2010: responding to disaster
Apart from continuing our humanitarian work across the developing world, GOAL responded to three major natural disasters and humanitarian emergencies in 2010, in Haiti, Pakistan and Niger.
Haiti: On January 12, the capital city of Haiti, Port-au-Prince, was almost completely flattened by an earthquake, with loss of life in the region of 270,000 people. Another 300,000 people were injured and some 1.5 million left homeless.
GOAL was one of the first humanitarian agencies to arrive in Port-au-Prince. We gave emergency medical assistance to
survivors, and distributed essential supplies, and materials for 2,000 emergency shelters. Over the coming months, we completed a $9 million food project for the World Food Programme of the United Nations, distributing to almost 500,000 people. Currently operating in some of the poorest slums in Port au Prince, and in 38 spontaneous camps with more than 60,000 residents, we are providing shelter and water and sanitation facilities, building 2,500 transitional shelters and 800 each of community latrines and wash-blocks. We are also striving to contain a serious cholera outbreak by training communities in best hygiene and sanitation practices.
Pakistan: In mid-July, Pakistan suffered heavier and more prolonged monsoon rains than is usual, bringing the worst flooding to the country for 80 years, and causing a major humanitarian crisis.
GOAL established in Upper Sindh Province in the south of Pakistan, which was the worst affected region in the country. The floods had displaced hundreds of thousands of people from their homes, destroyed livestock and swamped the arable land.
Working with a number of local organisations, we were able to provide life-saving support, help with emergency evacuations, and distribute precious water and food.
Currently, in partnership with the Sindh Rural Support Organisation, we are distributing food to 37,000 people every day, and screening recipients for malnutrition. GOAL funding is helping preserve a valuable community resource, by procuring livestock fodder and paying for animal vaccinations. We are distributing food and non-food items, such as shelter kits and household items, and operating water, sanitation and hygiene programmes for displaced families living in 12 camps.
Niger: Successive harvest failures in Niger led to a severe food shortage in 2010, which had around three million people facing starvation. GOAL has been operational in Niger since a similar food crisis in 2005, implementing water,
sanitation, and hygiene, and nutrition, food and livelihoods programmes in the Zinder region. We immediately expanded our emergency relief efforts to counter this latest threat to life, giving financial support to more than 20,000 of the most vulnerable people living in the worst affected areas to avoid them having to sell off their livestock to survive. We also initiated walk-in therapeutic and supplementary feeding centres to treat severe and moderate malnutrition, and supported the expansion to 120 beds of a previously 90-bed, in-patient therapeutic feeding centre at Mirriah Departmental Hospital.
GOAL is also providing vital equipment to help increase capacity at the in-patient centre.