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Haiti: President Sarkozy, the emergency continues, and we must Contrary to certain peremptory declarations that the emergency is over and that reconstruction has commenced, over one million Haitians who have lost their homes and are camping in the rubble are well aware that the humanitarian emergency is still very real today. This situation is unfortunately set to continue until essential reconstruction work enables them to resettle in new homes. In the meantime, these Haitians have great needs: especially shelter, drinking water, food, and hygiene. In addition, the approaching rainy season will increase the risk of subsidence due to water infiltration, and worsen sanitary conditions. SOLIDARITES, an international humanitarian organization with several years of experience in Haiti, is supplying drinking water to over 50,000 Haitians in Port au Prince, distributing essential commodities (plastic tarpaulins, soap, jerry cans…), building showers and installing latrines which are a priority. We are also working on the indispensable management of solid waste. Alain Boinet, Managing Director of SOLIDARITES, declares: « we call upon the French authorities, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in particular the Centre de Crise, to mobilize all the additional means which are necessary to support the emergency humanitarian action of NGOs like SOLIDARITES. We also invite the general public to support SOLIDARITES, from emergency action to reconstruction, to help the Haitian population to emerge from the tragic situation in which has been plunged. » To help the Haitian quake survivors today, please send your donations to « SOLIDARITES – mission Haïti » at the address below or on our website www.solidarites.org Press contacts:
SOLIDARITES: the quake victims that we are helping in Haiti need the generous support of the French general public The international humanitarian aid organization SOLIDARITES is at this very moment distributing drinking water, in Port au Prince, to the survivors of the terrible earthquake on January 12th. Our team in Port au Prince is made up of 10 specialist volunteers (head of mission, logistician, specialists in emergency water and sanitation installations…), backed up by experienced Haitians who have already worked with us for several years. SOLIDARITES has installed 18 flexible drinking water tanks, 20 drinking water distribution ramps with taps, and 5 motor-pumps. This equipment enables us to supply 30,000 survivors living in makeshift camps with drinking water on a daily basis (150,000 litres), in the Bourdon, Delmas and Peguy ville districts of Port au Prince. Moreover, SOLIDARITES will respond to emergency sanitation and hygiene needs through the construction, rehabilitation and drainage of latrines, and the disinfection and lime washing of makeshift toilet areas. The aim is to prevent epidemics and waterborne diseases due to contaminated water. In order to support this vital action for earthquake survivors, SOLIDARITES makes an urgent appeal for donations to « SOLIDARITES – mission Haïti », which will be converted into immediate aid. All donations will be directly allocated to Haiti. Without the support of the general public, our emergency action in Haiti might not be able to meet urgent needs. To provide aid for Haitian earthquake survivors today, please send your donations to « SOLIDARITES – mission Haïti » at the address below or via our website www.solidarites.org Press contacts:
Appeal by French NGOs working in Afghanistan to the London Conference on January 28th: Humanitarian aid is not a weapon of war The French NGOs who actively assist the Afghan population, and have done so in some cases for 30 years, are extremely concerned by the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, despite the progress which has been made. The situation has deteriorated on a regular basis, from conference to conference, since the Bonn conference in November 2001. We are afraid that the London conference on January 28th will be the umpteenth conference without any tangible results. Today, everyone agrees that there can be no military solution. We urge the Afghan government and the international community to take courageous decisions in favor of reconstruction and development. The Afghan people need aid and development to curb poverty, and greater justice to restore confidence in the present and the future. They need friends who understand their history, their culture, their religion, their way of life, their expectations, and who respect all of these, rather than peremptory advisors who contradict one another. Moreover, the French humanitarian NGOs ask the London conference to respect their principles and methods of action, based upon impartiality and the scrupulous assessment of the population’s vital needs, throughout Afghanistan. The French humanitarian NGOs ask that the allocation of aid for humanitarian assistance should not be guided by political or military motives, but solely on humanitarian grounds. Humanitarian aid is not a weapon of war. The French humanitarian NGOs in Afghanistan ask the insurgents, the Afghan army and the NATO forces to respect the impartiality of our humanitarian action to assist populations in need, throughout Afghanistan. NGO signatories: ACF, ACTED, Action Droits de l'homme, Afghanistan Demain, AFRANE, EMDH, MADERA, Médecins du Monde, Mères pour la paix, MRCA, Solidarité laïque, Solidarités, Sport sans frontières, URD.
