Medair news november 2013

MEDAIR | news

No. 3 | 2013 | medair.org

Sowing the Seeds of Change Low-Cost, High-Impact Ways to Save Lives and Strengthen Families

Seeds of Change

Ut et, sita dolest excerchil ipsam, odi untio consed que ne etur sanis quatemperum, explatiate numquistrum ulpa dolorum, autam exerfer uptati aniet autempo ribusandi omnis dolor sit aceprovides resent, eum ressum faccabores excearum delignimus eatio voluptat.Doluptatur sernam et anihillabor anti ommodic ilites maio quam, cus, core eictorepudae nobit evellent volo omnihil iunt ut reiumque rerum net dolorer iberios andellignam.

Borepudi imus quassim poraesc imenimin consequi si nist, sum nos est et lia volorep erciisqui te dolore, temo comnis a aut facepud itiatem quatisitat.

Rovidit iatiscieture nossit atur atempor re et isi officiis dolupit eum hitatiuntur sin cum est, sit lis sum aut pa derum facescilitas eturia poreptatum, inum ipiet lis molectur? Doluptatur sernam et anihillabor anti ommodic ilites maio quam, cus, core eictorepudae nobit evellent volo omnihil iunt ut reiumque rerum net dolorer iberios andellignam.

Gregory Pasche Directeur, Relations donateurs et Communication

4

C r i s i s B r i e f i n g

Making Change, Changing Lives

© Medair

V I S I ON

6

P O W ER O F C H A NGE

Care Groups in Somaliland

10

S Y RI A N C RISIS Winter Help for

A Changed Behaviour If every mother on earth breastfed her children exclusively for the first six months—and continued to supplement appropriate foods with breast milk for the first two years of life—more than one million children would be saved every year. Child deaths would drop by 19 percent.1 That’s not all. If every caregiver on earth immunised their children, child deaths would drop by 17 percent.2

Syrian Refugees

Sources : 1. UNICEF. 2006. Behaviour Change Communication in Emergencies: A Toolkit. 2. UNICEF. 2012. Levels and Trends in Child Mortality. 3. World Relief. 2004. The Care Group Difference: A Guide to Mobilizing Community-Based Volunteer Health Educators. 4. Davis TP, et al. 2013. 1(1):35-51. Reducing child global undernutrition at scale in Sofala Province, Mozambique, using Care Group Volunteers to communicate health messages to mothers. 5. Jones et al. Lancet, 2003. How many child deaths can we prevent this year? 6. Tengland, Per-Anders. 2012. 5:140-153. Behavior Change or Empowerment: On the Ethics of Health-Promotion Strategies, Public Health Ethics. 7. UNICEF. 2013. Improving Child Nutrition: The Achievable Imperative for Global Progress. 8. UNICEF. 2009. Tracking Progress on Child and Maternal Nutrition. 9. World Health Organization. 2013. Vaccine-Preventable Diseases. 10. World Health Organization. 2012. Maternal Mortality Fact Sheet No. 348.

Funding Partners Madagascar: EC Directorate-General for Development and Cooperation – EuropeAid, Swiss Solidarity, EC Directorate-General for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection South Sudan: EC Directorate-General for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection, United Nations Development Programme, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, International Organization for Migration Somalilia/Somaliland: World Food Programme, EC Directorate-General for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection, Swiss Solidarity, Woord en Daad (NL), Red een Kind (NL), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), United States Agency for International Development Cover Photo: Germain Ngbamboligbe, Medair Health Promoter, speaks to children about safe drinking water and good hygiene practices in D.R. Congo. ©Medair/Christy Berkheiser Photo, p.3: A two-month-old baby waits to be vaccinated in Somaliland. © Medair/Murugi Murekio

A Life Changed I didn’t believe in breastfeeding.

In my culture, camel milk is very precious and I used to proudly give it to all my children. I was also a strong believer that immunisation was injecting poison to the baby.

M E D A IR

I changed my beliefs after education

1024 Ecublens Switzerland Tél: 021 694 35 35 suisse@medair.org medair.org

visits by the (Care Group) volunteer.

