Here are Rankin's opening thoughts about the project—and about a place in which he has found "the basic, beautiful business of life."
I first visited the DRC with Oxfam in June 2008. I expected to be depressed. I had done my homework; the statistics were horrific. I could only imagine what the human face of those statistics would look like. The people I met confounded my expectations. I met fathers, mothers, children... all getting on with life, making it through, even having a laugh and a joke. These people didn't see themselves as victims, despite the bad hand that fate had dealt them. They were human beings, exactly the same as you and me.
I wanted my portraits to do something different. The West has been anesthetized to traditional pictures of disaster zones. My style of portraiture is always about bringing people out of themselves, getting them to share something. I chose to photograph the people against a stark white background instead of in their physical environment. The expressions in their eyes and on their faces—their humanity—was what I wanted people to notice and relate to.
It didn't seem morally or politically right to just go and take pictures. So I decided to put on a show in the refugee camp, and give the people prints of their portraits. Give them something back. It was incredible. One guy said to me, 'This photograph is amazing. I wanted to let you know that I will use it on my coffin when I die.' No-one has ever said anything so moving to me.
The overriding feeling I had while I was out in the DRC was one of anger and powerlessness. That taking a few snaps was inconsequential in the face of the insurmountable problems that were being faced there. But when I got back, we put on an exhibition. I pushed the images, did press interviews, raised awareness. I believe that it made a difference to the people I met.
I was inspired to return to the DRC in October 2009. I didn't want to do the same thing as I had done the year before and, as on my first trip, I felt that it was important and right to give something back. So this time I held photographic workshops. I gave out cameras so that the people could have authorship over their own images—show us what was important in their lives. The collection of shots from my second trip builds on those from the first one, but focuses on the relationships that bind people to each other—a mother's love for her child, a husband's love for his wife, two friends. The basic, beautiful business of life.
I hope that these photographs can aid understanding. They are neither ugly images of brutality, nor sentimental images of suffering. The world needs a more sustainable form of imagery that, instead of encouraging pity and powerlessness, promotes understanding, connection, and ultimately action. It's about making people accessible to each other."
]]>“The destruction across the capital was stunning, and the sight of countless camps crowded with families gave me a powerful sense of how devastating this earthquake has been for people,” says Oxfam writer Coco McCabe, who recently returned to Boston from Haiti.
The camps are spontaneous, makeshift neighborhoods, marked out by plastic tarps, cardboard, and bed sheets strung between whatever’s there. Posts to hang materials on are in short supply, so people are scavenging wood from the wreckage of buildings.
“I saw one man with a flat, wide board, working hard with a small hand saw to cut the board into narrower pieces that could serve as poles for sheets, plastic, scraps of clothing—anything that might offer the semblance of a wall or roof to give families privacy,” says McCabe.
Plastic sheeting strung from poles may seem like a minimal shelter solution, and it is. But at this moment in the emergency, it’s something that works. Colored tarps keep off the sun and rain and, unlike tents, can be made to fit whatever space and terrain is available – or whatever other purpose they’re needed for on a given day.
Over the next two months, Oxfam aims to boost the supply of sturdy plastic sheeting, providing enough for at least 4,000 families (20,000 people) – a project that includes a cash-for-work component: we are employing local people to cut giant rolls of the material down to size. Families will get two pieces, each six meters by four meters, along with two 10-meter lengths of rope.
Meanwhile, we’re making plans to assemble and distribute home-repair kits to help those whose houses need patching up, not rebuilding.
But when it comes to figuring out if what’s left of your house is a danger to your family, no one should have to rely on guesswork. Oxfam will assemble a team of structural engineers to survey the damage to homes in Haiti and share their knowledge and suggestions with local residents, builders, and officials.
How long will it take for survivors of the quake to make their way from camp sites to temporary houses to real, permanent homes? For many, it will be years. But if donors continue to support the aid effort generously, Haitians will get the support they need every step of the way.
“Building back all that was lost in just a few seconds,” says McCabe, “is going to require a sustained commitment from us all.”
For nine days after a catastrophic earthquake struck Haiti, the Hôpital Universitaire de l'État d'Haïti had no water for laundry or cleaning. Karine Deniel, a public health specialist for Oxfam who works on preparedness, discovered just how bad the situation was when she went to offer help. In the confusion at the site, someone grabbed her hand and led her into a building where suddenly she found herself inside a room where amputations were underway.
"They said, ‘We have just two buckets to clean the floor, and we need water for casts,’" recalls Deniel.
She noticed a woman washing the operating room floor: the water in her bucket was black with grime.
We need clean drinking water to survive, but it is easy to forget how critical water is for maintaining sanitary conditions. Before Deniel arrived at Hôpital Universitaire de l'État d'Haïti, another aid group had hooked the hospital up with clean water for drinking, but there was none for cleaning. Deniel immediately arranged to have a bladder—a collapsible tank, like a giant plastic bag—installed near the back of the hospital.
