tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40662232219403284702012-01-05T04:44:46.583-05:00An SOS Children's Villages team-member on the spot in Haiti will give you eye witness accounts, interviews, pictures and videos showing what is happening day to day.SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.comBlogger741100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-89091287287615963402011-11-25T16:04:00.000-05:002011-11-25T16:04:11.691-05:00

Death is part of life and the most certain one. Everyone leaves this life - or the body - at some point... nonetheless, it surprises us, it hurts us and shocks us when death comes and takes a beloved one away. You knew this moment would come, but somehow you just wish it came later. Marevie was only two years and nine months old when she passed away last Saturday afternoon. Yet she touched the

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Portrait of Elie, a student in Tellier, where SOS Children’s Villages is renewing the public school  Elie (in background) on his way home from school - Photo: Sophie Preisch  Walking home from school, Elie sings and hums to the music coming out of his walkman. “It‘s a radio, it plays a lot of different music“, he says in response to being asked what kind of music he has on it. Elie’s way

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The sun is burning down. Hundreds of exited kids in new school uniforms sit and walk and run in the school yard and the director opens the new school year with ceremonious words. SOS Hermann Gmeiner Schools in Santo and Cap Haitien opened their doors again and teachers now start putting into practice, what they learned during summer. "I virtually hear the uproar when I see this picture", our

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Elene lives with her husband and her daughter in Port-au-Prince. The nineteen-year-old talks about her education, her misery and her dreams. “I had heard of the centre, that it receives children whose parents don’t have the possibilities to provide everything for their children”, says Elene, a friendly and soft-spoken person. „My husband and I both live in misery because we don’t have jobs. It

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SOS Children’s Villages Haiti contracted the faculty of education studies of local Quisqueya University to give teachers further training and renew the curriculum. The teachers’ training enters phase II as 66 Haitian teachers receive classes in August 2011. Most Haitian newspapers are written in French. An estimated 95 percent of the Haitian population are not proficient in French. An

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After a long intermission we declare this Blog „alive“ again. The first impressions after coming back to Haiti... I have been out of Haiti for more than five weeks and it felt good to arrive at Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince again. Upper-class Haitians in exclusive outfits, international helpers in functional wear and missionaries in mission-shirts searching for

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The new temporary offices for the national office and international team of SOS Children's Villages Haiti - Photo: S. Preisch I think it has already been mentioned several times on this blog that everything follows its own pace in Haiti. Everything is just a little more complicated than elsewhere. The international team working in Haiti has grown used to this. And yet, the following story

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-91169977748302950382011-05-20T10:42:00.001-05:002011-05-20T10:57:21.537-05:00

José Muñoz, volunteer for America Solidaria assigned to SOS Children‘s Villages Haiti, passed away on Thursday 19 May at the age of 28. Thank you José, for dedicating five precious weeks of your short lifetime to us and to Haiti’s children.  A truly gentle man with a truly gentle smile we will all miss: José. The picture was taken at his induction to the organisation „America Solidara“

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A new season is starting in Haiti - and with it, a new period of governance. Tèt kale, as Michel Martelly is nicknamed in his homeland, faces great expectations.  Children play football in front of the temporary shelters inside the SOS Children's Villages as the clouds grow darker - Photo: Hilary Atkins  On our way to Delmas, Port-au-Prince, I see new tents in the camp we are passing. Is

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-52140464091699315502011-03-04T07:43:00.000-05:002011-03-04T07:43:43.684-05:00

The SOS Herman Gmeiner School in Santo is barely recognisable: instead of classrooms consisting of tents on a dirt floor, brand new hangars now provide ample space for eight classrooms in addition to the existing school building. This significant change for the better was made possible by donations from the German Red Cross and the German embassy. A fresh start in a brand-new classroom - a

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-81665480840464890042011-02-09T12:30:00.000-05:002011-02-09T12:30:07.157-05:00

Today is a special day for the SOS family in House #8. The table is laden with delicious food and the living room is bursting with guests. Loud music is coming from the speakers as the star of the afternoon makes her appearance: It's Princess Marevie's second birthday.  Marevie is celebrating two birthdays - two years since she was born and one since she was born again. Photo: Sophie

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-84383731359514451332011-02-09T05:51:00.000-05:002011-02-09T05:51:05.259-05:00