Haiti:
our solidarity must measure up to their suffering Tens of thousands dead. Two million people living in the rubble. Essential infrastructures destroyed, basic services decimated, economic activity and jobs paralysed. The Haitian people is in danger and our solidarity must measure up to their suffering, which is extreme. Previously active in Haiti for several years (2005 – 2007), SOLIDARITES is sending an emergency team to the disaster zone to assist the survivors by providing them with water and sanitation, food aid and essential products, for those who have lost everything in the earthquake. “Whilst this earthquake is first and foremost a tragedy for each person and family affected, it is also much more deadly, in proportion to the total population, than the tsunami which hit South East Asia 5 years ago”, declares Alain Boinet, Managing Director of SOLIDARITES. SOLIDARITES calls for an exceptional level of solidarity to first of all save lives, then to provide food and water, and finally to participate in the reconstruction of basic services, in close cooperation with the stricken populations. SOLIDARITES has launched a special appeal for donations: “SOLIDARITES – mission Haïti”, which will materialize as immediate aid with all donations being directly allocated to this mission. To help the Haitian population today, please send your donations to “SOLIDARITES – mission Haïti” at the address below, or make an online donation on our website www.solidarites.org SOLIDARITES, which was created 30 years ago, carried out 127 aid programmes in 13 countries during 2008, providing relief for around 3.5 million people through the dedication of 178 expatriate volunteers and 1800 local employees. Press contacts:
In
Copenhagen, to meet the pressing climate emergency, Climate change is already in motion and the populations of many countries are already facing this reality on a violent and regular basis, especially in poor countries affected by armed conflict or natural disaster. As a reminder, the number of climate-related disasters (drought, flooding, cyclones…) has increased five-fold over the last 30 years. SOLIDARITES, an international humanitarian organization, is confronted by climate change on a daily basis in many countries. For example: In Shatkira district in Bangladesh, where the population mainly lives off fishing and food-producing agriculture, flooding, cyclones and rising sea levels regularly destroy homes, infrastructure and growing areas. To prevent several million people from swelling the ranks of “climate refugees” in the capital city of Dacca, SOLIDARITES is working to improve living conditions and sanitary facilities, whilst supporting subsistence activities affected by salt-water land pollution. In the Corn of Africa, where droughts are more and more frequent, agro-pastoral communities are no longer able to cope with successive periods of drought. When livestock can no longer survive climate conditions and harvests plummet by over 75% - as is the case in arid areas of North Kenya this year – the very livelihood of these communities is on the edge of collapse. SOLIDARITES is working to support the subsistence activities of affected communities, to enable them to adapt to a more and more hostile climate. Faced with these cruel realities, Alain Boinet, Managing Director of SOLIDARITES, declares that: “The countdown has started for hundreds of millions of human beings, whose lives are already threatened today. In Copenhagen, the Governments must take their full responsibility for individual and public security, and the French authorities should set an example. This is urgent. A disappointing outcome would be very dangerous.” SOLIDARITES, a humanitarian aid organization specialized in emergency relief and reconstruction, carried out 127 aid programs in 15 countries for 3.4 million people last year. These programs targeted the following areas: access to drinking water and sanitation, food security and reconstruction of infrastructures. Press contact: Constance Decorde: 01 80 21 05 91 - cdecorde@solidarites.org
East Chad:
one member of a SOLIDARITÉS humanitarian On Saturday November 7, whilst a SOLIDARITÉS team was travelling in a minibus North of Ade (East Chad, on the border with Darfur, Sudan) to commence construction work on a well, six armed men opened fire on the vehicle without warning. The driver, Adoum Makaila, died from his wounds at Ade hospital. The other team members present in the vehicle are safe and sound. In the face of this tragic loss, SOLIDARITÉS presents its sincere condolences to Adoum Makaila’s family and friends, and is deeply outraged by this appalling act of violence. We call upon the Chadian authorities to take all the necessary measures to investigate this major incident, and to prosecute and sentence the attackers. The recrudescence of insecurity and banditry is a continual and serious threat to the civilian population and humanitarian workers in Eastern Chad. This murder is the latest in a string of recurrent acts of violence against our teams, and we are now obliged to suspend our humanitarian activities in rural areas around Ade. Over 15000 people will no longer receive our assistance. Present in East Chad since March 2008, the international humanitarian organisation SOLIDARITÉS carries out drinking water access and sanitation programmes to meet the vital needs of resident and displaced populations.
