Disaster Action ANNUAL REPORT / 2015
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FROM THE CEO DAN SKEHAN – YOUR MAN IN THE FIELD NEPAL EARTHQUAKE UPDATE THE CHILDREN WHO SUFFER WHY ARE DISASTERS ON THE RISE?
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HOW THE DISASTER ACTION FUND WORKS CYCLONE PAM RECOVERY ISIS AFTERMATH KENYA FAMINE FEARS GONE BIBLICAL REFLECTION: A TIME FOR EVERYTHING
FROM THE CEO This year, you will have seen the news about both Cyclone Pam and the Nepal earthquakes. You may have given generously to the appeals for these emergencies – or be giving regularly to the Disaster Action Fund. Both natural and manmade disasters are on the rise all over the world (see page 7). This is why your support of Baptist World Aid’s disaster management programs is so important. Those hit by disaster are already amongst the poorest in the world. This first Disaster Action Annual Report features the projects you’re funding in disaster risk reduction, response and recovery. This
work not only provides immediate relief during emergencies. It also links into longer-term programs to reduce poverty and bring lasting change in poorer communities. Disaster management work is critical to Baptist World Aid’s mission to be love and end poverty. Thank you for being a part of it. In Christ,
John Hickey CEO Baptist World Aid
WHERE WE’RE TAKING ACTION EARTHQUAKE FLOODS DROUGHT LANDSLIDE EBOLA TYPHOON CYCLONE CONFLICT AND VIOLENCE
Front cover: The lives of Dhan, Rabina and Nisha changed forever when a 7.8 Richter scale earthquake rocked Nepal. Source: United Mission to Nepal
Dan Skehan in Uganda
DAN SKEHAN YOUR MAN IN THE FIELD DURING DISASTER Baptist World Aid’s Disaster Management Specialist Dan Skehan is working hard to help families prepare for and recover from disasters.
How did you start working in disaster management? I originally got a glimpse of disaster management after working on projects during the Horn of Africa drought in 2011. I have a real interest in natural disaster events as well as climate change. Both are on the increase. I like working with communities to respond to those events and to build their resilience beforehand. I’m now responsible for developing programs in the three areas of disaster management: risk reduction, response and recovery (see pages 8 and 9). How did the approach to disaster management change after the 2004 Asian tsunami? The Asian tsunami was a game changer. As an organisation, we became far more intentional when responding to disasters. There is now more focus on disaster risk reduction work. This means preparing families and communities before disaster occurs. Also, working with local partners on the ground to build early warning systems in case disaster strikes.
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Why should a supporter invest in Baptist World Aid disaster management? As an organisation that’s over 50 years old, some of our initial days involved working with asylum seekers. For example, we helped refugees from World War II to resettle in Australia. We supported refugees from Burma in Thailand for over 15 years with basic health and education programs. When the Boxing Daay tsunami hit, we responded with over $3 million of relief to those in Sri Lanka, Thailand and Indonesia. And many disasters that never made the headlines were supported by Baptist World Aid through local partners giving real assistance to communities in need. Today, we are connected to local partners who can respond straight after a disaster. They can deliver relief items very quickly, uphold Christian values in their distributions and treat people with respect. I’m also very interested in linking disaster relief and recovery to the longer-term aims of combating poverty in the community. We want to see communities not only recover from disaster but also to continue to grow and develop after recovery activities have finished.
NEPAL EARTHQUAKE UPDATE
RISK REDUCTION Improving emergency communications and early warning systems, building more earthquakeresilient homes and buildings. This will be included in the next response phase.
Sifting through the debris Source: United Mission to Nepal
RESPONSE Food, temporary shelter, water and sanitation, logistical help delivering aid.
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RECOVERY Rebuilding permanent homes, re-establishing businesses and livelihoods, ensuring children can still receive schooling while the schools are rebuilt. The recovery effort will continue for many years.
Left: In ruins: Damodar and his family were left homeless after the earthquake. Below: Thanks to your support, these relief supplies will help Damodar’s family until he can return to work.
NEPAL EARTHQUAKE APPEAL OVER $600,000 RAISED THANK YOU!
