In post-quake Haiti, rebuilding lives and welcoming new ones

On the grounds of the Hôpital de Référence Communautaire de l’Asile successful the southwest of Haiti, Désir Murielle rests with her newborn lad successful a structure conscionable steps distant from twisted, metallic and fissured factual hunks that were erstwhile the hospital’s maternity wing.

“He was calved this morning, and helium is called Yves”, said Ms. Murielle. 

Baby Yves would person been calved successful that now-wrecked ward if not for the 7.2 magnitude earthquake of 14 August that killed much than 2,200 people, injured much than 12,000 and destroyed indispensable infrastructure, including hospitals, roads and bridges crossed the southwestern portion of the Caribbean island. 

Maternity helping collapse

“There were 2 women lying successful furniture successful the post-partum ward of the maternity helping erstwhile the gathering collapsed inside”, said Eluderne Déenius, a elder caregiver and midwife. “You tin inactive spot the beds crushed beneath concrete”, she added, “but precise fortunately the 2 women felt the tremor and escaped outside”.

UNFPA/Samuel Lamery

The Hôpital de Référence Communautaire de l’Asile successful the south-west of Haiti was severely damaged successful the 14 August 2021 earthquake.

Hôpital de Référence Communautaire de l’Asile is 1 of immoderate 18 institutions successful the portion astir affected by the earthquake that is receiving enactment from the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) to proceed offering reproductive wellness services.

Next month, with the enactment of the Ministry of Health, UNFPA volition deploy a full-fledged mobile exigency obstetric and newborn attraction portion to grip deliveries and obstetric complications. 

UNFPA estimates that determination are astir 486,000 women of childbearing property – immoderate 343,000 of whom are nether 19 years of age. In the archetypal 2 months aft the earthquake, UNFPA supported immoderate 1,540 births successful wellness centres and hospitals.

Miracle baby

One of those deliveries took spot during the caller sojourn of UNFPA Deputy Executive Director Diene Keita – the 3rd of a engaged greeting pursuing the commencement of Yves and a babe girl. 

“It was touching and precise moving that this babe was calved successful the compound of this infirmary that was razed to the crushed by the earthquake”, she said, adding that “this is an example” of however good the UN tin collaborate with section and nationalist authorities to supply enactment during a humanitarian crisis.  

Noting that this was a “joint effort of the UN”, she pointed retired that the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), UNFPA, the UN humanitarian office, OCHA, and WFP’s humanitarian aerial service, UNHAS, had each contributed to “the occurrence of this babe being born”.

Reconstruction and recovery

While the humanitarian effect to the earthquake is inactive ongoing successful this portion of south-west Haiti, thoughts are present turning to the longer-term reconstruction of not conscionable this hospital, but each the damaged and destroyed homes and infrastructure, and to however communities tin retrieve from the situation to erstwhile again pb productive lives.

In January, an planetary league is owed to beryllium hosted by the Haitian Government to rise immoderate of the estimated $2 cardinal needed for reconstruction and betterment efforts.

Gender-based violence

Combatting gender-based unit (GBV) is portion of that betterment and a apical precedence for UNFPA.

“Women and girls are much susceptible aft an earthquake due to the fact that they are nary longer surviving astatine location but surviving alongside strangers and they don’t person entree to bath facilities”, saidTaina Camy who works connected GBV issues astatine UNFPA. 

“More than 2 months aft the earthquake, we person made a batch of progress. We are capable to supply much services to women and girls who are successful need, particularly astatine the section level”. 

Back successful the maternity structure successful L’Asile’s assemblage hospital, Désir Murielle, her babe Yves and the different mothers invited different caller accomplishment amidst anticipation that successful the not-too-distant aboriginal the infirmary volition besides beryllium reborn successful its carnal form.