No. 3
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2009
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www.medair.org
Somalia/Somaliland: Urgent Response to Tackle Drought, Malnutrition, and Disease - pages 6 & 7
Editorial
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Thanks to you D.R. Congo: Medair Provides Emergency Aid to Thousands Forced to Flee Violence
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20 years old The Path That Leads to Morning
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Special report Crisis in Somalia and Somaliland: Medair’s Urgent Response
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Staff interview Medair’s Longest Serving Staff Member
Medair U.K. Unit 3, Taylors Yard 67 Alderbrook Road London SW12 8AD Tel: +44 (0)20 8772 0100 Fax: +44 (0)20 8772 0101 www.medair.org Photo credits: Images were taken by Medair staff with the exception of : Page 3 © Medair/Miguel Samper Page 6 & 7 © Medair/Jan Joseph Stok Sources: Medair, unless otherwise stated. Partners: Funding partners for D.R. Congo: • Humanitarian Aid department of the European Commission (ECHO) • EuropeAid Cooperation Office • SDC/DDC (Swiss Government) • OFDA/USAID (USA Government) • World Bank • UNICEF • OCHA • UNDP • Private donors Funding partners for Somalia: • OFDA • SDC • UN OCHA • UNICEF • Tearfund New Zealand • WFP • EO-Metterdaad • Private donors Charity registered in England & Wales no. 1056731 Limited Company registered in England & Wales no. 3213889
Medair staff members Henrieke Hommes (left) and Janneke de Kruijf with children in Somalia.
Hunger and Disease Stalk the Vulnerable in Somalia/Somaliland from Henrieke Hommes, Country Director for Somalia/Somaliland I am so pleased for the chance to introduce this edition of Medair News reporting on our latest achievements in the field, and looking back at past achievements in this, our anniversary year. On the page opposite you can read about our urgent intervention in the D.R. Congo after thousands were forced to flee their homes to escape brutal attacks from the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army. Because of the support of our generous donors, Medair was able to respond quickly and effectively, providing essential health care in the midst of a terrible crisis. You can also read about the work happening right now in Somalia/ Somaliland (pages 6 and 7) to save lives in one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. This is of course very close to my heart, as I witness every day the devastating consequences of conflict, drought, and disease. Many families are depending on us for the food and water to feed their children. There is nowhere else for them to turn to for help. The scale of the problem is huge, with half the population of Somalia in need of humanitarian aid — but we are not without hope. For women like Kureisha and her young family, the help we can provide means that life continues. Even as death stalks this troubled land, there is hope for future generations.
© Medair 2009
Please take this opportunity to find out what an amazing difference you are already making, and will continue to make, as you partner with us in this urgent work. With thanks,
Thanks to you
D.R. Congo: Medair Provides Emergency Aid to Thousands Forced to Flee Violence In September 2008, the first reports of fighting started to reach our team in north-eastern D.R. Congo. Villages were being attacked by the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), homes looted and destroyed, husbands killed and children kidnapped. Over 20,000 women, children, and men who fled for their lives arrived in the town of Dungu after days of travel, looking for food, water, and shelter. The town’s resources quickly became over-stretched, leaving everyone in need of safe, clean water, and adequate sanitation. Marie Dawilegu was one of the internally displaced people who arrived in Dungu looking for help. She told us what happened in her village of Kiliwa: “The LRA attacked our village on 17 September. I remember that the children ran frightened out of the schools. Everybody started running. We all feared the cruelty of the LRA. I had to leave without anything, just the clothes I was wearing. I even lost my husband. I was all by myself.” Medair was the first charity able to respond to the emergency in Dungu. We quickly supplied essential medicines to treat cases of cholera, malaria, and influenza and prevent them from spreading amongst the local and displaced populations. Medair was the only charity working in the region. In their need for these medicines, the people had nowhere else
A child is treated at the Doruma hospital.