My last child was exclusively breastfed for six months and is fully immunised: he is much stronger, rarely gets ill, and is healthier than the rest. I wish I had learned this earlier.

1. UNICEF. 2009. Tracking Progress on Child and Maternal Nutrition.

2. World Health Organization. 2013. Vaccine-Preventable Diseases.

– Fahiima Ali, Ado Yurura village, Somaliland medair.org | September 2013 | Medair

3

C r isis B r i e f i n g

C r isis B r i e f i n g

Making Change, Changing Lives

Making Change the Right Way

In eastern Chad, there’s no word for malnutrition. It’s no wonder a mother like Mounia didn’t know what

Should we encourage people to change their traditional behaviours? It’s an important question. If we

was wrong with her malnourished son or how to treat him: “He started becoming very thin and weak, but I didn’t realise that he was sick until I took him to a clinic to be treated for diarrhoea...”

believe in saving the lives of innocent children, and we know why they are sick, should we turn a blind eye to that problem? “Medair is not going to coerce anyone into changing their behaviour,” says Dr. Hannah Pollard, Medair Senior Health and Nutrition Advisor. “You have to respect that people absolutely have the right to make a choice. BCC aims to empower people and provide an enabling or supportive environment for them to choose, to make a decision for themselves.”

It’s Time for a Change

1 in 3

children under the age of 5 die every year, mostly from preventable causes.

800

child deaths is linked to malnutrition.

women die every day from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth.

Experts estimate that

63 percent of child deaths could be prevented, many through interventions for which behaviour change is essential.

Behaviour Changes That Make a Massive Life-Saving ImpacT Breastfeeding and better nutrition practices Introducing infants and children to the right kinds of food at the right age Immunising children Attending a clinic for childbirth and for antenatal/ postnatal care Identifying and using safe drinking water Watching for warning signs of illnesses and knowing when to take children to a clinic for help

Learn About the Needs and the Communit y

KNOW Who to Reach and How to Reach Them

Identify the major causes of illness and death in the

community and the specific risk factors leading to illness and death.

Identify who needs to change and their key

influencers: grandmothers, religious/community leaders, husbands, etc.

Become familiar with existing behaviours,

local traditions and customs, and potential barriers to change.

Inspire people to get involved and empower them

to become agents of change.

Make it fun: Use creative methods to engage and

motivate people to change—colourful flipcharts, humour, drama groups, puppet shows, mobile cinema, radio, etc.

Make health messages align with local customs

when possible.

Handwashing with soap or ash and other hygienic practices Building latrines, safely disposing of stool, stopping open defecation Family planning/HIV prevention Preparing for future disasters with improved awareness and planning

© Medair/Aurélie Grisel

7 million

Using agricultural methods that produce better yield and crop diversity

Sowing the Seeds of Change Medair has found that Behaviour Change Communication (BCC) is one of the best ways to promote lasting change and prevent unnecessary sickness and death.

BCC is a way of promoting healthy behaviour choices and then sustaining those choices by providing a supportive environment for change to take root .

Change Comes From Within “Communities must realise they have a need for change before we can hope to see practices and habits change. We cannot impose old-style colonialism, a top-down point of view, and tell communities what they need to change. It does not work, it does not last. Behaviour change is a long process that needs to be deeply rooted in the community. If it does not come from them, chances of success are slim.”

– Francki Anthonio Mallot, Medair BCC Agent, Madagascar

Medair | September 2013 | medair.org

Patricia Razafindrafara, Medair BCC Agent, helps families in remote Madagascar prepare for cyclones to reduce the risks of damage and devastation.

© Medair

4

medair.org | September 2013 | Medair

5

C r isis B r i e f i n g

C r isis B r i e f i n g

Making Change, Changing Lives

Making Change the Right Way

In eastern Chad, there’s no word for malnutrition. It’s no wonder a mother like Mounia didn’t know what

Should we encourage people to change their traditional behaviours? It’s an important question. If we

was wrong with her malnourished son or how to treat him: “He started becoming very thin and weak, but I didn’t realise that he was sick until I took him to a clinic to be treated for diarrhoea...”

believe in saving the lives of innocent children, and we know why they are sick, should we turn a blind eye to that problem? “Medair is not going to coerce anyone into changing their behaviour,” says Dr. Hannah Pollard, Medair Senior Health and Nutrition Advisor. “You have to respect that people absolutely have the right to make a choice. BCC aims to empower people and provide an enabling or supportive environment for them to choose, to make a decision for themselves.”