World
Food Day: SOLIDARITES calls for urgent mobilisation to meet
the enormous challenge of hunger worldwide On the occasion of World Food Day on October 16th, SOLIDARITES, an international humanitarian organisation which has been providing aid to victims of armed conflict and natural disasters for 29 years, stresses the importance of helping populations suffering from hunger to restore their self-sufficiency, in addition to the provision of emergency aid. According to the latest FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation) figures, 1.02 billion people suffer from hunger in the world today (1 in 6 people). This figure rose by almost 105 million in 2009, mainly due to the economic crisis, and it is likely to continue to rise over the next 40 years, in particular due to global warming and its negative impact on agricultural yields. In Africa, Asia and Latin America, these yields could decline by 20 to 40% if effective adaptation measures are not taken. Moreover, according to the latest FAO projections, agricultural production will have to increase by 70% to feed the additional 2.3 billion people who will join the ranks of the world population by 2050… SOLIDARITES provides relief for vulnerable populations and communities by distributing emergency food aid. In 2008, we distributed 970,000 food rations in Darfur, representing 11,378 tons of food aid. Likewise, in Afghanistan, where 50% of the population suffers from chronic malnutrition due to lack of variety in their diet, we distributed lentils, beans etc. to 3,700 targeted families in Roy Doab district. SOLIDARITES also distributes food to populations displaced by armed conflict, for example in Central African Republic where our teams provided food aid (cereals, corn-soya blend, oil, sugar, salt…) to over 5,300 people fleeing the violence along the route between Ndele and Ngarba (July – August 2009). Emergency food distributions could never permanently curb the rising number of malnourished individuals in the world. Those who are hungry must be helped so that they can provide for their own food needs. It is therefore necessary to define longer-term support strategies. This is the objective of our teams in Kenya, where there is a severe drought. In the northern district of Turkana (the poorest area of the country where 64% of the population live beneath the poverty line), we are carrying out a multi-disciplinary programme targeting 21,500 members of isolated agro-pastoral communities living on arid and semi-arid land (improving access to water, support for fishing and animal-breeding). The aim is to protect the food resources of these communities through appropriate action. For SOLIDARITES, World Food Day on October 16th is an opportunity to increase awareness about the enormous challenge posed by hunger worldwide, and to take action to meet this challenge, which we are determined to do. Our food security experts are available for interviews. To find out more about SOLIDARITES’ actions in the food security field: http://www.solidarites.org. Press contacts: Constance Decorde: 01 80 21 05 91 - Email: cdecorde@solidarites.org
SOLIDARITES reacts to the drought emergency in North Kenya SOLIDARITES, an international humanitarian organisation present in Kenya since January 2007, is set to carry out a drinking water supply operation by truck, for over 21600 people severely affected by the drought which has hit the country. Kenya is currently affected by a fifth bad rainy season in a row, which has caused severe drought, especially in the arid and semi-arid regions in the North. This drought has already killed over 100,000 head of cattle (an essential source of revenue for the Kenyan population) throughout the country, and is now also threatening the survival of the population, especially nomadic and semi-nomadic groups. This year, in Chalbi district (North Kenya), where SOLIDARITES teams are working, estimated rainfall between April and June was only 20% of the normal average. The average quantity of water available per person per day in the east of this district is 2.5 litres. Families now have to make twenty kilometer journeys to find water, whereas in June they only had to travel 8 km. For cattle to be watered, the average journey has increased from 22 to 55 km… In response to this situation, SOLIDARITES is launching emergency actions to meet the basic, vital needs of affected populations, until the rains which are due in mid-October… We will be supplying drinking water by truck for over 21600 people at five sites in Chalbi district: Forolle, Burgabo, Turbi, Dosa Wachu and Hurri Hills. Over and above our humanitarian action, SOLIDARITES wishes to alert public opinion and mobilise all available means to immediately respond to the huge water needs in North Kenya, for both men and cattle. Press contacts: Constance Decorde: +331 80 21 05 91 - Email: cdecorde@solidarites.org
