According to the United Nations, the disaster killed thousands of people and affected more than 13 million overall. An estimated one million homes have been destroyed, leaving 4 million homeless. Among those who have been displaced, at least 2.5 million are in need of food assistance.

More than 5 million of those affected are children, with some 1.5 million children at risk of acute malnutrition, according to the UN World Food Program.

A network of Salesian NGOS is among about 25 international humanitarian agencies operating in Tacloban City, one of the hardest hit areas. Two locations where Salesian programs operate were in the direct path of the typhoon—in Borongan and Panay Island. No communication has been possible since the storm struck.

Operations in Manila and Cebu City were able to maintain lines of communication and join in the national drive for relief efforts—designating their centers as drop-off and volunteer locations for gathering and packaging relief supplies.

Salesian buildings in Cebu were named Official Help Centers and work began immediately after the typhoon struck. Students, teachers, staff, and volunteers worked alongside missionaries to collect, prepare and pack relief goods. In cooperation with the National Crisis Management Unit in the Philippines, 25,000 emergency kits were distributed in the days immediately following the storm.

The Salesians have also been able to assist with logistics—identified by many aid experts as the not only a top need, but the biggest challenge.

“Because we have been working in the Philippines since 1950 and already have an established network in the affected areas, we are able to provide vital coordination and infrastructure support,” said Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the international Salesians of Don Bosco.

With established partnerships with local broadcasting companies, the Salesians were able to get out word immediately to those who wanted to help—providing instructions for items needed and where to bring them. Goods began to come in almost immediately and more than 200 volunteers arrived to assist.

With experience working with the military to safely receive and transport in relief supplies and transporting them to those in need, the Salesians in the Philippines are providing crucial disaster relief support and coordination.

Thanks to these efforts, peaceful and efficient aid delivery is taking place, helping those in need.

Through a partnership between Salesian Missions and Stop Hunger Now, a shipment of rice-meals and medical supplies is on its way. Working with World Futbol Project, 6,000 indestructible balls have been received in Cebu, and the Salesians are working to distribute them to children affected by the devastating typhoon. Letting the children know someone cares for them and giving them a chance to play and “be kids” lessens stress during traumatic events, explains Fr. Mark adding that the Salesians specialize in this type of work all around the globe.

On Cebu Island, some Salesian schools were used as emergency shelters during the typhoon’s furry. Along Cebu’s east coast, the sisters sheltered about 800 people for two days at the Mary Help of Christians School, cooking hot meals and providing consolation. There is heavy damage to the children’s home and youth center, which were refuge to vulnerable children even before the storm.

At the St. Mary Mazzarello School in Negros Occidental, trees were uprooted, electric poles knocked down, and the library roof was stripped away. At Mary Help of Christians School on Mindoro Island, the roof of the boys’ dormitory was blown away, trees were uprooted and additional damage is being assessed. Restoration and rebuilding efforts throughout the Philippines will be needed long-term.

Headquartered in New Rochelle, NY, Salesian Missions has launched a fundraising campaign to raise money for the Philippines disaster relief operations in addition to providing staff support for sourcing and purchasing necessary goods. Among the supplies identified as most in need are ready-to-eat food, water filters, tents, medicines, bandages and disinfectants. To give to the effort, go to www.salesianmissions.org/typhoon.

The post PHILIPPINES: Salesian Missions Supports Programs to Help 200,000 Families Affected by Typhoon first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The immediate relief that survivors needed was vast, according to Father Johnson Antonysamy, director of the Salesian mission in Chennai. People were without food, water, electricity and shelter. Those with thatched roofs had their roofs blown off and more than 20,000 people were displaced. The Salesians dealt with their own destruction from the cyclone. Their property in Puducherry, Cuddalore and the missions in Gedilam and Maranodi Vinnarasi saw shattered windows, sheared off roofs, destroyed water heaters, and ruined equipment in several vocational centers. But despite their own losses, the Salesians stepped in during the immediate aftermath and provided shelter in their missions, meals, clean water, clothing and comfort to those affected by the devastation.

“I don’t know what we would have done without a place to sleep,” says one villager whose thatched hut was carried away by the winds, and whose family is now staying at the mission in Chennai. “We would be out in the elements wondering how to survive. We are so grateful to the Salesians for their help.”

The Salesians’ work will go far beyond the immediate relief that was needed in the days following Cyclone Thane. Entire communities must rebuild. In addition to their social development and education programs that were taking place prior to the cyclone, the Salesians must now rebuild their own missions and lead community efforts for long-term recovery.