During the installation, an agitated man approached Deniel and begged her to come see the morgue. The unwashed cobblestones outside were a grim reminder of the human toll the quake took on this sprawling city. Inside, the space was filled with bodies. More lay on hospital beds outside. Like their colleagues in surgery, the workers were desperate for water to clean the site.
A few days later, conditions are much improved. A truck comes daily to fill the water bladder, as plump and yellow as an egg yolk, and now Oxfam is also trucking water into the kitchen facilities, where a large cistern at the back holds the supply.
The workers at the morgue and the laundry are very happy with Oxfam’s quick response, reports Deniel. "It's so important."
Hencia Josena is one of the women who is doing laundry—all by hand in massive metal bowls with water from the bladder—in a yard behind the hospital.
"It's the culture in Haiti to wash by hand," she explains.
There are, in fact, industrial-sized washing and drying machines suited to the hospital’s volume of laundry near the yard. The washing machines, however, haven't worked for a couple of years. A large hot water heater also stands idle. There's no gas to warm the water, explains the man in charge of the facility.
Nearby, the morgue is empty late in the afternoon. A sign on the door says no bodies are to be brought to the site after 3:30 p.m. Outside, two dusty hearses are parked—reminders of a time when burying the dead was a far more dignified event than it has become in the chaos following the earthquake.
]]>
Debt cancellation is one of Oxfam’s five priorities for Haitian reconstruction. The other elements are:
According to Oxfam, Haitian recovery risks being undermined by the country’s debt burden and by a pre-existing food crisis that has left Haiti dependent on imports for 40 percent of its food. With the planting season due to begin in two weeks, urgent steps are needed to boost food production and stave off further hardship for up to three million Haitians affected by the disaster.
“Expecting Haiti to repay billions of dollars as the country struggles to overcome one of the worst natural disasters in recent memory would be both cruel and unnecessary,” said Jeremy Hobbs, executive director of Oxfam International.
“Immediate cancellation of foreign debt must be accompanied by urgent action to support farmers and prevent a man-made food crisis that would exacerbate the hardship faced by the people of Haiti.
“This should take place alongside steps to speed the recovery of local markets such as cash grants to pay earthquake survivors to clear rubble and undertake other jobs linked to reconstruction.”
Oxfam is also calling on donors to deliver on the IMF’s pledge to turn a $100 million emergency loan to Haiti into a grant. The organization is also asking donors to learn from the lessons of previous disasters and ensure funding is available to providence incomes for local people.
Oxfam urged donors, the United Nations, and Haitian government to work together to ensure that poor areas that were amongst the hardest hit by the earthquake benefit fully from reconstruction efforts.
“Haiti is a divided and highly unequal society so there is a real risk that, in the weeks and months after the earthquake, politically influential and richer Haitians will secure reconstruction resources at the expense of Port-au-Prince’s poorest,” said Hobbs.
Donors should step-up efforts to help the Haitian government and civil society recover from the disaster. This could include providing ‘ministries in a box’ – large tents containing the basic tools, such as telephones, desks and chairs, which are needed for a government department to operate.
Oxfam called on the 16 foreign ministers attending the ‘Friends of Haiti’ Montreal meeting to clearly define the role of the international military and make clear that forces will operate under the overall leadership of the UN and Haitian government. Two weeks after the earthquake, it remains unclear how the United States and other major donors will coordinate their assistance.
“The leadership of the response must remain clearly in the hands of the United Nations and the Government of Haiti,” said Hobbs. “All international military must actively and visibly coordinate efforts with the UN and Haitian Government on every level.”
Oxfam asked the UN to step up night security patrols to protect the civilian population and for improved coordination on security measures between the Haitian government and international military forces. It warned that people in Port-au-Prince are increasingly concerned for their own safety and security. People sleeping on the streets have told Oxfam that they are being attacked and their meagre belongings stolen. At least half a million people are living outdoors in improvised camps in the capital.
\ENDS
]]>
All actors should ensure that the people of Haiti have a central role in the process of reconstruction and that reconstruction is equitable.
The UN and the US government are trying to ensure that there is adequate fuel to support the relief effort. Fuel supply will remain a concern for humanitarian agencies in the near term. In consultation with NGOs, the UN should establish a system to determine who receives fuel, for what purposes and in what priority.
The Haitian government, UN and international military actors must work together to improve the security situation, preempting a potential deterioration of the situation, with increased patrols, transparency in operations and clear conjoined rules of engagement and chain of command.
Protection, particularly for women and children, should be mainstreamed into the design of all programs, including any camps for affected people or expansion of patrols, in consultation with affected people and local civil society.
The government, UN, donors and other actors must ensure that efforts to restore and improve public services, infrastructure and economic activity prioritize poorer communities. In a socially divided society such as Haiti, there is a real danger that the better off and politically influential will secure their needs first.
It is not too early to lay a new foundation for Haiti's reconstruction and development with complete debt forgiveness, aid in the form of grants not loans and a "pro-poor" approach that prioritizes livelihoods and sustainable development led by Haitians from the start.