One year ago 33 children were brought to the SOS Children's Village in Santo after a long and sad trip. A group of self-proclaimed missionaries wanted to bring them to the Dominican Republic and were later charged with child trafficking. In March 2010 the children were reunited with their families - we visited two girls and their mother at home to follow up on their story.  In spite of - or

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Something unexpected happened yesterday: I saw a child become a different child. Two small boys were sitting outside a house in the SOS Children's Village Santo, eating rice and chatting. As I walked by, the two started waving at me. One of them even got up and ran towards me. Then, all of a sudden, it hit me: that's Sonson!  Sonson and his SOS auntie - Photo: Sophie Preisch  Running

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On a white sheet children wrote their thoughts into three columns: one for 12 January 2010, one for 12 January 2011 and one for 12 january 2020. "Everyone was affected" reads the first column, or "We will never forget all those who died". One boy vented his anger about what happened with words that could be translated as "Doomsday for Haiti". One boy recalls, that he missed out on his date for

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Over the last days of 2010 more than 100 children of the SOS Children’s Village in Santo moved into their new homes. The temporary shelters,built on the children’s village grounds, help reduce the number of children in the family houses and provide a temporary home for many. All these children came here after the earthquake. The majority of them will be reunited with their biological families in

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-41311423422629105172011-01-03T06:03:00.000-05:002011-01-03T06:03:17.322-05:00

"Everyone is waiting on this special evening. Waiting for Santa Claus and for good things to come. And it is necessary to spend some time together in peace, joy and love... because even if Santa does not bring any gifts, often it is enough to have one such precious moment", says SOS co-worker Samy, who hosted a Christmas party for the children of the SOS Children’s Village in Santo on Christmas

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-22528772062621237622010-12-22T04:39:00.002-05:002010-12-22T04:48:49.994-05:00

At the moment we don’t have water since the water pump broke again. Every day I establish new records in using minimum amounts of water to shower. When I wash I try to collect used water by means of a little bucket which I use to flush my toilet. Those are the things I think about before my workday begins. Next, we need to find a driver to bring us to a supermarket that accepts cards. It is

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-40153181935378420582010-12-15T05:44:00.000-05:002010-12-15T05:44:05.845-05:00

"I'm wishing for peace", says Delva. "And a good president", adds Clorene, while Antoinette carefully braids her hair. "I just hope the city will be safe again. That you can leave the house without having to worry", answers Julianne. The SOS Aunties do not desire any material things for christmas. What they want is that life in Haiti improves. For all of them it is the first christmas they spend

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-20731493670085473402010-12-10T08:04:00.003-05:002010-12-10T08:33:42.810-05:00

Normally, the flag is raised at seven in the morning, followed by the singing of the national anthem. But today is different. Children run to and fro across the schoolyard of the SOS Hermann Gmeiner School, the classrooms are empty and there is not a teacher in sight. There is also no sign of the students who don't live inside the SOS Children's Village in Santo, Port-au-Prince. "It's because of

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My co-worker and I are sitting on the terrace in the pale blue glow of our computer screens when all of a sudden a little figure emerges from the dark and runs towards us. Marc gives us each a hug and then stands behind us to watch us working. The 9-year old boy does not need many words to say a lot. Usually his reply to any question is a single word followed by a bright smile. He exudes calm and

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-87572055511308465142010-12-02T10:53:00.000-05:002010-12-02T10:53:09.467-05:00

It began at the airport, where a Haitian band was making music before we even got on the bus to the airport gate. Canadian police men and women, who apparently were sent to assist during the presidential elections, started nodding with the beat. As I walk through the SOS Children’s Village Santo two weeks later, I see a group of boys standing around an empty plastic barrel dancing to the rhythm

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-50378263403969741822010-11-30T05:39:00.000-05:002010-11-30T05:39:10.223-05:00

"Chile" shouts a boy, indicating to Felipe that he should pass the ball over to him. The sun is already setting as this group of children of the SOS Children‘s Village in Santo runs after the ball trying to score as many goals as possible. "I did not know a single word in Haitian Creole when I came here", says the Chilean social worker Felipe, "but as long as we are playing soccer, language does

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-15539775769584425322010-11-29T10:51:00.000-05:002010-11-29T10:51:30.295-05:00

