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Haiti: A Story of Hope
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Deverly Toussoiset is nine month old. His mother died during childbirth. His grandparents and auntie Fedia look after him.
Life has been difficult for Fedia and her family. In the absence of job opportunities and public services like schools and health centres, it is challenging to feed a family of seven and care for a young baby.
The family’s home collapsed during the quake and the family has been surviving amidst the debris of their old house.
Fedia's dad is an electrician and tries to work as much as possible on small projects. However, power cuts are frequent and it is hard to find work.
In the first weeks after Deverly's birth the family struggled to feed him. Baby milk is expensive with a three day supply costing 400 Haitien Gurdes, the equivalent of a full day’s income. However, when neighbours told Fedia about Action Against Hunger’s baby tents for orphans, things got better.
Every day, Fedia and Deverly visit the centre to collect milk formula and meet other families in similar situations. Fedia also attends Action Against Hunger’s sessions on child development, good nutrition and adequate hygiene practices.
Today, Deverly is a happy little nine-month old and has started to eat solids like bananas, rice and beans. He enjoys playing with the toys and other young children at the centre.
Fedia knows the importance of a healthy diet but the family can only afford vegetables and meat when her dad is able to earn an income.
When the electricity cuts last for several days, the family goes hungry until the electricity is back up again and her dad is called to look after a burnt fuse or fix a short circuit.
“We’ve been lucky,” says Fedia. "We have access to drinking water provided by Action Against Hunger and basic facilities such as the showers and latrines." However, most survivors continue to be dependent on emergency assistance and it is crucial that the reconstruction effort continues and the public services that people need are provided to enable people like Fedia and her family to take life into their own hands and provide a better future for their children.
Nine month old Deverly Toussoiset sits amongst the debris of what used to be his grandparents’ house and plays. His mother died during childbirth and he is being looked after by his grandparents and his auntie Fedia.
The family of seven live in the ruins of their old home, among large piles of debris which scatter the ground. “The house collapsed during the quake,” said Fedia, the eldest of three children. “Luckily, none of us were seriously hurt. We slept in the street in the aftermath of the quake. Eventually we managed to clear one room of rubble and moved back into the ruins of the house.” One month later a fire destroyed the few belongings the family had managed to salvage.
“Times are difficult,” Fedia continued. “My father is trying to work as much as possible. He’s an electrician but it’s hard to find work with all the power cuts. Caring for a baby in these circumstances has been very challenging.”
In the first weeks after Deverly's birth the family struggled to feed him. Baby milk is expensive with a three day supply costing 400 Haitien Gurdes, the equivalent of a full day’s income. However, when neighbours told Fedia about Action Against Hunger’s baby tents for orphans, things got better. Every day, Fedia and Deverly visit the centre to collect nutritional milk and meet other families in similar situations. Fedia also attends Action Against Hunger’s sessions on child development, good nutrition and adequate hygiene practices.
Today, Deverly is a happy little nine-month old and has started to eat solids like bananas, rice and beans. Fedia knows the importance of a healthy diet but the family can only afford vegetables and meat when Fedia's dad is able to earn an income. When the electricity cuts last for several days, the family goes hungry until the electricity is back up again and he is called to look after a burnt fuse or fix a short circuit.
“I think we’ve been lucky,” says Fedia. “Deverly is healthy and growing. We have access to basic facilities such as the showers and latrines that ACF has set up in the neighbourhood. And we have access to clean drinking water provided by ACF. However, it will take a long time until things get better. My brother and I would like to work and help provide for the family, but we need more than emergency assistance: we need schools, health centres and economic development. By earning an income, we’ll be able to take life into our own hands and provide a better future for our children.”
The international community has pledged $9.9 billion to Haiti’s recovery but to date, less than half of this amount has been disbursed. With over one million people struggling to survive in the most basic conditions, it is crucial to step up reconstruction efforts and continue laying the foundations for Haiti’s long-term recovery.
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