Micheline and her husband Jean-Philippe, AKA Frantzé, are going to live with their 12-year-old daughter and 14-year-old son in their brand new house. They will receive the keys to their new house next Tuesday at the project's official inauguration.
According to figures from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, more than 7,500 Malians have fled their country in the last two weeks. The intensification of fighting has compelled entire families, some of them in car or truck, others on foot or on the backs of donkeys, to seek refuge in neighbouring countries (mainly in Niger, Burkina Faso and Mauritania).
In August 2012, Typhoon Saola (also referred to as Gener) and torrential rains caused extensive damage in the northern Philippines, particularly in the capital Manila and its surrounding areas. Flooding, the displacement of communities and fears that floodwaters could take months to dissipate, as occurred after the passage of Typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana) in 2009, motivated the Development and Peace's partners to respond quickly.
Interview with Jean-Claude Jean, manager of the Development and Peace office in Haiti. He is responsible for overseeing the reconstruction program and monitoring projects.
Three years after the earthquake, what is the situation in Haiti? Can we consider that the emergency is definitively behind us?
If we look around today, we can see that things have changed in Haiti, especially in Port-au-Prince, even if it is as simple as the absence in the streets of the tons of rubble and debris left behind by the earthquake.
The French military intervention currently taking place in Mali has been making headlines. Although supported by the vast majority of Malians, it also carries with it the risk of worsening the humanitarian situation for the population, especially for those in the North. The 200,000 people still living in this area are now even more affected by the state of emergency, as declared by President Dioncounda Traoré. "I fear for the people of the North today. We know that this population is in a very precarious situation.
Khoudia Ndiaye, Communications Officer and Serge Blais, Program Officer for Africa
The conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is getting bogged down, with civilians being its main victims. The Congolese government of President Joseph Kabila and the M23 rebels met in recent days in Kampala, Uganda's capital, to negotiate an end to the hostilities.
The recent violence in the Gaza Strip was a stark reminder of the fragility of peace in the Holy Land. Caught in the crossfire, civilians suffered many losses and injuries over the eight days of fighting. Although there is currently a ceasefire in place, the population continues to experience the humanitarian impacts of living in a conflict zone, where violence can erupt at any moment, and insecurity is a constant shadow that looms over the potential for a better future.
The capture of the city of Goma by ‘M23’ rebels in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has been a major cause for concern for the security of the local population. Ongoing violence in the DRC since 1996 has led to five million deaths and this latest incident has caused the displacement of an estimated 100,000 people.
Josianne Gauthier, Deputy Executive Director and Guy Des Aulniers, Program Officer for Emergency Relief
Apparently, it is never too early to teach the concept of solidarity, nor does it have to be difficult. When the Director of our 3-year-old boy’s daycare informed me that she intended to put together an awareness-building project on Africa for the 2-5 year-olds and that the exercise would culminate in a fundraising activity in support of our West Africa appeal, I was both moved and surprised.
Guy Des Aulniers, Program Officer for Emergency Relief
In response to the ongoing crisis in Syria, the Caritas Internationalis network has mobilized to bring aid to the most affected in the region. Development and Peace is contributing $50,000 to Caritas Liban for a humanitarian aid program to help Syrian refugees in Lebanon.