to turn. It is awful to imagine what would have happened to these vulnerable people if we had not been able to respond and provide help. Marie arrived in Dungu after travelling for two days through dense forest. She was reunited with her husband and they found a place to stay with a local family. Marie came to Medair’s clinic for help as she was heavily pregnant and needed specialist care. Our team was able to ensure that Marie was given the care she needed and soon after she gave birth to her first child, a boy, in the safety of the Dungu clinic. Medair’s work continues to make a life-saving difference to these vulnerable people and this is only possible because of the kindness and generosity of our donors. On behalf of Marie and the many thousands of others whom you have helped us to treat during this difficult year–THANK YOU. D.R. Congo: Field Summary (Sept ‘08 - April ‘09)
Medair staff supply mosquito nets to families living in camps around Dungu.
Patients treated Births in supported health clinics
73,661 1,268
September | 2009
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20 years old
A Medair Nurse, part of the Mobile Response Team in Southern Sudan, examines a young child.
The Path That Leads to Morning As part of an ongoing Medair News series for our 20th anniversary, we reflect on some of our successes and challenges from 1994 to 1998. 1994
In the early years of operation, Medair’s programmes succeed largely due to the staunch commitment of a small group of volunteers. By 1994, however, the organisation is stretched to breaking point. Medair faces a personnel shortage, while emergencies in Chad and Rwanda demand yet more resources.
In April, the devastating Rwandan genocide begins, as an estimated 800,000 Tutsi people are massacred over a period of 100 days. For six months, Medair provides life-saving services in the devastated region of Bugasera. “I will never forget the orphanage of 500 children that I visited,” writes Medair’s Dr. Rhiannon Lloyd. “We heard singing coming from one of the buildings. ‘They’re the Christians,’ I was told. We found a group of children comforting one another in singing: ‘Don’t grieve! We will meet our loved ones again before God’s throne, and God will wipe away all our tears.’”
We want to express our deep gratitude, not only for these life-saving medicines, but also for the love and concern demonstrated.
Despite these growing pains, Medair achieves profound results. In March, a medical programme in Somalia is handed over to local partners after successful staff training sessions. In Armenia, Medair delivers food aid and sanitation facilities to 50,000 impoverished people living in old shipping containers.
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1995
In 1995, Medair becomes fully independent from its three founding mission organisations, and embarks
20 years old on its own path as a restructured humanitarian nongovernmental organisation (NGO). New programmes are launched in Chechnya and North Ossetia. Medair is able to provide shelters, sanitation, and emergency food aid distributions to the most vulnerable, before evacuating the embattled city of Grozny in December. Medair returns to Sudan in 1995, this time with a major multisectoral programme that delivers health care, food-for-work projects, and education for thousands of people. One phase of the programme aims to assist people in the Nuba mountains, where Medair still works today.
1996
Medair faces its first tragic losses in 1996, as two staff members are killed when their vehicle is struck by an armoured car. Tillman Roth, a German builder, and Svetlina Duplina, a Russian translator—returning from a day of assisting Chechen refugees in Ingushetia—are killed instantly. “This tragedy made us suddenly aware that those who rescue the victims of war and injustice can, at any time, become themselves one of the victims,” writes Medair’s former CEO. The insecurity in Chechnya and North Ossetia compels Medair to close these programmes, while the Sudan programme perseveres amid the dangers of the civil war. A brief emergency response is initiated in Lebanon, and two major programmes are launched—in D.R. Congo (then Zaire) and Afghanistan—countries where Medair still serves today. Medair matures considerably over the course of this difficult year and our reputation for professionalism and integrity continues to grow.
1997
Medair’s funding multiplies during 1997, even as activities are restricted to just three vulnerable countries: Sudan, Afghanistan, and D.R. Congo. In each country, Medair runs a large-scale multisectoral programme with many sub-projects, indicating a broadening mandate that includes not only short-term emergency relief, but also mediumterm rehabilitation. In D.R. Congo, Medair provides nutritional support, food aid, medicine, and health services for the
vast northeast region of the country, where no international NGO has worked before, and where access by air is often the only option. With the help of dozens of local partners, Medair delivers a massive relief effort that reaches over two million people. “We want to express our deep gratitude,” writes a doctor at a remote health clinic, “not only for these life-saving medicines, but also for the love and concern demonstrated. The aircraft brought a spirit of hope, like a banner lifted against the weapons threatening us.”