It’s Time for a Change

1 in 3

children under the age of 5 die every year, mostly from preventable causes.

800

child deaths is linked to malnutrition.

women die every day from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth.

Experts estimate that

63 percent of child deaths could be prevented, many through interventions for which behaviour change is essential.

Behaviour Changes That Make a Massive Life-Saving ImpacT Breastfeeding and better nutrition practices Introducing infants and children to the right kinds of food at the right age Immunising children Attending a clinic for childbirth and for antenatal/ postnatal care Identifying and using safe drinking water Watching for warning signs of illnesses and knowing when to take children to a clinic for help

Learn About the Needs and the Communit y

KNOW Who to Reach and How to Reach Them

Identify the major causes of illness and death in the

community and the specific risk factors leading to illness and death.

Identify who needs to change and their key

influencers: grandmothers, religious/community leaders, husbands, etc.

Become familiar with existing behaviours,

local traditions and customs, and potential barriers to change.

Inspire people to get involved and empower them

to become agents of change.

Make it fun: Use creative methods to engage and

motivate people to change—colourful flipcharts, humour, drama groups, puppet shows, mobile cinema, radio, etc.

Make health messages align with local customs

when possible.

Handwashing with soap or ash and other hygienic practices Building latrines, safely disposing of stool, stopping open defecation Family planning/HIV prevention Preparing for future disasters with improved awareness and planning

© Medair/Aurélie Grisel

7 million

Using agricultural methods that produce better yield and crop diversity

Sowing the Seeds of Change Medair has found that Behaviour Change Communication (BCC) is one of the best ways to promote lasting change and prevent unnecessary sickness and death.

BCC is a way of promoting healthy behaviour choices and then sustaining those choices by providing a supportive environment for change to take root .

Change Comes From Within “Communities must realise they have a need for change before we can hope to see practices and habits change. We cannot impose old-style colonialism, a top-down point of view, and tell communities what they need to change. It does not work, it does not last. Behaviour change is a long process that needs to be deeply rooted in the community. If it does not come from them, chances of success are slim.”

– Francki Anthonio Mallot, Medair BCC Agent, Madagascar

Medair | September 2013 | medair.org

Patricia Razafindrafara, Medair BCC Agent, helps families in remote Madagascar prepare for cyclones to reduce the risks of damage and devastation.

© Medair

4

medair.org | September 2013 | Medair

5

Power of Change

Power of Change

Women are Like a Water Filter © Medair

SOMALILAND: Care Groups in Action Oba Ismail’s life was in grave danger. Just six months old, she struggled to breastfeed and suffered from diarrhoea. Her mother, Khadar, knew she was sick but didn’t know how serious the threat was or what to do.

In Muruqmal IDP Camp, Somaliland, one of Medair's remarkable Care Groups gathers for regular training and support.

Thankfully, two of Medair’s local “Care Group” volunteers arrived at her door, a routine weekly visit for them. They assessed Oba and gave her oral rehydration solution, but as her symptoms worsened, their message for Khadar was clear and urgent: Take Oba to the Kosaar Health Centre right away for treatment. At the clinic, Oba was screened for malnutrition and diagnosed as severely malnourished with persistent diarrhoea. She was referred to the Burao Hospital Stabilisation Centre and treated for two months until she recovered.

Oba is now a happy, gregarious, and healthy one year old. She cuddles with her smiling mother as Khadar says, “This programme saved her life. My child was very sick. The Medair volunteers came and advised me what to do.”

“It is so encouraging to hear stories like Khadar’s,” says Fabienne Ray, Medair Health Project Manager. “This is what the Care Group is about: neighbours looking out for each other. It proves that saving lives starts in the community, by the community.”

