Medair Serves the Most Vulnerable -- In the second part of this feature article, we examine the disasters and other crises that contribute to the vulnerability of our beneficiaries.
Disasters
In the past 50 years, there has been a sharp increase in the number of natural disasters worldwide, and indications suggest that this trend will continue.(1) Climate change is the most prominently mentioned contributing factor, along with intensified concentrations of people living in vulnerable habitats.(2)
Many deadly natural disasters occur suddenly, such as earthquakes, windstorms, volcanoes, and floods, but there are also slow onset disasters that are terribly debilitating, such as drought. The 2004 Asian tsunami is perhaps the best-known recent disaster, striking 14 countries after an earthquake off Indonesia. The tsunami accounted for 37 percent of all recorded fatalities from natural disasters since 2000, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. However, there are countless other disasters that receive very little media attention, but which nonetheless affect about 250 million people every year,(3) often leaving them homeless, injured, and without access to food, safe drinking water, or health care.
The impact of a natural disaster is not determined entirely by the magnitude of the event itself, but also by the ability of society to respond to the disaster. In many cases, the world's most vulnerable people are hit the hardest by disasters.
"The poor live mostly in regions prone to floods and drought which are low in natural resources and infrastructure," said Professor Per Pinstrup-Andersen of Cornell University at a recent conference. "They have no buffer. When a disaster takes place, it increases the 'silent death' which is already occurring among these people - (and) more children die."(4)
Of Medair's eight active country programmes, seven have been impacted by natural disasters. However, in four of those cases, Medair initially intervened because of conflicts, not disasters. In fact, as overpopulation and underdevelopment continue, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) predicts that, "In future, conflicts, crises, and disasters will tend to occur at the same time and in the same place."
Medair has intervened in several countries because of natural disasters, including Indonesia, Madagascar, and Pakistan.
Indonesia
With a population of 245 million people spread out over 17,000 islands, Indonesia is one of the world's most vulnerable countries to natural disasters. It is situated in the "Pacific Ring of Fire," where it is affected by shifting tectonic plates that cause frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
Medair initially worked on the west coast of Aceh Province, providing aid to tsunami-affected people who had been otherwise neglected. The team constructed water points and latrines alongside completed home, to encourage people to leave temporary accommodations and resettle.
Medair also travelled to remote Nias Island, and found that the population had just been recovering from the tsunami when a devastating earthquake struck, killing 850 people and leaving 80,000 homeless. Such are the conditions of life in Indonesia, where earthquake follows earthquake, and economic and political strife often lead to violent conflicts.
In Nias, the Medair team is rehabilitating or reconstructing earthquake-resistant health care centres, providing water and sanitation, and conducting health and hygiene education campaigns to increase local understanding of disease prevention. While the frequency of natural disasters in Indonesia cannot be reduced, Medair aims to reduce the impact of future disasters by increasing the capacity of the population to respond.
Madagascar
The beautiful island of Madagascar is caught in an ongoing cycle of natural disasters that inhibit its ability to overcome its impoverished conditions. Every year during its rainy season, the island is battered with high winds and rains, often escalating into tropical storms and cyclones. The recurring presence of cyclones destroys infrastructure and contaminates water supplies. Flooding often forces thousands of people from their homes, leading to health crises. In this environment, Medair conducts emergency relief activities during cyclone season, and spends the rest of the year improving safe water access and working to mitigate the impact of future cyclones.
This past year was the worst cyclone season in years, bringing seven different cyclones and heavy storms. Widespread flooding damaged roads, bridges, and entire villages. Thousands of hectares of rice crops were destroyed, along with schools and hospitals. With over 60,000 displaced residents on the northeast coast, Medair launched a rapid emergency intervention. Using planes to access flooded areas, and flat-bottomed boats called pirogues to reach the beneficiaries, the Medair teams provided aid to thousands of families.
The 2007 floods provided a severe test to many of the closed wells and pumps that Medair had helped install to prevent water contamination. However, all but one of over 20 flooded pumps had full drinking water output. This was a strong confirmation that Medair's disaster mitigation strategies are working, and helping reduce the vulnerability of Madagascar's beleaguered population.
Pakistan
The 2005 earthquake in the mountains of Pakistan garnered significant media attention because of the scope of the disaster (almost 75,000 people died), and the plight of the 3.5 million homeless survivors who faced the onset of winter conditions without shelter. Unlike Madagascar and Indonesia, this remote area is not as frequently affected by disasters; however, when they do strike, the impact can be extensive, because of the area's remoteness and general population vulnerability.
Medair was on-the-ground within five days of the earthquake, and was the first international NGO to focus its attentions on remote Poonch District. The team first consulted with the affected community to determine the most appropriate forms of emergency shelter, and then distributed temporary shelter kits and/or sturdy tents to help them survive the winter.
After the emergency passed, Medair trained 11,000 people to build new earthquake-resistant homes. The teams also undertook the construction of 11 primary and middle schools, conducted a basic health and hygiene campaign, and helped to restore livelihoods among the most remote communities.