All of a sudden I‘m torn out of my dreams by all those chickens clucking and fighting over their breakfast grain. It must be almost six o‘clock in the morning... and step by step I realise that a new day in the SOS Children‘s Village in Santo is about to begin. "There is only one armed force in the children‘s village of Cap Haitien: the mosquitos", says my Haitian co-worker Samy, asked whether

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-35272574092522656062010-11-26T03:54:00.000-05:002010-11-26T03:54:30.471-05:00

How quickly time passes; yet four weeks seems such a long time ago. Four weeks in Haiti in which I have been bombarded with sounds and images that have had opposing effects. The crushed and broken buildings in Port au Prince saddened me, as did the makeshift homes, usually tents, in any vacant space from a rooftop to an alleyway.  Amidst the breathtakingly beautiful landscapes, thousands

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My colleague Max comes from Luxembourg and is in Haiti to source institutional funding (i.e. funding from governments and development agencies) for SOS Children’s Villages programmes. He told me today that in Luxembourg there is a traditional dance where the people take two steps forward and one step back. This is apparently to remind them that progress is not always easy – you may go forward

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-72114765593596443192010-11-23T05:23:00.001-05:002010-11-23T05:31:26.903-05:00

I have come to the conclusion that there is no such a thing as a quiet classroom in Haiti, or at least in Santo. At the SOS Hermann Gmeiner School, which is located on the children’s village compound, classes start at 7.00 am and continue until 5.00 because the children go to school in two shifts i.e one shift in the morning and the other in the afternoon. This is not normal for this school (

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-4941039915618968472010-11-12T07:09:00.000-05:002010-11-12T07:09:43.029-05:00

"Hola!" shouts a little boy. "Bonjour", says Winni when I get an early coffee. "Good morning" Bettina greets me. But this is not La Paz, Casablanca or Cape Town, all homes to SOS Children’s Villages. This is the SOS Children’s Village Santo in Haiti, where a variety of nationalities living and working here makes up a veritable Tower of Babel. The island on which Haiti is located is the second

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-71852510177841740732010-11-11T07:36:00.000-05:002010-11-11T07:36:54.492-05:00

There are two SOS Children’s Villages in Haiti, one in Santo, just outside Port au Prince, where I am based, and the other in the north at Cap Hatien. According to Wikipedia, Cap Haitien is an historic colonial city with an architectural style similar to New Orleans. It apparently also has the best beaches in Haiti and - before the earthquake - was a stopover for ships cruising the Caribbean.

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-38590880222552401602010-11-08T03:37:00.000-05:002010-11-08T03:37:03.769-05:00

Just after I posted my blog yesterday it started raining, and continued to do so for the next 16 hours. It was light rain at first but as the evening set in, it got heavier and the wind became stronger. Children living in the temporary shelters were put to bed, with their SOS aunties, on mattresses in empty classrooms. The rest of the children’s village and the co-workers who stay in the compound

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4 November; 14:00 Ever since I arrived in Haiti on 24 October I have woken early to clear, deep blue skies. The heat of the day has been intense and the humidity crushing. But today was different. The wind blew hard most of last night and when I woke at 06:00 it seemed dark and cooler, although light comes around 05:30. Dark skies over Haiti - Photo: C. Martinelli The lack of light was caused

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November 1 and 2 are public holidays in Haiti, to celebrate what is known as The Day of the Dead. In Europe many Catholic countries do a similar thing on 1 November, All Saints Day, when they go to mass to honour the saints and then to graveyards to pay respect to their dead family members. All Saints is also known as All Hallows, and so the eve is commonly referred to as Halloween. For Haitians

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-44822790777735468352010-11-03T05:08:00.001-05:002010-11-03T05:12:15.681-05:00

 The camp opposite the palace - Photo: H. Atkins  “Girls as young as nine are selling their bodies in that camp”, said the young guy as he tried to sell us some Haitian paintings. His name was Patrick and we were standing outside the remains of the presidential palace in Port au Prince. The camp he referred to was right opposite the palace, in what had once been a park - the equivalent of a

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-5788352025716633492010-11-02T05:52:00.000-05:002010-11-02T05:52:53.420-05:00

 Marevie is happy with her new family - Photo: Hilary Atkins   Yesterday I met Marevie. She is the little girl found by Louis Klamroth in February. She was about a year old, skeletal and hardly breathing and Louis saved her life. He not only took her to hospital but also, because she had no living parents, took responsibility for her until she was well enough to be taken into the SOS