Care Groups are...

POWERFUL Care Groups use networks of community volunteers to visit every local household on a regular basis and deliver health, nutrition, and hygiene messages that encourage healthy behaviour change.

AFFORDABLE Care Groups are among the most cost-effective ways to provide humanitarian aid.

Medair’s 23 paid health promoters in Somaliland reach 45,000 people on a regular basis.

SUSTAINABLE Knowledge and changed behaviours stay in the community long after Medair leaves, because Care Group volunteers take pride in their work and motivate each other to keep making an impact.

“I have lived in this community for 10 years and we have seen a lot of change. Thanks to the huge uptake on exclusive breastfeeding and nutrition messaging it is now uncommon to find severely malnourished children. We have seen even more improvements in vaccinations, pregnant women’s nutrition, and hygiene.”

- Asha Mohammed Dualle, Community Promoter, Somaliland 6

Medair | September 2013 | medair.org

© Medair/ Stella Chetham

Saving Lives Starts at Home

Midwife Mama Elisa smiles after giving her weekly health education class.

SOUTH SUDAN: Meet the amazing Mama Elisa, a Medair midwife who is driving behaviour change in her community.

Every Friday morning, a steady stream of brightly dressed women pour into Medair’s health clinic in Abayok. A buzz of energy fills the air. They come to hear Mama Elisa, a midwife who speaks openly about health and hygiene choices.

All of these women, including Mama Elisa, are “returnees”—people who returned to South Sudan after independence. They had a better standard of living in Sudan, but now they live in a crowded camp and struggle to cope without services they once took for granted.

Mama Elisa has taken matters into her own hands.

A midwife armed with life-saving knowledge, she started holding free health and hygiene sessions. At first 10 women showed up, but soon word spread, until 200 women were coming every week. Here, women talk openly about safe motherhood, infant care, nutrition, vaccinations, breastfeeding, when to visit clinics, handwashing—all the things that lead to better health.

During today’s meeting, hands go up and questions are called out. No subject is considered out of bounds.

When Mama Elisa denounces female circumcision, one woman protests, saying that it is simply a part of their culture. Mama Elisa shoots back: “One day you may see

somebody wearing underwear on their head like a hat.

The next day everyone is wearing it like that, because that’s fashion. It doesn’t mean it’s a good thing.”

Peals of laughter break out across the room. Not only are they able to debate sensitive subjects, they are able to do it with humour. “Women are like a water filter,” says Mama Elisa. “If you want to change the community, it’s the women who will do it. If the women have knowledge and learn and are educated, it will help the community so much.”

She leads everyone in a song about how important women are for peace, for their family, for the world. It’s a song they know well. The women sing with a heartfelt joy rarely seen among women in this country.

Mama Elisa closes the session in prayer. These women, a mixture of Muslims and Christians but united by their hardships as returnees, bow their heads and raise their hands and pray together.

Her commitment is paying off: “I have seen a lot of change among the returnees,” she says. “If women are trained in health, all will know how to become healthy.” medair.org | September 2013 | Medair

7

Power of Change

Power of Change

Women are Like a Water Filter © Medair

SOMALILAND: Care Groups in Action Oba Ismail’s life was in grave danger. Just six months old, she struggled to breastfeed and suffered from diarrhoea. Her mother, Khadar, knew she was sick but didn’t know how serious the threat was or what to do.

In Muruqmal IDP Camp, Somaliland, one of Medair's remarkable Care Groups gathers for regular training and support.

Thankfully, two of Medair’s local “Care Group” volunteers arrived at her door, a routine weekly visit for them. They assessed Oba and gave her oral rehydration solution, but as her symptoms worsened, their message for Khadar was clear and urgent: Take Oba to the Kosaar Health Centre right away for treatment. At the clinic, Oba was screened for malnutrition and diagnosed as severely malnourished with persistent diarrhoea. She was referred to the Burao Hospital Stabilisation Centre and treated for two months until she recovered.

Oba is now a happy, gregarious, and healthy one year old. She cuddles with her smiling mother as Khadar says, “This programme saved her life. My child was very sick. The Medair volunteers came and advised me what to do.”