Medair's Pakistan intervention is a good example of the way we respond to massive natural disasters: by providing emergency relief until survival is assured, and then shifting to a rehabilitation phase that helps improve essential infrastructure and also builds capacity by transferring invaluable knowledge and skills.
Other Crises
While natural disasters and conflicts generate the most headlines, there are other crises which contribute to the vulnerability of our beneficiaries. General population vulnerability is caused by a multitude of factors, including: poverty, deprivation, lack of access to essential services, lack of infrastructure, lack of economic opportunities, high levels of suffering, and high rates of mortality. Disasters and conflicts can create these conditions, but so can insufficient social services, and the breakdown of state structures.
In every current Medair country programme, there is high general population vulnerability, which is a crisis in itself. The amount that a disaster or conflict impacts a population is directly connected to its pre-existing vulnerability. One formula that helps determine the impact of events on the population is:
Impact = Phenomena x Vulnerability x Time
This means that the amount a population is impacted by an event is a combination of the disaster or conflict (phenomena), the general population vulnerability, and the length of time that the disaster, conflict, or pre-existing vulnerability lasts (lasted). For this reason, disasters that take place where the overall vulnerability is low tend to have less impact on the population than where overall vulnerability is high.
Protracted social conflicts can also increase vulnerability. ALNAP defines this as "civil strife or political oppression that falls short of official armed conflict but nevertheless involves a crisis in which discrimination, violence, exploitation and impoverishment are constant risks." (5)
Other specific crises that increase vulnerability are food crises or famines, technological disasters, and outbreaks of disease. Food crises and famine can have numerous causes, including drought, flooding, and insecurity. Sudan, Uganda, and Afghanistan have all experienced food crises due to drought, and recent flooding in Madagascar wiped out vital food crops which could lead to a food emergency in the future. Famine in Zimbabwe was the main motivator that led to Medair to launch a supplementary feeding programme in 2003, providing daily meals to 85,000 primary school children.
Technological disasters are less frequently discussed, but they can also have an enormous impact on the population. Examples would include nuclear, biological, and chemical incidents, collapsed dams and bridges, and other major destruction of human-made infrastructure and equipment.
Sudden disease outbreaks are a frequent occurrence in many of Medair's active countries. Medair is fortunately is able to respond to many of these emergencies because of our strategic locations in the country, and our experience and expertise with emergency relief. In countries like Sudan, DRC, Uganda, and Afghanistan, our emergency response teams cover wide swaths of terrain to combat outbreaks. Where contaminated drinking water is the source of an outbreak, Medair will intervene with our highly-regarded Emergency Mobile Water Treatment Systems (EMWTSs), as we did last year in the conflict-scarred city of Malakal in southern Sudan, providing the embattled population with 80,000 litres of safe drinking water per day.
Whether it is a sudden natural disaster, a violent conflict that displaces millions, or a range of other crises, there are many problems in this world that can devastate a population in a short period of time, leaving them vulnerable and in need of humanitarian assistance. More and more often, these problems influence and inflame one another, so that a natural disaster can lead to a conflict over scarce resources which can in turn lead to displacement, deprivation, and increased risk of disease. It is within these sobering and harrowing environments that Medair works, striving every day to bring renewed hope to the world's most vulnerable.
We bring life-saving relief and rehabilitation in disasters, conflicts areas, and other crises by working alongside the most vulnerable. Our internationally recruited staff are inspired by their Christian faith to care for people in need, providing practical and compassionate support, regardless of race, religion, or politics. Our consistent focus ensures maximum efficiency and accountability, with ISO 9001 certification worldwide. Founded in 1989, we continue in our unwavering commitment to bring hope to the world's most vulnerable.
Footnotes:
(1). Prof de Haen, IAAE conference. http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/Natural-disasters-more-likely-today/2006/08/13/1155407659115.html
(2) a. ibid
b. Terje Skavdal of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs.
<http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Asia-Pacific_bears_brunt_of_disasters_in_recent_years_999.html>
(3). Terje Skavdal of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (ibid 2b)
(4). http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/Natural-disasters-more-likely-today/2006/08/13/1155407659115.html
(5). Protection - An ALNAP Guide for
Humanitarian Agencies.
Hugo Slim and Andrew Bonwick, 2005 6. Prof de Haen, speaking at the International
Association of Agricultural Economists (IAAE) conference, http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/Natural-disasters-more-likely-today/2006/08/13/1155407659115.html
(7). Terje Skavdal of the UN Office for
the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Asia-Pacific_bears_brunt_of_disasters_in_recent_years_999.html
Prof de Haen, speaking at the International Association of Agricultural
Economists (IAAE) conference
(8). Terje Skavdal of the UN Office for
the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
UNHCR, Forgotten No Longer, 2005
http://www.unhcr.org/publ/PUBL/43d4e7602.pdf
IDMC (Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre)
http://www.internal-displacement.org/