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-66719022679314970832010-10-29T10:20:00.004-05:002010-11-11T06:49:39.157-05:00

Hilary Atkins, born in the United Kingdom, spent nine years working for SOS Children's Villages in East Africa as a regional editor. Currently working for SOS Children's Villages as a freelancer in Haiti, Hilary blogs about her daily work and experiences in the devastated country. “You do know there has been an outbreak of cholera?”, the flight attendant whispered to me as I disembarked at

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-49154120458983278512010-09-01T11:16:00.000-05:002010-09-01T11:16:20.385-05:00

Since our psychosocial advisor Yolanda van den Broek has come to the end of her stay in Haiti taking care of children whose families were either killed in the earthquake of January 12 or can no longer provide adequate care for their children, adolescents from the SOS Children's Village have gladly and proudly taken on the task... "After the invasion of more than 50 children at the same time a

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-11234983545977853932010-08-10T11:00:00.002-05:002010-08-11T05:23:32.947-05:00

After the earthquake of January 12, SOS Children's Villages constructed shelters on the village grounds to accommodate the children who had been put up in the village in already existing SOS families (see previous report). The shelters have been completed, and the children have now moved in. Many children of the SOS Children's Village in Santo moved to the shelters a bit reluctantly about 2

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-15045391742705785122010-07-30T05:31:00.015-05:002010-08-02T10:17:35.717-05:00

Yolanda van den Broek, a psychosocial consultant currently in Haiti for SOS Children's Villages, shares her impressions of Port-au-Prince six months after the earthquake that razed the capital and killed hundreds of thousands of its inhabitants. The town Cap Haitien in the North of Haiti shows no physical signs of the earthquake though everybody felt the earth trembling even this far away. After

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-88626057370147358012010-05-27T10:27:00.003-05:002010-05-27T10:29:30.061-05:00

After several months in Haiti on assigment for SOS Children's Villages, the time has come for Line Wolf Nielsen to say goodbye to a country still struggling to recover from the disaster that struck on 12 January 2010. The time has come for me to leave Santo and the work as press officer with SOS Children's Villages' emergency programme here in Haiti. It's been 3 brutal and beautiful months,

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-42285011490525202812010-05-18T13:04:00.001-05:002010-05-18T13:08:01.258-05:00

Line Wolf Nielsen, currently on assignment in Haiti for SOS Children's Villages, explores the relationship between two countries that share an island. It is true what my guidebook says: although both are situated on the Island of Hispaniola, Haiti and the Dominican Republic are very much not alike. In Haiti people speak French and Creole, in the Dominican Republic it's Spanish and there is a

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-79562902220152316912010-05-10T03:02:00.000-05:002010-05-10T03:02:07.414-05:00

Line Wolf Nielsen, currently in Haiti for SOS Children's Villages, spends two days in a part of Haiti that offers luxury goods that simply can't be found in Port-au-Prince: a steady supply of water and electricity - and silence. I have just come back from a few days visiting the Northern city of Cap Haitien, where there is another SOS Children's Village. When asked how it was up there, my short

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-75692115896633376892010-04-30T06:11:00.000-05:002010-04-30T06:11:42.946-05:00

Line Wolf Nielsen, currently in Haiti for SOS Children's Villages, gives us the latest news on a very special little girl. Its been more than two months since Louis Klamroth, a volunteer working with SOS Children's Villages' emergency programme in Haiti, found Marevie. Regular readers of this blog will know that this little girl captivated his heart and that Louis went out of his way to ensure

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-81455422117300980742010-04-30T06:05:00.000-05:002010-04-30T06:05:11.999-05:00

Line Wolf Nielsen, currently in Haiti for SOS Children's Villages, takes umbrage with shortage. Ever experienced the shortage of such essentials as water, electricity and fuel, all in the same few days? Add a touch of heightened risk of political instability and public strikes, stir for some time until you reach 32 degrees and high humidity, sprinkle with a bunch of hard-working colleagues all

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-52306006789358743422010-04-19T05:49:00.000-05:002010-04-19T05:49:32.618-05:00

I have a hard time recognizing the little boy sitting on the couch. Is it really Sonson? The SOS mother nods, but I still almost can't believe her. Can this really be the same child? It's been some time since my last visit to this particular house in the SOS Children's Village and I am looking for a sullen, big-eyed kid with little expression and meager engagement in his surroundings. What I

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-81518792347142734622010-04-16T07:17:00.002-05:002010-04-16T07:19:08.697-05:00

Haitians have come up with a new word for 'earthquake'. Goudougoudou they say, which to me seems to capture both the infernal noise of crumbling buildings and that something is chasing after you. It certainly takes some of the clinical menace away from words like “seismic” and “tectonic plates” and almost turns it into some sort of yeti or some other lumbering rough beast, slouching towards you.