NEPAL EARTHQUAKE UPDATE
EARTHQUAKE FACTS Disaster: A massive 7.8 earthquake hit Nepal on 25 April 2015 followed by a 7.3 earthquake on 12 May.
Damodar and Pakar’s family are among many who are so thankful for your support after the Nepal earthquake.
oil is keeping them fed for several months... and a kitchen utensil set means they can prepare their meals.
The couple are married with three children, Lalita, Layak and Sundari*.
A tarpaulin helps make their shelter more comfortable while blankets keep them warm. A hygiene kit with soap, toilet paper and laundry detergent assists with basic hygiene and helps ward off disease.
Deaths: 8,856
Damodar is grateful for this assistance – made possible with your support. It will help bridge the gap until his job starts again and he’s able to rebuild his house.
Other effects: Homes flattened, office towers toppled, livelihoods destroyed.
When the earthquake hit, their house was completely ruined when it collapsed. This left the family without a roof over their heads until Damodar was able to build a temporary shelter – a corrugated iron shack. Damodar also lost his livelihood when the school where he works closed. It’s unknown when it will reopen. As a result, Damodar has no source of income. But because of your generosity, Damodar’s family received a disaster relief package. A parcel with 50kg of rice, lentils, tea and *Names changed for child protection reasons.
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People affected: 2.8 million Children affected: 1.1 million
Aid challenges: The start of monsoon season limits access and delays ongoing relief operations. Difficulties in reaching and delivering relief packages to remote mountainous villages.
CHILDREN BEAR UP TO HALF THE
OF A DISASTER When disaster hits, it’s the children who suffer the most. Disaster management specialist Dan Skehan says this is because children often don’t have the life skills to deal with danger or the after effects of losing house, home or loved ones. “For example, in a flood, it’s sensible for an adult not to go near floodwaters but not for a child who is curious. “Children are also more vulnerable to sickness. If water becomes contaminated, they have an increased chance of getting diarrhoea or water-borne diseases. “If they don’t have good shelter, they’re at increased risk of fevers. If they don’t have good access to fruit and vegetables, this increases malnutrition.
“There’s also the psychosocial aspect. Post-Typhoon Haiyan, children were very scared if it rained because of their negative experience during the typhoon.”
ABOUT 42% OF YOUR DONATIONS GO TOWARDS DISASTER MANAGEMENT PROJECTS THAT DIRECTLY BENEFIT CHILDREN.
Dan also says children postdisasters are often in danger of missing out on crucial months – or even years – of school.
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As a child in Cambodia - the most disaster-prone country in the world - you’re living with the constant threat of flood. Source: Baptist World Aid Australia
“In Nepal, a lot of school buildings were just knocked over. So children’s access to education is greatly reduced, damaging their future prospects in life. “Post-earthquake, you might have a temporary school in Nepal now of 400. It has to operate out of two large tents with rotating classes. Children may only be able to attend for two hours a day. Now with the monsoon, the tent will leak. So the children will get wet and be less inclined to want to go. “So we’re now working to overcome all these challenges to ensure children get continuity in their education.” Thank you for supporting the relief and recovery efforts following disasters like the Nepal earthquake. It has been invaluable in meeting the needs of children for food, shelter and education after disasters.
As the number of disasters rise, so too does the number of already poor families and children who are left without homes, clean water and other basic supplies. Source: United Mission to Nepal
WHY HAVE DISASTERS INCREASED 7-FOLD? Cyclone, flood, earthquake, drought, famine and war… The number of natural and manmade disasters have increased 7 times in the last 50 years. Disaster management specialist Dan Skehan says various factors have led to the rise. “Over the last couple of years, global conflicts have played a part. In Syria, the number of people affected topped 4 million. That’s the biggest number of refugees for a single conflict in 25 years. “Climate change has also led to a higher incidence of droughts and floods and we can expect this to increase.
Graph data source: http://emdat.be/disaster_trends/index.html
“This means humanitarian organisations are really stretched. This is why helping communities to prepare for disaster is really important. It can lessen the impact and save lives.” It’s the poorest and most vulnerable that suffer the most from the increase in disasters. Thank you for being part of the solution with your ongoing support to disaster appeals and the Disaster Action Fund.
