In the suburbs of Dalmas, students of the 33 Dei Gloria Primary School are in a temporary building. The sounds of the children chanting numbers in French blends with the noise from the constant traffic and pick grating on stone as rubble is cleared just metres away from the small classrooms.

Haiti one year on - a mother remembers

Today marks the anniversary of the Haitian earthquake that struck the Caribbean island killing 220,000 people and leaving an estimated 1.5 million homeless, one year ago today.

Shortly after the disaster happened I took part in the Bloggers for Haiti campaign to raise money for essential supplies to be sent to those trying to cope with life in the immediate aftermath.

Today, with case studies provided by UNICEF, I’m marking the anniversary by publishing a series of recollections and accounts from those who survived the earthquake, providing insight into how the people of Haiti are living today, one year on.

Ezana Tales, a mother of three recently separated from her husband, tells in her own words the impact that the January 2010 earthquake had on her and her children. 11-year old Jefflove, nine-year old Vekerson and four-year old Manoupnepha attend Delmas 33 Dei Gloria Primary School in a Haitian suburb. UNICEF engineers have recently assessed the site for building five semi-permanent classrooms as well as water and sanitation facilities.

In Ezana's words:

On January 12 a friend of mine picked the children up from school. The two elder children were doing their homework and my youngest, Manoupnepha was watching ‘Margarita’ on cartoon television in a separate room.