SOLIDARITES
opens a new mission in Zimbabwe
In Zimbabwe, a country which has collapsed and where the humanitarian situation is constantly deteriorating, 80% of the population survives on less than one dollar a day. For 75% of the population, international aid is the only source of food, even though this land was previously one of the granaries of Africa. In Zimbabwe today, life expectancy is one of the lowest in the world, between 35 and 40 years according to the WHO, while inflation rates topped 231 million % in July 2008 (before the US dollar was adopted to replace the Zimbabwean dollar)! To make the situation worse, a cholera epidemic, largely due to dilapidated infrastructure, has left over 4000 dead since the end of 2008. To provide a lasting response to these needs during this exceptionally
difficult period, SOLIDARITES is due to commence a food security and
economic revival program from July 1st, 2009 onwards. This program will
be carried out in Kadoma (140km to the South-West of the capital city,
Harare) and will target those living in urban and urban-fringe areas
with no access to land and therefore no revenue. It entails setting
up « family vegetable plots », together with distribution
of tools, technical support and horticultural training… to enable
around 5200 people to gain access to a means of subsistence. Press contact: Constance Decorde: 01 80 21 05 91 - Courriel: cdecorde@solidarites.org
SOLIDARITES
denounces its expulsion from Darfur SOLIDARITES denies the allegations made by the Sudanese authorities to justify its expulsion from Darfur (failure to respect the rules governing humanitarian aid in Sudan, undermining national security and collaboration with the International Criminal Court). Moreover, SOLIDARITES denounces the conditions under which it was expelled by the Sudanese authorities, as was the case for 12 other international NGOs and 3 Sudanese NGOs, and fears that there will be serious consequences for the population of Darfur, who have been suddenly deprived of assistance. SOLIDARITES was expelled from Darfur by the Sudanese authorities on March 4th, 2009, following the International Criminal Court’s decision to issue an arrest warrant for the Sudanese president on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur. It is the vulnerable population of Darfur who will be the first victims, as a result of the expulsion of these NGOs which represented around half the volume of international aid in this region. As a reminder, SOLIDARITES had been present in Darfur for 4 years, with 42 expatriate and 320 Sudanese aid workers. We provided aid to 300,000 people, both displaced persons and resident populations, in the fields of drinking water and sanitation, food aid and essential commodities, as well as support for agriculture, animal breeding and education. Today, we are very concerned about the fate of these populations. We would also like to denounce the conditions of our expulsion: all of our property was seized, representing a value of 1.2 million euros, our offices were occupied, three members of our team were held for over one month, their passports were confiscated and they were threatened. Finally, according to a unilateral decree, SOLIDARITES was obliged to pay 6 times more compensation than normal. We denounce the political instrumentalisation of humanitarian aid in Darfur. SOLIDARITES is still active in this region, in South Sudan, Chad and Central African Republic, and is ready to respond to any new emergencies. We reaffirm the principles of impartial humanitarian aid, based only on the vital needs of populations, and of independence.