4489
2971
1824
582 1960’s
903
1970’s
1980’s
1990’s
NATURAL DISASTERS REPORTED PER DECADE
07
2000’s
HOW YOUR SUPPORT GOES FURTHER WITH THE DISASTER ACTION FUND Every $1 spent in Risk Reduction before disaster saves $7 during an emergency. Instead of merely responding to emergencies as they occur with food, water, clothing and shelter… Coordinated action plans to handle disasters can help save more lives and livelihoods. This is why we encourage you to support Baptist World Aid’s Disaster Action Fund.
BEFORE DISASTER: RISK REDUCTION It starts with a community-led risk assessment. Our partners work with communities to make a list of the possible hazards and risks. Is the village vulnerable to floods? Are droughts likely? Have there been previous earthquakes? Then comes collaboration on what to do if those disasters occur. While it’s not possible to stop a disaster, a lot can be done to lessen its impact. For example:
• Rainwater harvesting and storage ponds can help provide water during drought. • Drought-resistant crops and grain banks can help prevent famine • Properly established early warning systems and evacuation centres can help people move to safe places before disaster strikes All these actions BEFORE disaster strikes help to:
• A family that can raise their home on stilts or use windproof materials is more likely to survive during flood or cyclone
• Save lives
• Children and workers trained in “drop-cover-hold” earthquake drills know how to protect themselves should the “big one” occur
• Protect food supplies
• Reduce injuries • Secure property • Protect livelihoods Ultimately, this reduces the cost of recovery – the best use of your donation dollar.
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HER HOW WOR
RE’S W IT RKS
DURING DISASTER: RESPONSE When disasters hit communities, the field partners are often in the best position to be the first responders. This means that local people can immediately play an active role in their own disaster response and recovery. During the recent Nepal earthquake, immediate aid came through the local partners United Mission Nepal (UMN), International Nepal Fellowship (INF) and
Multipurpose Community Development Service (MCDS). Within the first week of the disaster, they organised emergency shelter and distributed food and water. Instead of this critical time being lost mobilising support, the field partner had the local community relationships and could use your donated funds to purchase disaster relief items straight away. This great partnership between Australian supporters like you, the church and field staff meant we could respond quickly and effectively to the disaster.
AFTER DISASTER: RECOVERY After the first response, it’s time to plan for the long-term recovery and rebuilding of communities. This can take several years and can involve any of the following. • Rebuilding permanent homes to be flood, wind or quake-proof • Reconstructing buildings, schools, offices and shops • Electricity, water and health care infrastructure restored • Re-establishing livelihoods with small loans support or cash grants to local people who assist with rebuilding
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• Distributing seeds and training farmers to ensure ongoing food supply • Setting up temporary learning areas so children can still continue their schooling • Providing trauma counselling for children and adults when needed Many of these activities can be tied into Baptist World Aid’s existing long-term community development projects. Your contribution to the Disaster Action Fund saves lives and livelihoods before, during and after a disaster.
YOUR GIFTS AT WORK AFTER CYCLONE PAM Cyclone Pam wiped out homes, villages and livelihood crops, leaving the people of Vanuatu devastated.
“Our next priority is cash recovery. People need money for medical care, school fees, uniforms, and other needs that come up. Now we’re working to help people get their livelihoods back up.
Enter Nasi Tuan, the field partner in Tanna Island. Cofounder Jeffrey Lahva reports back on the post“People’s incomes depend largely cyclone recovery process – made on crop yields. But most of their possible with crops have been your help. wiped out. Coffee “Cyclone Pam was a is the main cash “Following major shock for us. We crop on Tanna the cyclone, have never seen such but it can take up we began by destruction before.” to three years to replanting crops gain an income Tan, a Village Chief to re-establish from that. in Vanuatu the food supply… We focused on getting kumara (sweet potato) into the ground as fast as possible. Kumara is a relatively fast-growing vegetable and can be ready in as little as three months.”
“So we’re focusing on peanuts instead. Peanuts are relatively fast-growing. So communities can begin supplying peanuts to local shops on Tanna and in Port Vila for an income.”
Jeffrey says they reached 5000 households during this phase of disaster recovery.
Tan, a village chief says: “After the cyclone, we felt there was no hope. But there is hope now. Trees are growing back, houses
RISK REDUCTION Rebuilding with cyclone-proof materials and using food preservation techniques to reduce the risk of food shortages if another cyclone occurs.