“Beyond these immediate needs, we must offer mid- and long-term assistance,” says Fr. Antonysamy. “We are facing a years-long process of reconstruction.”

Cyclone Thane will have long-term effects on the economy of the region. Infrastructure support is just one area of need. To restore the standard of living, the Salesians plan to create a Disaster Management Endowment Fund to help underwrite the costs of rebuilding roads, restoring electricity and other long-term needs. For those displaced, houses that once had thatch roofs must be rebuilt with stronger materials to better withstand extremes in weather.

In addition, farms essential to the livelihood of their owners have been devastated. In some villages, almost 80 percent of some long standing crops – such as rice, corn, sugarcane, and bananas – have been destroyed. According to Fr. Antonysamy, some estimate it may take seven years for farmers to recover and rebuild these crops. In some villages, entire cashew groves were destroyed with not even a single cashew tree left standing. Estimates indicate it will take years to regrow these groves, Antonysamy adds. The Salesians are launching a farmers’ association to aid in agricultural recovery efforts, including options for financial assistance.

Given their long-standing educational work in these communities, the Salesians hope to help residents not only envision a sustainable future, but to participate in building it.

“We are resilient here in southeast India,” says Fr. Antonysamy. “Together with the people we serve, we will build a better future.”

To aid their rebuilding efforts, Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, has set up a fund to assist in the relief efforts. To give, go to SalesianMissions.org, click on “Donate Now” and select “India Cyclone Relief Fund.”

###

Sources

Salesian Missions Feb. 13 press release: Salesian Missions Creates Fund to Assist Cyclone Victims in Southeast India

SalesianMissions.org News Story

Salesian Info Agency:
www.infoans.org/1.asp?sez=1&sotSez=13&doc=7365&lingua=2

Deccan Herald article Cyclone Thane death toll rises to 43:
www.deccanherald.com/content/215729/life-limping-back-cyclone-thanes.html

The post INDIA: Salesians Provide Relief, Plans for Future after Cyclone Thane Hits Southeast India first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Many of the challenges facing the people (especially the youth) of Haiti , existed long before the disaster struck. Many were homeless. Children were hungry. Conditions were crowded. Water was in short supply. The earthquake added to the misery of thousands, including children who, despite the desperate circumstances, found their way to schools each and every day, with a hunger for knowledge that outweighed the hunger in their stomachs.

These schools are some of the many Salesian-run institutions in Port-au-Prince and around the country. In some cases, students even call the schools home. In addition to elementary schools, secondary schools, vocational training institutes and colleges, the Salesians provide shelter for homeless youth and programs for street children. At every program serving youth in Haiti, students not only receive educational opportunities and the support of caring adults, they also receive a nutritious meal daily. One Salesian kitchen in Cité Soleil alone baked 20,000 rolls of bread a day to feed hungry children in the most impoverished area of the nation’s capital.

Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, have been working for years to bring attention to the plight of the Haitian people, and so many others in the world. Almost exactly a year prior to the tragedy, Salesian Missions sent a team to Haiti to document the programs and the immense need for assistance. The videos, photos and information were utilized to tell the stories of people in need in countries around the globe and the Salesians’ dedication to helping them. In Haiti, they were truly making a difference under the most challenging of circumstances.

Nothing could have prepared the Salesians—or the Haitian people—for the massive devastation and heartbreaking loss that occurred on Jan. 12, 2010.

The world was finally paying attention to Haiti.

Soon after the earthquake struck, the Salesians pledged to continue working long after the cameras and reporters were gone (the latter, unfortunately, left sooner than anyone could have envisioned). The Salesians remained working in Haiti, not just long after the press, but in many cases long after other humanitarian organizations. While other organizations are set up to come in and help with a disaster (and then inevitably leave), the Salesians have been and will continue to be an integral part of the infrastructure in Haiti and in so many other needy places around the globe.

As the lights on Haiti dimmed, the Salesians shifted from disaster mode to recovery and rebuilding mode—quietly, without attention, as they always have done. It has been two years since the earthquake struck, and much still needs to be accomplished. But progress is steady, and the Salesians are proud to report on the specifics of their accomplishments.

A full report will soon be available to download at SalesianMissions.org and ProgressInHaiti.org.

Salesian Missions, located in New Rochelle, NY, is the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. The organization is raising awareness and funds to help with Haiti’s rebuilding effort. To help, go to SalesianMissions.org, click on “Donate Now” and select “Haiti Recovery Fund.”