To find out more about SOLIDARITES : www.solidarites.org
Appeal
to journalists: Unsafe drinking water kills 8 million deaths* per year on the one hand, and on the other 500,000 deaths on average due to armed conflicts! This is the tragic reality, a tidal wave of silent deaths. To fight against this tragedy, the general public must be made fully aware of the situation, in order to put pressure on political decision-makers, and this is not really the case. According to a survey carried out for SOLIDARITES, only 1% of our fellow citizens are aware that unsafe drinking water is the number one cause of death in the world. In the run up to World Water Day and the World Water Forum in Istanbul from March 16th to 22nd, we are offering the opportunity for journalists to interview hydraulic engineers working on one of the 16 SOLIDARITES humanitarian missions (in Afghanistan, Chad, D.R. Congo…). Among our humanitarian missions is Sudan, from which we have just been expelled by President Omar Al Bechir, where we had been providing drinking water and sanitation, food aid and essential commodities on a daily basis to 300,000 people in Darfur. Alain Boinet, director general and founder of SOLIDARITES declares: « public awareness is an essential prelude and a determining factor to mobilize the resources required to reverse the tide of deaths due to water-borne diseases during humanitarian crises, and journalists have an essential role to play in informing the general public about this issue. » *L’Eau. Michel Camdessus. Robert Laffont. 2004. Press contact: Constance Decorde – 01 80 21 05 91 or cdecorde@solidarites.org
SUDAN: SOLIDARITES is a victim of an expulsion order from the Sudanese authorities, causing the interruption of vital humanitarian aid for the population in Darfur. SOLIDARITES was informed of its expulsion by the Sudanese authorities on Wednesday March 4th. Its offices were sealed up, its bank accounts were blocked and all of its equipment was seized (vehicles, computers, drilling machine…). This decision also affects ten other international NGOs who together represent 70% of humanitarian aid (that is, relief for 1.5 million people) in the Darfur region. These expulsions will have grave consequences for these populations whose survival depends on international assistance. Indeed, from our bases in Khartoum, Nyala, Muhadjeria, Seleah, Shaeria, Kutrum, Nertiti, Golo, El Daein and Adila, the SOLIDARITES team in Darfur (42 expatriates and 320 Sudanese) provides aid for 300,000 people in terms of water and sanitation, food products and essential commodities. In one year, SOLIDARITES distributed 480,507 food rations, representing a total of 8,663 tons of food. SOLIDARITES strongly emphasizes its principles, in particular the provision of impartial aid on the sole basis of the populations’ humanitarian needs, whilst retaining full independence. Indeed, and despite the assertions made by certain Sudanese media, we do not have any working relationship whatsoever with the International Criminal Court. Finally, we call upon the Sudanese authorities to ensure the security of our team members in Sudan, both expatriates and Sudanese employees. We also call upon them to reconsider their decision, in order to enable vital humanitarian aid to continue for populations in danger. Press contacts:
D. R.
Congo, Eastern province: over 600 people massacred since Christmas;
SOLIDARITES calls for the area to be protected to enable humanitarian
organisations to reach civilian populations. The wave of violence and bloodshed in Haut Uele district (Eastern province of D. R. Congo) since Christmas has spread terror throughout the region (over 600 people massacred and over 400 people abducted, most of whom are children). Humanitarian organisations are having to work in a highly volatile context, which makes it very difficult to reach populations in need. According to observers, attacks perpetrated by Ugandan rebels from the LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army) have multiplied since September 2008: exactions, looting, torching villages, abductions, massacres of civilians. Since the joint military operation by Ugandan, Congolese and South Sudanese troops was launched on December 14 to neutralise the perpetrators of violence and atrocities against the Congolese population, the violence has intensified. These attacks have forced terrified families to flee, mainly to nearby villages, but also to neighbouring regions in South Sudan and Uganda. To date, over 130,000 people are displaced within the Haut Uele district, many of whom are suffering from trauma and are still hiding in bush areas. The local populations are in a state of shock following the atrocities committed. In mid-January, SOLIDARITES, one of the few humanitarian organisations working in this region, carried out needs assessments in the areas between Watsa and Faradje, which have come under heavy fire over the last few weeks. The situation of the local population is worsening every day, the area has not been sufficiently secured and new attacks are reported daily. These assessments, which were carried out by the SOLIDARITES RRM team (Rapid Response Mechanism), in partnership with UNICEF, sought to measure population movements in the region together with their needs in terms of health, sanitation, and protection, since insecurity is the main cause of vulnerability among civilian populations living in this area. Following these recent assessments, SOLIDARITES is acting in the first instance as the principal source of information for the humanitarian community, and makes an urgent appeal for civilian populations to be protected. Before humanitarian relief can be envisaged in such a dangerous area, the situation must be carefully studied to make sure that the essential principle of « not harming » populations receiving humanitarian aid can be upheld (aid distributions can cause envy among militia groups and thereby result in a new round of attacks). Then and only then, SOLIDARITES’ teams recommend the following actions: targeted food distributions, distribution of essential survival products, and emergency water and sanitation activities for resident and displaced populations. SOLIDARITES, an international humanitarian aid organisation, has been working in DRC for over 8 years with a team of 60 expatriate volunteers and 800 Congolese employees. The NGO provides aid for the most vulnerable groups through over 20 humanitarian programmes in three regions: Ituri/Haut Uele (Eastern Province), North Kivu and Katanga. Press contacts: Alain BOINET – 06 82 59 29 07
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