1998
Medair makes more positive strides in 1998, increasing its focus on beneficiary accountability and on improved coordination with other agencies. Medair launches short-term emergency relief in Bangladesh and the Balkans while still maintaining major programmes in three countries. Despite these successes, insecurity and disasters persistently disrupt Medair’s ability to act. Afghanistan is the most nerve-wracking, when armed soldiers give our staff just thirty minutes to leave Kabul. On Women’s Day in 1998, Medair staff give flowers to the local employees for them to give to their wives. Touched by this simple gesture, the Afghan co-workers ask to honour the women who work on our team: “Under the pressure of guns and weapons,” writes one man, “our women are wrapped in nets of ignorance... If they were free, they too could develop their abilities and knowledge and could be directors, doctors, and teachers... The world seems dark for all our women, but you, you are like the stars in the sky of our country. While you are among us, we benefit from your brightness, and in your light we search for the path that leads to morning.” For more information about Medair’s ongoing programmes, visit: www.medair.org (online since 1998!) We honour the sacrifice made by Medair staff who gave their lives in service of God’s work: Tillman Roth (1996) Svetlina Duplina (1996) Hennie de Vrees (1997) September | 2009
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Special report
Medair’s Nutrition Project Manager, feeds a malnourished child in Burao hospital.
Crisis in Somalia/Somaliland: Medair’s Urgent Response For just over a year, Medair and partner organisations have been working hard to reach those hardest hit by severe drought and ongoing fighting. The most vulnerable are the women and children who, after suffering violence, the loss of their homes, and drought, now face starvation and disease. “Since I arrived, I have seen a lot of suffering,” says Henrieke Hommes, a nurse and Medair’s Country Director for Somalia/ Somaliland. “I meet women my own age who left behind everything when they fled drought and violence with their children. Today, they struggle to survive in the camps where disease and malnutrition rage.”
of the country has been forced to flee their homes — that’s 1.2 million displaced people. Some have found refuge in South Central Somalia, others have walked more than 800km to reach Somaliland.
More than 40 percent of the population needs emergency relief and 15 percent of the country has been forced to flee their homes.
After 19 years of fighting, worsened by several years of drought, Somalia is experiencing one of the most severe humanitarian crises anywhere in the world. More than 40 percent of the population needs emergency relief and 15 percent
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That is Kureisha’s story. She made the long journey from her home to a Somaliland camp whilst eight months pregnant. “Bombardments forced my husband and me to flee Mogadishu 10 months ago. It took us 19 days to arrive at this camp where I gave birth to my son. Every day my husband goes to the city to try to earn enough to feed us. When he
Special report brings nothing, we do not eat, like today. My baby has tuberculosis and suffers with diarrhoea.”
At two years old, Saud weighed no more than five kilos. She couldn’t eat or drink, was vomiting and wouldn’t have survived long without immediate help. Young children and pregnant women are the first to suffer: one child in six is severely malnourished and will not live to see a fifth birthday. Shockingly, one woman in 100 dies giving birth. These are amongst the worst rates found anywhere in the world and the situation is deteriorating. Although there are many dangers working in these countries, Medair has been determined to respond to the urgent needs of the people. Drawing on our experience and working in partnership with local organisations, an integrated programme has been setup which tackles malnutrition, health care, the supply of safe drinking water, and provision of sanitation. The programme started in MiddleShabelle, South Central Somalia, a very poor and remote area which suffers particularly badly from the drought. In December 2008, our teams extended their work to Burao, Somaliland, where thousands of displaced people have sought refuge. In these two areas, priority is given to the fight against malnutrition. Our mobile nutrition clinics visit the poorest communities and camps to help children suffering from malnutrition. Once assessed by a member of our nutrition team, the children are given PlumpyNut, a nutritious peanut paste which is high in protein and very calorific. Those too weak to feed themselves are transported to the closest hospital so that they can be given specialist care. “At two years old, Suad weighted no more than five kilos,” remembers Henrieke. “She couldn’t eat or drink, was vomiting, and wouldn’t have survived without immediate help. We had to hospitalise her and feed her gradually through a tube. Still she was vomiting-I was very worried. But within a few weeks, a miracle occurred. Suad put on weight and gained
A child too weak to be fed orally is given milk through a tube at Burao hospital.