RESPONSE Emergency food, water and tarpaulins distributed to families. Clean water and sanitation equipment restored. Evacuation centres set up and emergency shelters built.
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are being rebuilt, and things are slowly going back to normal. Life can start again.” Thank you for helping the local Vanuatu people to help themselves after Cyclone Pam.
CYCLONE FACTS Disaster: Category 5 Tropical Cyclone Pam struck Vanuatu on 13 March. Winds are estimated to have reached 250kmph with gusts peaking at 320kmph. Deaths: Limited. People affected: 166,000 on 22 islands Children affected: 42,500 children
RECOVERY Recovery of the agricultural sector to provide both food for families and re-establish livelihoods. This includes distributing seeds and tools plus training on raising cash crops.
Left: Rosaline was heavily pregnant when Cyclone Pam hit. She describes her reaction to the disaster. “We lost all hope. Homes, gardens, everything was gone in seconds.” However, thanks to your support, Rosaline and her husband have built a temporary home and re-established their garden. And she now has a baby girl, Jaimia*. “During the cyclone I was worried about the health of my baby. Every day I thank God for the delivery of a beautiful, healthy girl.” Below: Jeffrey Lahva says he would like to see economic freedom for his community. “The end goal is for there to be no need for organisations like Nasi Tuan.” Source: TEAR Fund NZ *Names changed for child protection.
REBUILDING AFTER TYPHOON HAIYAN Ruben has a wife and 5 children. His home and fishing gear were swept away during Typhoon Haiyan. Mila was pregnant and thought she would lose her child when the typhoon hit and flattened her house. And Jenny’s home was destroyed, along with all the leaves she uses for mat weaving to earn an income.
Now, thanks to your support, they have all received emergency food and supplies. Ruben and Mila’s husband received fishing boats and equipment so they can make a living. Jenny got her livelihood back when she received a package of mat weaving materials. She’s back in business making mats and bags to sell at the market. Recovery efforts are still under way in the Philippines with many new homes being constructed to cyclone-proof standards.
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TYPHOON FACTS Disaster: Category 5 Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines on 8 November 2013. It was the strongest cyclone ever recorded at the time of landfall. Deaths: 6,340 People affected: 14 million including 4 million who remain displaced from their homes
With your help, our field partner is trying to protect and provide schooling for children in the Middle East like these. This generation should not miss out on their education because of conflict in their home country. Source: Medair
THESE DISPLACED MIDDLE EAST CHILDREN NEED SECURITY AND EDUCATION Imagine seeing family members shot in front of you. Living in fear. Fleeing with nothing except the clothes on your back. Kafshe fled with her three children when ISIS attacked her village. “You have to leave, there is no choice. Twelve family members were taken by ISIS because they stayed in their houses… If ISIS comes here they will kill us or do much worse.” The Middle East conflict has left millions of children and families living in insecure, even dangerous, conditions. Because the crisis has been going on for four years, a whole
SYRIAN FACTS Disaster: Since the Syrian conflict began in 2011, humanitarian needs have increased 12-fold.
generation of school children is in danger of missing out on critical elementary education.
Deaths: 220,000
Our field partner, Lebanese Society for Educational and Social Development, is working to provide education and child protection services to children who are living in Lebanon due to conflict.
People affected: 12.2 million people need help. About 7.6 million are internally displaced and 4 million have fled across borders.
Meanwhile, another field partner, Medair, is supporting internally displaced people in northern Iraq with emergency food, blankets, clothing and health care. Thank you to all who have given so generously to support those affected by the Middle East conflict.
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Injured: Over 1 million
Children affected: 5.6 million Aid challenges: Relief deliveries to 4.8 million people in hard-to-reach areas remain a serious challenge due to the conflict. Registration of refugees remains an issue which means fleeing Syrians can’t access social services in neighbouring countries.
Drought does not have to mean famine. Your support can help farmers in Kenya with risk reduction measures such as conservation farming and rainwater harvesting. Source: Baptist World Aid Australia
A SECURE FUTURE FOR KENYAN FARMERS Kenyan Thomas Kereto is married with 4 children, aged from 5 to 12. One of his children has a mental disability and requires extra care. Thomas eked out a living as a livestock herder and tilling his land. But the vegetables he planted often didn’t survive as they were often trampled or eaten by his cattle. Then came the drought two years ago.