“It is so encouraging to hear stories like Khadar’s,” says Fabienne Ray, Medair Health Project Manager. “This is what the Care Group is about: neighbours looking out for each other. It proves that saving lives starts in the community, by the community.”

Care Groups are...

POWERFUL Care Groups use networks of community volunteers to visit every local household on a regular basis and deliver health, nutrition, and hygiene messages that encourage healthy behaviour change.

AFFORDABLE Care Groups are among the most cost-effective ways to provide humanitarian aid.

Medair’s 23 paid health promoters in Somaliland reach 45,000 people on a regular basis.

SUSTAINABLE Knowledge and changed behaviours stay in the community long after Medair leaves, because Care Group volunteers take pride in their work and motivate each other to keep making an impact.

“I have lived in this community for 10 years and we have seen a lot of change. Thanks to the huge uptake on exclusive breastfeeding and nutrition messaging it is now uncommon to find severely malnourished children. We have seen even more improvements in vaccinations, pregnant women’s nutrition, and hygiene.”

- Asha Mohammed Dualle, Community Promoter, Somaliland 6

Medair | September 2013 | medair.org

© Medair/ Stella Chetham

Saving Lives Starts at Home

Midwife Mama Elisa smiles after giving her weekly health education class.

SOUTH SUDAN: Meet the amazing Mama Elisa, a Medair midwife who is driving behaviour change in her community.

Every Friday morning, a steady stream of brightly dressed women pour into Medair’s health clinic in Abayok. A buzz of energy fills the air. They come to hear Mama Elisa, a midwife who speaks openly about health and hygiene choices.

All of these women, including Mama Elisa, are “returnees”—people who returned to South Sudan after independence. They had a better standard of living in Sudan, but now they live in a crowded camp and struggle to cope without services they once took for granted.

Mama Elisa has taken matters into her own hands.

A midwife armed with life-saving knowledge, she started holding free health and hygiene sessions. At first 10 women showed up, but soon word spread, until 200 women were coming every week. Here, women talk openly about safe motherhood, infant care, nutrition, vaccinations, breastfeeding, when to visit clinics, handwashing—all the things that lead to better health.

During today’s meeting, hands go up and questions are called out. No subject is considered out of bounds.

When Mama Elisa denounces female circumcision, one woman protests, saying that it is simply a part of their culture. Mama Elisa shoots back: “One day you may see

somebody wearing underwear on their head like a hat.

The next day everyone is wearing it like that, because that’s fashion. It doesn’t mean it’s a good thing.”

Peals of laughter break out across the room. Not only are they able to debate sensitive subjects, they are able to do it with humour. “Women are like a water filter,” says Mama Elisa. “If you want to change the community, it’s the women who will do it. If the women have knowledge and learn and are educated, it will help the community so much.”

She leads everyone in a song about how important women are for peace, for their family, for the world. It’s a song they know well. The women sing with a heartfelt joy rarely seen among women in this country.

Mama Elisa closes the session in prayer. These women, a mixture of Muslims and Christians but united by their hardships as returnees, bow their heads and raise their hands and pray together.

Her commitment is paying off: “I have seen a lot of change among the returnees,” she says. “If women are trained in health, all will know how to become healthy.” medair.org | September 2013 | Medair

7

Power of Change

Power of Change

“The day after, four households started to build traditional latrines to avoid defecating in the river.

They began cleaning the riverbanks and burning the waste. When I went back the next month to present a special movie screening on handwashing and how to reduce cyclone damage, more than 400 people came.

“I am now confident that this remote region will be able to make choices for the good of its population’s health. I have come to realise how important it is that we walk the road of change with communities. They need to be guided, because changing deep-rooted habits is never easy. People must recognise that they have a need to change. With time, relationships grow and trust builds. My work here is quite simple, but it can generate tremendous positive changes in communities to improve the quality of life.

Josia Ravoarisolo, Medair BCC Agent, shows people from Mahela village how water becomes contaminated.

© Medair/Florance Paul

© Medair/Maria de la Guardia

Young girl prepares vegetables in Afghanistan.