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The calendar said late February and I had been in and out of that particular classroom many times, before I noticed that the date of the earthquake was still written on top of the blackboard. It was partly covered behind a tall pile of kidney beans in boxes. '12 January' it said in white chalk. In the right hand top corner a small matrix showed the roll call: 2 absent boys and 43 present boys

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-32272019783858986652010-04-01T15:46:00.002-05:002010-04-02T03:22:14.756-05:00

Line Wolf Nielsen, currently in Haiti for SOS Children's Villages, experiences the reality of family reunification. A week after Haiti's devastating earthquake, Phillippe Onecio admitted her youngest child to the SOS Children's Village in Santo. With six children to care for and an absent husband, she thought it best to give up her youngest child. As the Media Coordinator in the Santo

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-89623578122617861832010-03-29T10:34:00.001-05:002010-03-29T10:35:15.813-05:00

Louis Klamroth, in Haiti for SOS Children's Villages, says goodbye to Haiti and looks back on two of the most beautiful, terrible months of his life. My last "official act" was to request an escort from the UN for one of our food distributions. Last week a mob seized one of our trucks and stole all the rations in it. For a long time, there was no need for escorts, but it looks like we will be

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-8720086441989504152010-03-22T08:30:00.003-05:002010-03-22T08:44:09.613-05:00

Emil doesn't let go for a long while. He has just seen his mother again for the first time in a month. His mother is laughing while tears run down her cheeks, and Bairon and myself feel a bit out of place. Bairon is from Guatemala and will be leading the temporary care programme here at the SOS Children's Village in Santo for two months. He has quite a workload to take care of, since he is in

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-33699116828118242482010-03-17T09:36:00.000-05:002010-03-17T09:36:55.295-05:00

Marie-Ange laughs out loud, flashes one of her beautiful smiles, and I can't help but smile back. "Louis, you ask too many questions, just finish your mango!" Marie-Ange is sixteen, just like her sister Ange-Marie and her brother Jean. They're triplets. "Your hair is just no good for dreadlocks, Louis", she says and starts laughing again. There's a gleam in her eyes that makes me forget the

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-34198426702714592622010-03-08T10:48:00.000-05:002010-03-08T10:48:44.599-05:00

It's still dark at six o'clock in the morning, but the rooster has crowed for the fifth time already, so I peel myself out of the bed, pour a bowl of water over my head and start walking towards the office. I quickly scan the fifty-odd emails, all either updates from UN cluster meetings or requests from other NGOs and join Carlos, the head of the emergency relief team, to discuss the relevant

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-42797352485372189472010-03-04T05:42:00.000-05:002010-03-04T05:42:52.903-05:00

18°35'44.30"N 72°15'6.69"W. These are the coordinates of the SOS Children's Village in Santo. That's pretty important, because there are virtually no street names anywhere, so help organizations locate each other by using coordinates. It took me a while to get used to that, but by now I automatically ask for coordinates, not for addresses. Among other tasks, I am in charge of coordinating relief

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-73564230990247668062010-03-03T09:04:00.004-05:002010-03-03T13:12:28.496-05:00

Most people here in Haiti have been literally living in trash ever since the earthquake. Thousands live cramped in improvised tents, the stench downtown is unbearable and there are hardly any toilets to be found anywhere. Up to ten people sleep under small tarpaulins, the heaps of trash are scavenging grounds for food. Living conditions are unhygienic beyond imagination. It rained again last

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-71143435318527218422010-03-03T02:29:00.001-05:002010-03-03T13:12:50.397-05:00

In our SOS Children's Village there is a kindergarten that is invaded by 250 children every morning. The children paint, sing, play and learn there. As I have to pass it on the way from my sleeping quarters to the kindergarten office, I often pop in briefly in the morning. By way of greeting, the children always shout out "White", because my hair and skin are so white. Then I let them touch my

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-55351267892759820042010-03-01T09:56:00.002-05:002010-03-03T13:13:39.993-05:00