###

PROGRESS REPORT DETAILS (AT A GLANCE) BELOW:

SALESIAN NATIONAL SCHOOL OF THE ARTS AND TRADE

Before the earthquake, this model of educational excellence provided hundreds of Haitian youth with the opportunity to broaden their cultural awareness and gain valuable trade skills. This all changed in an instant on Jan. 12, 2010. The earthquake leveled the campus and caused an enormous loss of life. More than 250 unsuspecting students, numerous teachers and three Salesian missionaries were killed. All of the machines, tools and equipment were either destroyed or stolen.

Today, the school is back in operation, utilizing temporary classrooms built by students as part of their training. Vocational students also built desks and tailored uniforms to replace those destroyed. The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund has pledged up to $250,000 to equip graduates with machines, tools and equipment to help rebuild their country.

LAKAY HOUSE FOR STREET CHILDREN

This indispensable Salesian-run center provided shelter, education and food to dozens of street children with nowhere else to turn. The facility was completely destroyed by the earthquake, leaving the children without shelter.

Today, Lakay is back in operation and home to nearly 150 former street children. In addition to classroom studies, a donated school bus has made it possible for youngsters to take part in field trips to educational and historical sites around Haiti.

LE PETITES ÉCOLES (THE LITTLE SCHOOLS) OF FATHER BOHNEN

Le Petites Écoles (The Little Schools) of Father Bohnen was made up of small classrooms throughout Port-au-Prince, allowing the Salesians to provide food and an education to more than 20,000 children each day. When the earthquake struck, the devastation at the campus that housed the administrative headquarters was tremendous. Every building collapsed, leaving the children without classrooms. However, the children still came to the school compound after the earthquake, knowing it would continue to be a place they could turn for help. Soon after, classrooms were formed wherever possible, sometimes under the shade of a tree or tarp with just a few chairs and a salvaged chalkboard.

Today, The Little Schools have been resurrected in temporary buildings and have served more than 21,000 students in the past year. Children not only receive an education, but a nutritional meal and a safe haven.

HERE ARE MORE SIGNS OF PROGRESS AT A GLANCE, AS REPORTED BY SALESIAN MISSIONS:

• Temporary classrooms were provided soon after the earthquake, allowing children to return to school and have some sense of normalcy. Permanent classrooms continue to be built. The Salesians are fully committed to rebuilding their educational infrastructure.
• “Le Petites Écoles du Pere Bohnen” – the Little Schools of Father Bohnen – are back in operation and last year provided more than 21,000 children with nutritious meals and a valuable education.
• In Salesian schools throughout Haiti, more than 1,200 teachers have been hired since the earthquake – most of them trained at Salesian institutions.
• A Salesian partnership with local doctors and nurses ensured that victims of a Cholera outbreak were identified and received proper treatment. In addition, their widespread education program promoted healthy living habits that prevented the disease from spreading.
• The Timkatec 2 School was expanded with a new wing added. It boasted a record 71 graduates, with an enrollment that has grown from 430 students before the earthquake to more than 600 this year.
• The Salesians also opened the Timkatec 3 Girls School to provide an education for 186 day students and an overnight shelter for 40 children.
• St. Paul Chapel in Port-au-Prince was resurrected thanks to the thoughtfulness and generosity of Blessed Sacrament Church in Pennsylvania. Upon learning that their church would be closed due to consolidation, the Blessed Sacrament parishioners packed and shipped all the church furnishings to the Salesian chapel in Haiti.
• Impressed by Salesian accomplishments, the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund partnered with the Salesians to provide vocational training in construction trades and marketable skills to 420 men and women. The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund has also pledged up to $225,000 for the purchase of heavy machinery, tools and equipment. This will enable vocational students at the Salesians National School of Arts and Trades to have sustainable self-employment and to help rebuild their country.
• The Salesians completed construction of a warehouse that meets new safety requirements and building standards, serving as a model for new construction in Haiti. The warehouse provides important infrastructure allowing for the safe and efficient distribution of food and supplies.
• Pétion-Ville’s Dominique Savio Elementary School is providing an education to 870 children from ages 6 to 12. In addition, 540 boys and girls attend Dominique Savio College.
• In Cayes, 200 boys and girls are receiving valuable training in carpentry, masonry, mechanics, cooking, sewing and home decoration at the Salesian-run Diocesan Center for Arts and Crafts.
• The Cap-Haitian Agricultural Technical School has 140 students learning effective farming techniques, while an additional 200 youth are attending the Vocational Training School.
• In Fort-Liberté, more than 170 children—more than half girls—are receiving a basic education and approximately 160 young women are pursuing a degree at the School of Nursing.
• Through the new Salesian University Network, hundreds of university students who have been unable to return to school following the Jan. 12, 2011 earthquake will have a chance to continue their education. Thirteen computer labs or cybercafés are being established to help students stay up-to-date in their studies.
• At the Salesian Immaculate Conception Church in Cité Soleil, youth are taking part in  music and dance classes. They are learning to play the guitar, piano and drums—and enjoying the therapeutic benefits of music, helping them to better cope with the disaster they survived.