Haitians receive certificates of recognition for successfully building their own latrines.

Afghanistan: Hundreds of women are growing their own kitchen gardens and improving their families’ nutrition and hygiene practices.

Haïti: Haitians in remote communities have built more than 700 latrines for themselves to reduce the deadly risk of cholera and other diseases.

© Tearfund/ Eleanor Bentall

“I held my first awareness campaign with massive local participation. Young and old, teachers and housewives, they were very polite and paid attention even when they disagreed with me or among themselves. The way they seriously answered my questions gave me hope.

I felt alive and proud to be a BCC agent.

“After six weeks of awareness sessions, the community had built hundreds of latrines. The riverbanks were noticeably cleaner. The village had even implemented a cash penalty for anyone caught relieving themselves in the river. ‘Awareness sessions have had a big impact on the community, ’ chief Jacques Bemea said to me. ‘Thank you for your visits, as they help to change behaviour!’

© Medair/Christy Berkheiser

When my boat got to the village entrance, I was concerned to see garbage polluting the water.

I could see faeces floating, dead animals, and all kind of debris. I felt overwhelmed. Taking courage and challenged by the task, I got out of the pirogue, my two feet in the polluted water, and started to walk.

Alberto speaks to the people of Tanambo Ampagno.

© Medair/Tom Russel

MADAGASCAR: At the foot of a mountain, surrounded by rice paddies, fruit trees, and water hyacinths lies the remote village of Tanambao Ampagno, home to 2,300 people. The community’s stunning beauty conceals a darker reality: Every year children and adults die here because of diarrhoea.

Alberto Mahafeno, Medair BCC Agent, travelled there to encourage them on the road to change:

BCC Around the Globe © Medair/Aurélie Grisel

Walking the Road of Change

Children in Duru watch and listen intently to a hygiene lesson.

Medair’s Liselotte Eberhard holds baby Soraiya at a nutrition promotion meeting in Jordan.

D.R. Congo: Health and hygiene promoters are training community health workers to bring positive and creative messages of change in two local languages.

Jordan: Exclusive breastfeeding practices are on the rise thanks to Care Groups, who are reaching out to refugee families.

medair.org | September 2013 | Medair

9

Power of Change

Power of Change

“The day after, four households started to build traditional latrines to avoid defecating in the river.

They began cleaning the riverbanks and burning the waste. When I went back the next month to present a special movie screening on handwashing and how to reduce cyclone damage, more than 400 people came.

“I am now confident that this remote region will be able to make choices for the good of its population’s health. I have come to realise how important it is that we walk the road of change with communities. They need to be guided, because changing deep-rooted habits is never easy. People must recognise that they have a need to change. With time, relationships grow and trust builds. My work here is quite simple, but it can generate tremendous positive changes in communities to improve the quality of life.

Josia Ravoarisolo, Medair BCC Agent, shows people from Mahela village how water becomes contaminated.

© Medair/Florance Paul

© Medair/Maria de la Guardia

Young girl prepares vegetables in Afghanistan.

Haitians receive certificates of recognition for successfully building their own latrines.

Afghanistan: Hundreds of women are growing their own kitchen gardens and improving their families’ nutrition and hygiene practices.

Haïti: Haitians in remote communities have built more than 700 latrines for themselves to reduce the deadly risk of cholera and other diseases.

© Tearfund/ Eleanor Bentall

“I held my first awareness campaign with massive local participation. Young and old, teachers and housewives, they were very polite and paid attention even when they disagreed with me or among themselves. The way they seriously answered my questions gave me hope.

I felt alive and proud to be a BCC agent.

“After six weeks of awareness sessions, the community had built hundreds of latrines. The riverbanks were noticeably cleaner. The village had even implemented a cash penalty for anyone caught relieving themselves in the river. ‘Awareness sessions have had a big impact on the community, ’ chief Jacques Bemea said to me. ‘Thank you for your visits, as they help to change behaviour!’

© Medair/Christy Berkheiser

When my boat got to the village entrance, I was concerned to see garbage polluting the water.