On my first day in Haiti I tagged along with a group of social workers who were going to a community centre to distribute food. All the children, about a hundred of them, seemed happy and sang a welcome song. One child, however, was barely moving and lying in the lap of another child. I went over to the two and saw immediately that this child was much, much too thin. Marevie is about a year old

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-78449598996903037132010-02-25T08:27:00.001-05:002010-02-25T08:27:56.720-05:00

The children of the SOS Children's Village in Santo ran screaming from their houses last night, utterly terrified. The traumatic experience of the earthquake is still very fresh in the children's minds, and when the earth started moving again during yesterday's aftershock, they panicked. They spent the rest of the night in tents and didn't dare go back inside the houses until the next morning,

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-76980642215329973992010-02-24T07:30:00.004-05:002010-02-25T07:06:33.912-05:00

Today was a hard day. I got up at 6 a.m. as usual, woke my next-door neighbour Edgardo, the Head of Finance from Guatemala, and then we set out for the airport. On every roadside you see people who have built small shelters with plastic sheets. Often, they join up to form a little tent village. The traffic was incredibly heavy today, as ever, and the UN soldiers were trying in vain to bring order

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-78257382967602346532010-02-18T10:11:00.003-05:002010-02-18T10:22:21.704-05:00

Georg Willeit was deployed in Haiti for four weeks. He arrived a week after the earthquake in the SOS Children's Village in Santo near Port-au-Prince and supported and contributed to the emergency aid in the extremely difficult and distressing early stages. Now he is taking his leave, with "unimaginably sad images in [his] head, but also some very positive ones." It's over. I'm sitting in the

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-87277137160880847382010-02-18T02:52:00.004-05:002010-02-18T07:38:20.818-05:00

On 17 February, 126 children from refugee camps arrived at the SOS Children's Village in Santo for temporary shelter. Two-year-old Josette, whose teenage mother cannot care for her on her own, is one of them. When I asked Josette* who her mother was, she pointed at the girl next to her. I repeated my question, thinking she didn’t understand my far from perfect French. But again, she pointed at

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-73335502577062064602010-02-16T13:41:00.002-05:002010-02-18T10:21:47.302-05:00

David grew up at the SOS Children's Village in Santo. He is the only one of this biological family who survived the earthquake. Still not able to understand what happened, he finds emotional refuge at the SOS Children's Village and supports the emergency relief efforts. We are on our way to a community centre to give out water and food. David is 24 years old. He is sitting next to me and as the

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-68988664146760293452010-02-15T13:44:00.000-05:002010-02-16T13:44:51.110-05:00

A working day for Anna, as she provides emergency relief for children Anna has been working as a volunteer in the SOS Children's Village in Santo for the last three weeks. French by birth and resident for seven years in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, she has volunteered to help with emergency relief in the SOS Children's Village in Haiti. She thought she might be of use as an

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-75449363864870548352010-02-09T09:26:00.002-05:002010-02-09T10:04:07.672-05:00

Once more we are making our way through one of the many tent cities. For four weeks now, people have been living here in very close quarters, surviving on almost nothing. A man takes us to one of the most derelict tents. There is a woman lying on the floor, her three children sitting hunched over next to her. The oldest girl is ten, her brother is three, the youngest of them just eleven months

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-16821341471732046122010-02-05T15:09:00.000-05:002010-02-05T15:09:55.079-05:00

"I want to go back to my daddy, because my mommy gave my sister and me away!", says the nine-year old Ines*. There has been hardly a sentence spoken in the last few days that better sums up the situation of the 33 children. They all feel distinctively that they have been given away. Some thought they were going to some great school, some had no idea where the trip was taking them. But they had a

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-46827132672794455742010-02-04T16:17:00.003-05:002010-02-04T16:22:28.022-05:00

The images are all too familiar: for days now, staff from SOS Children's Villages Haiti and the international SOS emergency relief team have been driving through Port-au-Prince, past ruined houses and emergency relief camps. They provide food for the children from the poorest areas and try to distract them from the misery of their daily lives. The stories of the children and mothers in these

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-58963610159712461492010-02-04T16:14:00.000-05:002010-02-04T16:14:20.366-05:00

In a narrow alley in Port-au-Prince, not far from two large refugee camps: This is where two co-workers of SOS Children's Villages found three little orphaned children. They had caught the attention of a young man in one of the camps, who decided to show us the exact spot. The grandfather of the three little children had sought shelter in the vicinity of a Norwegian school and they were huddled