###

To learn more about Salesian programs and progress in Haiti, go to ProgressInHaiti.org, a special section of MissionNewswire.org.

The post HAITI: Salesian Missions Reports on Progress in Haiti Two Years Later first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Ban’s statement came at a ministerial mini-summit on humanitarian response to the Horn of Africa which was held on the sidelines of the ongoing general debate of the UN General Assembly ‘s 66th session.

“The Horn of Africa is in crisis, and that crisis grows deeper by the day,” Ban said. “In Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Djibouti, more than 13 million people need our help.”
According to Ban, there is a shortage of about 700 million U.S. dollars in assistance needed in 2011 for the region.

The food crisis in the Horn of Africa has been caused by drought and rising food prices. Saturday’s mini-summit is aimed at raising vital funds for needs in the African region.
Also at the meeting, Nassir Abdulaziz Al- Nasser, president of the General Assembly, called the humanitarian disaster in Northeast Africa to be on an “unimaginable scale.”

“As the world’s preeminent forum for international peace and security, it is our collective responsibility to provide moral and financial support to these highly vulnerable populations,” Al- Nasser said. “The rights to food, life and security are, after all, universal human rights.”

Al-Nasser said the General Assembly will focus on the humanitarian crisis there, pledging “we must also share the information and work closely and cooperative to ensure all needs are met” in addressing the complex issue.

“Underpinning our work must be the recognition that humanitarian issues are development issues, and that our success in protecting against natural disasters, such as extreme drought, will have a direct impact on the ability to fulfill the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs),” he said.

About Salesian Missions at the United Nations

UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

The post AFRICA: UN Chief Calls For Greater International Support to Northeast Africa first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The issues include lack of qualified engineers, poverty and corruption—as well as few national building standards in the country. To ensure their new buildings meet established safety standards, Salesians worked with architect Micheline Baptiste to meet fundamental safety requirements outlined in the Model Building Code for Earthquakes established by the Association of Caribbean States.

“We need to unite for the reconstruction of Haiti,” said Father Jacques Charles, director of the Rinaldi Foundation, at the dedication of the warehouse—a permanent Salesian structure completed after the earthquake. He adds that new construction techniques are being taught in the Salesian vocational schools, which each year educate youth in construction, carpentry and electrical maintenance.

“We are making every effort to ensure safety is a priority in Haiti—now as we rebuild and well into the future,” says Father Mark Hyde, director of Salesian Missions in New Rochelle, NY.

The addition of the warehouse will help Salesian Missions improve its capabilities for serving vulnerable youth. It will allow coordination of the distribution of all supplies being sent to support its programs throughout Haiti. To date, 59 containers of relief supplies—including food, water, clothing, medical and personal hygiene supplies, computers, religious goods, water purification plants, water purification tablets, schools in a box, 10 industrial generators, and forklifts—were shipped, as well as two school buses and nearly 2,000 tents.

To ensure the most effective use of supplies, Salesian Missions evaluates the situation at each of its sites to match needs with available resources. The warehouse will also ensure that Salesian Mission can prepare to effectively overcome any disruptions in supplies, such as many expect with the announcement of the upcoming election results, adds Fr. Hyde. Salesians are fully committed to rebuilding their educational infrastructure in Haiti, which sustained tremendous damage.

Since 1935, Salesians have worked to educate Haiti’s most vulnerable youth and trained the best and brightest to become future business people, teachers, construction workers and leaders. Salesian Missions is raising funds to help rebuild its schools and programs in Haiti and donations are needed.

Source: “In Haiti’s Rebuilding, Calls for Stronger Structures.” (NPR, Jan 14, 2011)

For more stories about progress in Haiti, visit ProgressInHaiti.org.

The post HAITI: New Buildings Adopt Safety Measures first appeared on MissionNewswire.