strength. What a joy to see kids taking part in our programme and finding the strength to live again.” Other areas of the programme being developed by our teams include: reproductive health care — giving mothers greater security through labour; hygiene promotion — to help reduce the risk of diseases; and the provision of safe, clean drinking water — a hugely important part of our work. In the months to come, we hope to expand the coverage of our programme and provide this lifesaving emergency care to more remote areas, like the districts of Sahel in Somaliland, and Rage Elle in Middle-Shabelle. We know that there are families there who are not going to survive without help, and we desperately need to reach them in time.
Please support this vital work by giving a gift today. For just £20, a malnourished child can be nurtured back to health. You can give a gift by using the reply form attached to the covering letter or go online at www.medair.org/donate. Thank you.
For more information: www.medair.org/somalia Somaliland declared itself independent from Somalia in 1991. Their independence has not been recognised by the international community. September | 2009
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Staff interview
Dr. David Sauter, Medair’s longest serving staff member How long have you worked for Medair? September 2009 is my 15-year anniversary, so 15 of Medair’s 20 years. In fact, I am now Medair’s longest serving staff member, so I can often bring the ‘organisational memory’ to discussions and a historical perspective to my participation on the Management Team.
Tell us about yourself? I am from francophone Switzerland and studied medicine at Lausanne University, graduating as an M.D. in 1980. I also have a Tropical Medicine diploma from Antwerp, and an MSc from London in Health Planning and Financing in Developing Countries. David Sauter at a Medair installed pump in Madagascar.
I would like to thank Medair Supporters and say that, more than ever, we need their faithful support, vital to our capacity to adapt and respond to a changing, everchaotic and needy world. We ask for their help both financially and to tell others about our work at Medair.
And a bit about your work history? I worked in Swiss hospitals first, then seven years in primary health care positions in Uganda, Zaïre (Congo), and Chad before coming to Medair. My training and experience have facilitated my advisory role to Medair’s health projects in Southern Sudan and D.R. Congo.
Why did you choose to join Medair? We chose Medair because it was a small, dynamic organisation with its work and values founded on the Christian faith. Luke’s parable of the Good Samaritan had been a primary motivation for me to serve abroad, and I discovered that it was an important teaching of Jesus for Medair staff as well. I started as Medair’s first permanent Desk Officer (DO). We were only five on the staff at that time.
What jobs have you held with Medair? I was DO for D.R. Congo for 10 years, as well as Armenia, Southern Sudan, and Uganda. I am now DO for Madagascar and I supervise four advisors who support field staff in technical areas related to Medair’s sectors of expertise. A role I’ve enjoyed is being a founding member of the Medair Invest-in-Aid Foundation. The foundation’s mission is to add value and sustainability so that Medair can continue to meet the needs of the world’s most vulnerable far into the future. It accomplishes its mission by receiving legacies from Medair supporters to create an endowment that will provide a long-term financial underpinning of Medair’s work.
What have been the highlights? If you would like to find out more about working for Medair, please visit www.medair.org/work-with-us or call the U.K. office on 020 8772 0100.
MEDAIR
There are so many! The 10th anniversary in 2007 of our health care work in D.R. Congo was an important moment. In my anniversary speech in Bunia, I expressed strong gratitude to the Medair expatriate and national staff for the incredible worked they achieved on behalf of millions of vulnerable people in the midst of brutal hostilities. Medair’s Congolese supervising nurses travelled on motorbikes more than one million kilometres, through extremely inhospitable terrain, on monthly visits to more than 400 supported health structures!