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-10095816630607699862010-02-03T11:03:00.003-05:002010-02-03T11:25:59.509-05:00

It was a moving moment for many. Some of the SOS mothers actually shed tears when the 33 children arrived in the SOS Children’s Village after their long ordeal. As has been reported by various media channels, ten members of a Baptist church community based in Idaho in the US had tried to leave the country with the children by bus and were subsequently arrested. The boys and girls were utterly

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-61035151539564807432010-01-30T18:27:00.007-05:002010-02-02T05:22:57.997-05:00

Two weeks after the disaster positive and negative sides of normality are back. On the negative side, some bureaucratic obstacles return. My European Mobile Provider has blocked my mobile connection, because of an increase in usage (they will certainly get paid, that is not the problem). They could be proud that they help to save lives but they prefer to hide behind red tape on usage limits. And

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-80232728208515290032010-01-28T11:37:00.004-05:002010-02-02T05:17:08.737-05:00

These three words describe the songs which radio stations here in Haiti having been playing for some days. Singing about a beautiful and free country, which will be strong and healthy forever. It´s to try to give people hope and strength, but it sometimes sounds more than a lost dream and a vision. Rebuilding will take years, and many elements to “new” build Haiti. It will only work, if there is

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-52448563005261127002010-01-27T15:00:00.001-05:002010-01-31T15:08:04.205-05:00

On her way home to the SOS Children's Village Santo, SOS Children's Villages mother Francoise found three children amid the rubble. Just a few days after the great earthquake, SOS Children's Villages mother Francoise finally made it home to Carrefour Feuilles, a suburb of Port-au-Prince situated some 30 kilometres from Santo, to check on her grown-up son. He was mercifully uninjured, but his

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-67476200576588427762010-01-27T08:50:00.002-05:002010-01-27T09:06:22.607-05:00

"Go outside and study for a little while." were the last words Yannick*, a twelve-year old boy, heard from his mother. He reluctantly went outside as he did not want to argue with his mother. Yannick and his mother had lived alone in a small house. His father had left them a long time before... "Luckily", says Yannick "because he often hit me and my mum." Yannick and his mother, who was disabled

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-29588963562057581192010-01-26T17:39:00.014-05:002010-01-27T05:46:07.327-05:00

I have already spent a week here in Haiti. The week has passed extremely quickly, helping to get our programmes working and struggling with communication lines to the outside world. Indeed time has passed by so quickly that I am not sure if I have really registered situation all around where I am. At the moment I feel somehow torn between two parallel different worlds. The first world is the

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-46330819360794423992010-01-26T14:48:00.001-05:002010-01-27T07:49:20.382-05:00

At first, everyone in Santo thought they were twins, because they are close and their names were so similar. But Jordan and Jordensten are six and seven years old, respectively. However, they never let each other out of their sight, they walk through the SOS Children's Village holding hands always sit close together and reassure each other. Jordan, the younger one of the two, seems more relaxed

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-8108172583389553202010-01-24T16:51:00.006-05:002010-01-25T16:00:31.299-05:00

Today is Sunday and as on every Sunday a lot of people are going to their churches to pray. I don’t know for sure, because I was not here last week, but I somehow have the feeling their singing and praying is louder than usual. The situation here is still terrible. Yes, it is getting better, there is some available food and water, but life in the camps which have sprung up all over Port au

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-43461134245250705382010-01-21T11:28:00.022-05:002010-01-25T16:08:00.104-05:00

It is now one and a half days ago that I arrived here in Haiti. I am writing this blog sitting in the SOS Childrens Village in Santo, close to the destroyed capital Port au Prince. On a first view life in the village seems to be just as I have seen in other SOS Villages around the world. The atmosphere is friendly, visitors are welcome. But if you look closer, you recognize that the children are

SOS Children's Villageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10448353977420254100noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066223221940328470.post-1109943961672504932010-01-20T09:19:00.004-05:002010-01-25T10:38:57.556-05:00

Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the world where 20,000 children under the age of 5 died of malnutrition and other causes in 2007 (UNICEF's most recent numbers). We have been working in Haiti since 1979 and have extensive experience in working with children and families in the area. Already before the earthquake we supported around 3000 children and adults in different communities,

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