]]>"The goal is to get people back into safe homes as soon as possible. While it’s easier to provide water, latrines, food and shelter in an organized camp than in the myriad vacant lots and churchyards where people have taken refuge, we can’t lose sight of the need for permanent housing.
“Three things will be needed to make these temporary camps work. First, no one should be obliged to move there; the choice must be voluntary. Second, the camps must be a real safe haven, with basic public services for all residents, including access to jobs, shops and school. Finally, there must be a clear exit strategy. The camps must not become warehouses of people waiting for permanent homes that never materialize.”
Notes to editors
Oxfam staff in Port-au-Prince are available for interviews.
Broadcast quality video of Oxfam water distribution at Petionville Club, Port-au-Prince filmed Friday, January 22nd available at: http://drop.io/haitivideo/media
Oxfam America has raised more than $9.6 million dollars since the earthquake. For more information on fundraising, contact Helen DaSilva at +1 617 331 2984 or hdasilva@oxfamamerica.org.
]]>“The end of search and rescue efforts does not mean we can slow down. Relief and recovery for the survivors is the priority now.
“Hundreds of thousands who lost everything but their lives need water for drinking and washing. They need latrines to contain the spread of disease. They need shelter and simple household items like cooking pots.
“Haitians are grieving, but they are also buoyed by the generous outpouring of support from around the world. Despite the losses they have suffered, they are working hard to turn the empty lots, golf courses and churchyards where they have taken refuge into places where they can live in dignity. Oxfam and other aid agencies are there working alongside them.”
To support Oxfam’s response in Haiti, please donate to the Haiti Earthquake Response Fund. Donations can be made at www.oxfamamerica.org, by phone (1-800-77-OXFAM), by fax (1-617-728-2562), by text (OXFAM to 25383, to give $10) or by mail (Oxfam America, Haiti Earthquake Response Fund, PO Box 1211, Albert Lea, MN 56007-1211).
Media in Haiti, please contact Liz Lucas at +1 617 785 772 (call or text), llucas@oxfamamerica.org or skype: elizlucas
For further information, and to arrange interviews, please contact Maura Hart at +1 202 476 0093 or mhart@oxfamamerica.org.
Broadcast quality video of Oxfam water distribution at Petionville Club, Port-au-Prince filmed Friday, January 22nd available at: http://drop.io/haitivideo/media
Oxfam America has raised $9.6 million dollars since Tuesday’s earthquake. For more information on fundraising, contact Helen DaSilva at +1 617 331 2984 or hdasilva@oxfamamerica.org.
]]>Tickets for this show are only available through an auction at this link: http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/09004434FC1C86AC. The entire show is general admission, and auction winners will pay what they bid.
“Oxfam has seen such an outpouring of support, it is inspiring,” said Stephanie Kurzina, vice president for fundraising and communications at Oxfam America. “Radiohead fans will get a great show – and get to support critical work happening right now in Haiti.”
Proceeds will benefit Oxfam America’s Haiti Earthquake Response Fund. To donate and learn more about Oxfam America, visit http://www.oxfamamerica.org. To make a one-time, $10 donation to this fund, text OXFAM to 25383.
Oxfam is an international relief and development organization that creates lasting solutions to poverty, hunger, and injustice. Together with individuals and local groups in more than 100 countries, Oxfam saves lives, helps people overcome poverty, and fights for social justice.]]>Oxfam is an international relief and development organization currently working in Haiti to deliver clean water and sanitation equipment to 92,000 people in seven camps.
Oxfam America is one of the beneficiaries of this evening’s telethon, “Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief.” The two-hour special will air on all major networks at 8:00 pm ET/PT and 7:00 pm CT. The line-up of stars includes musical performances by Wyclef Jean, Bruce Springsteen, Oxfam Ambassadors Coldplay, Bono, and others. The special is being produced by George Clooney in partnership with MTV.
Oxfam America has the following staff available for interviews this weekend:
Liz Lucas, Humanitarian Response, Oxfam America
Liz Lucas is currently on the ground with Oxfam’s humanitarian response team in Haiti.
Raymond C. Offenheiser, President, Oxfam America
Mr. Offenheiser is a recognized leader on issues such as poverty alleviation, human rights, foreign assistance, and international development. He is available to comment on humanitarian response, agricultural investment in Haiti, reconstruction, and US development policy.
Michael Delaney, Director of Humanitarian Response, Oxfam America
Mr. Delaney has lead Oxfam America’s response to emergencies including Iraq, Afghanistan, the El Salvador earthquake and Hurricane Mitch in Central America. He is available to comment on Oxfam’s response in Haiti and broad issues regarding humanitarian response and reconstruction.
In this short interview from January 19, Oxfam Quebec’s Yves Gattereau talks with Coco McCabe about the threat of food shortages in Haiti’s rural areas. Reports indicate that thousands of urban earthquake survivors from Port-au-Prince have fled to already poor rural communities. "We’re going to see how much food … we can provide to them ahead of time," says Gattereau, “so we won’t have to intervene in another crisis in the countryside."
Source: CIA – the World Factbook
]]>