I could see faeces floating, dead animals, and all kind of debris. I felt overwhelmed. Taking courage and challenged by the task, I got out of the pirogue, my two feet in the polluted water, and started to walk.

Alberto speaks to the people of Tanambo Ampagno.

© Medair/Tom Russel

MADAGASCAR: At the foot of a mountain, surrounded by rice paddies, fruit trees, and water hyacinths lies the remote village of Tanambao Ampagno, home to 2,300 people. The community’s stunning beauty conceals a darker reality: Every year children and adults die here because of diarrhoea.

Alberto Mahafeno, Medair BCC Agent, travelled there to encourage them on the road to change:

BCC Around the Globe © Medair/Aurélie Grisel

Walking the Road of Change

Children in Duru watch and listen intently to a hygiene lesson.

Medair’s Liselotte Eberhard holds baby Soraiya at a nutrition promotion meeting in Jordan.

D.R. Congo: Health and hygiene promoters are training community health workers to bring positive and creative messages of change in two local languages.

Jordan: Exclusive breastfeeding practices are on the rise thanks to Care Groups, who are reaching out to refugee families.

medair.org | September 2013 | Medair

9

Only one thing can keep Aisha and her sister warm this winter.

give

YOU

WARMTH for Syria

The worst humanitarian disaster since the end of the Cold War. - António Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Refugees

More than two million Syrians have fled the vicious conflict in their country. Most are children—and more than 750,000 refugees are under the age of 11!

They have known so much violence, seen friends and family members killed, and given up everything they had to find safety. Now they have to survive the winter.

For families staying in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, a harsh winter is starting, bringing heavy rain, snow, and freezing conditions. Few have what they need to protect themselves or their children from the cold; all they have are flimsy, makeshift tents.

give

© Tearfund/Eleanor Bentall

WARMTH for Syria

Aisha and her baby sister survived the fighting in Syria.

Now they have to survive the winter.

$40

can provide a child with a warm blanket and a mattress.

$100

can provide a family with a stove to heat their shelter and cook hot food.

$300

can provide a family with heavy vinyl sheeting to insulate their shelter against the cold.

medair.org | September 2013 | Medair

11

Only one thing can keep Aisha and her sister warm this winter.

give

YOU

WARMTH for Syria

The worst humanitarian disaster since the end of the Cold War. - António Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Refugees

More than two million Syrians have fled the vicious conflict in their country. Most are children—and more than 750,000 refugees are under the age of 11!

They have known so much violence, seen friends and family members killed, and given up everything they had to find safety. Now they have to survive the winter.

For families staying in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, a harsh winter is starting, bringing heavy rain, snow, and freezing conditions. Few have what they need to protect themselves or their children from the cold; all they have are flimsy, makeshift tents.

give

© Tearfund/Eleanor Bentall

WARMTH for Syria

Aisha and her baby sister survived the fighting in Syria.

Now they have to survive the winter.

$40

can provide a child with a warm blanket and a mattress.

$100

can provide a family with a stove to heat their shelter and cook hot food.

$300

can provide a family with heavy vinyl sheeting to insulate their shelter against the cold.

medair.org | September 2013 | Medair

11

© Medair/Stella Chetham

Behaviour change communication [BCC] is essential: If we run a health clinic but people don’t come for treatment, what have we accomplished?

If we construct a latrine but people continue to practice open defecation, what have we accomplished? If we provide clean water but people put it in a contaminated container, what have we accomplished? This is the importance of BCC, to enable and encourage people to maintain their own health so that they can lead dignified lives full of hope.

— Lee Van Iderstine, Medair Health and Hygiene Promotion Manager, South Sudan

Give the gift of change today at medair.org

MN1303-EN

Merci from Haiti! Thanks to your generous donations, we are now building 200 more disaster-resilient homes for vulnerable families whose homes were severely damaged or destroyed

by Hurricane Sandy and/or the 2010 earthquake.

“I was very happy the day I was told that I was going to get assistance to rebuild my house!” said Anette Edimé, mother of four. “We are in hurricane season; I was worried about what might happen if there was a storm. This house is a relief for us. I thank you for thinking about our community.”