“My life has never been the same again. I used my new knowledge to plant maize, beans, kale, spinach, pumpkins, cow peas, thorn melon, bulb onion, passionfruit, cassava, cypress, grevillea trees and other traditional tree species.”
“The fears I used to have about my family facing famine are now gone…”
“I lost most of my livestock to starvation. I managed to salvage a few for sale at Kiserian market though I didn’t get a good price because they were so thin… I had almost given up on farming.”
Thomas was excited to see his land turn into a “green garden”. He’s looking forward to a bumper harvest at the end of the season.
A new method of farming
A new water supply
But then he saw his neighbour’s success at using conservation farming methods, funded by Australian supporters like you. Thomas decided to give it a try.
Then Thomas wanted to try rainwater harvesting as well. He dug a surface runoff storage pit, set up roof channels from iron sheets and bought containers to hold the water.
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“I now have more than enough water for my household after the heavy rains that fell about three months ago. “And the officer for water and sanitation has trained us on water treatment. We use chlorine tablets and boil the water to make it safe for us to drink and cook with.” A new future – thanks to you! Thomas is looking forward to a secure future – even if another drought occurs. “All the fears that I used to have about my family facing famine are now gone. I look forward to passing on all this knowledge to my children as they grow up. So they also can secure their future.”
LIBERIA MOVING TOWARD BEING EBOLA-FREE
CAMBODIA RISK REDUCTION TRAINING
HEAVY FLOODS IN SOLOMON ISLANDS
Ebola is a scary disease… and your donations have helped fight the outbreak in West Africa last year.
Cambodia is ranked 8th most vulnerable to disasters. Flood, drought, famine – Cambodia has seen it all at one time or another.
Heavy rains from a tropical low (which later became Cyclone Ita) caused severe flooding in the Solomon Islands. Twenty-two people died and over 50,000 people were a ected.
Field partner Medical Teams International (MTI) set up Ebola infection prevention and control measures in 250 health clinics in Liberia. MTI also provided healthcare to prevent and treat Ebola cases in refugee camps for those who had fled conflict in Cote D’Ivoire. Your donor funds also went towards personal protective gear for medical workers, so those treating the victims were safe from the deadly disease.
Donations to the Disaster Action Fund have helped provide disaster risk reduction training to the longterm field partners in Cambodia. Participants covered: • Principles of disaster risk reduction • How to involve local communities in risk assessments and disaster plans • How to integrate risk reduction activities into existing projects that help people in poverty.
Houses were washed away, food gardens were lost and infrastructure damaged after the Mataniko River burst its banks. Thank you to those who responded to the Solomon Islands Appeal. Your gifts were used to: • Distribute food and other emergency supplies • Restore water access to 13 communities • Risk reduction training to prepare for future floods.
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THE TOUGH SEASON… AND YOU WERE THERE WITH US! The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 3:1 “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven”.
Proverbs 24:27 says “Prepare your work outside, get everything ready for you in the field; and after that build your house.”
Never is this more true than after a natural disaster.
There is wisdom in not starting something until you are sure you can finish it. Recovery post-disaster is not just about reconstructing the same dwellings and infrastructure. It’s about looking at future threats and ensuring new homes and buildings can better withstand them.
There is a time for supplies of food, clothing and shelter to meet the immediate crisis… A time for rebuilding better, stronger infrastructure… A time for healing physical and emotional wounds… A time to prepare to meet the next storm, flood or earthquake… In partnership with Baptist World Aid you can stand with vulnerable communities through all these times. And even through these times, it’s important to think ahead and steward resources wisely.
With so much time, care and hard work invested in building families and communities, nations must be better prepared to meet disaster when it strikes. This ultimately means saving lives and livelihoods… thank you.
WHEN THE EARTHQUAKE HITS…
Imagine searching desperately amongst earthquake rubble for your child… look out for Dhan’s story in your letterbox within the next two weeks. Or you can support disaster-affected people today. Visit www.baptistworldaid.org.au/disaster-action or call 1300 789 991.