In an effort to participate in activities for Haiti support and be a part of the world initiatives, Korea Scout Association (KSA) held a charity bazaar and conducted a fundraising campaign.

The bazaar was held during the annual general meeting on 22nd February, Baden Powell's birthday and was titled “Scout Law 3. A SCOUT IS HELPFUL”. A great many items were arranged from scout souvenirs to daily necessities such as scarves, woggles, camping equipment and rice. Hundreds of scouts and leaders were gathered at the National Training Center of KSA to participate in the event.

The fundraising campaign was launched on 15th January with the setting up of 2 collection boxes in the lobby of KSA and National Training Centre. KSA also advised 20 local councils to promote the campaign to each province in order to make it a nationwide event. It also got the utmost out of the online system by delivering a promotional e-mail to 330,000 scouts and leaders and triggering a pop-up window on the KSA website during the event.

The event ended in great success with the collection of KRW 17,683,340 (about USD 15,500) thanks to the deep interest and contribution from the participants, especially the president of KSA, Kang Young-Joong, who donated USD 9,100 for the benefit of the suffering population of Haiti.

Trying to make an effort to help the Haitian community has been one of World Scouting's priorities ever since the earthquake struck on January 12th 2010. Recently the World Scout Bureau received a very special delivery destined for the Scouts in Haiti. Each member of the Girl Scout Troop N°10437, of Woodstock Georgia made a personalized postcard with a heart felt message for their Haitian brothers and sisters.

We here at the World Scout Bureau would like to showcase this kind gesture to our Haitian counterparts as well as the rest of the Scouting community.

Life in Haiti: scout office on the soccer field

Two scout leaders from Turku, Finland, traveled to Haiti to see what scouts had accomplished in 2 months after the earthquake, which killed as many as 220,000 people.“The capital of Haiti Port-au-Prince is full of huge camps where people live. At some camps the scouts are responsible for security, and at some camps the scouts arrange meaningful activities and provide a safe place, where the parents can leave their children for care during the day. Schools have collapsed”, explains Mikko Hongell, who represents scout troop Turun Mikaelin Siniset in Finland.

Right after the earthquake the local scouts took part in rescue operations: to the best of their ability they provided first aid, helped clear the debris, and assisted in distributing food and water. And the impending monsoon season is the reason for stepping up the measures further more."Three camps where tens of thousands of people live need to be moved since they are under the threat of being flooded. Scouts are cooperating with UNICEF and safeguarding the children during the move,” continues Viljami Hätönen.

From sailing in the Caribbean to the disaster area

Sea scouts Mikko and Viljami were set to sail in the Caribbean on tall ship Helena when they heard news of the earthquake which hit Haiti. ”We had very ambivalent feelings about going on a sailing trip, when we knew that within a few hundred kilometers there was so much distress,” said the sea scouts explaining the background of their trip.In the middle of March they traveled to Port-au-Prince for a week. Together, with the National Association of Scouting in Haiti they agreed to document on video, everything the scouts have been doing and continue to do since the earthquake struck the island nation. From this material they will produce a video which will be published on YouTube for everyone to see.

It took a while to get a connection to Haiti. After various turns, Viljami and Mikko made contact with Spanish scout leader Rafael Juliá, who lives in the capital of the Dominican Republic. They agreed to call him upon their arrival in Santo Domingo.The meeting went well in Santo Domingo, after which the plans were clear: "Come to my place on Sunday a week from now at 11 am, we’ll have lunch together, and then we’ll leave for Haiti”, said Juliá. They were joined with three French scout leaders: Vincent Dalonneau, Arnaud Lansard and Etienne Wasser. Both Vincent and Arnaud already had a long experience from Haiti, whereas Etienne visited Haiti for the first time. He has signed up for a 2-year stay to do voluntary work.

In Haiti, they found the local scout office at a temporary camp on the soccer field. The office building could not be used due to risk of collapse. The Finns toured the city for a week with their video camera.

Rover Scout – can you speak French or Haitian Creole?

Even though the infrastructure and the Haitian society are in ruins, the scouts look forward to the future. This summer the local scouting association will start to build a sea scout center. As Haiti is an island country and there are plenty of coastal waters.”But there is a lack of sea scouting skills. If a rover scout group is looking for a cooperation project overseas, this is a good candiate”, the Finns encourage their peers.It would be good to have French speaking people in the team – or even better – speakers of the other national tongue in Haiti, Creole. On the other hand, Finns Hätönen and Hongell managed their trip without a word of French.

A smile is a universal language.

Click here to open this video in Youtube

Text: Aino Öhman, Viljami Hätönen
Pictures: Viljami Hätönen and Mikko Hongell

Elise Vervil- 26 years old
Gideon Group ( Port-au-Prince) – Rover Scout

“I got out of school, I was on the tap tap ( public transportation) when the earthquake struck.
Many people got off the vehicle and blocks of concrete fell on on these people. I didn't understand what was going on. I didn't get off the vehicle. I got out when the earthquake was over and I saw a lot of people trapped under the debris. Along with other people with me I started to lift rocks to save trapped victims. We were able to save 7 people from under the rubble. Thanks to MINUSTAH, we were able to take them to the Hôpital Universitaire de la Paix. I was overwhelmed, I thought that the earthquake had only reached my zone. I called the Haitian Red Cross, but there was no connection. I returned home completely shocked. The next day I went by several hospitals to be of assistance and help with primary care. Even though I did not have much experience with First Aid , my basics came in handy. I put in a lot of myself in order to save lives. I would like to send a message for all my brother scouts: I did not receive any compensation for what I did, but the lives of my brothers is more important than the salary we need; therefore we have to do this with a lot of courage and wisdom.”

Jean-Louis Marc Stevenson- 20 years old
Néhémie le Batisseur Group ( Port-au-Prince )- Rover Scout

“After the quake, along with 4 other scouts we went into a national school on the “petite place cazeau”. As soon as we arrived we were able to, save 14 injured people from under the debris and to take out 100 deceased individuals. Around 6 in the afternoon, we headed towards the police station situated on Delmas 33, as soon as we reached the premises there were about 4 police officers who were alive but trapped inside the station. However, there was a person who had a collapsed wall over his foot. I had to cut his foot with only a knife to serve as equipment, in order to get him out and save him. Afterwards, he got out of it alive. We did not have enough equipment to place people outside. The only option we had was to cut the foot. Another police officer had a whole arm flattened so I made a tourniquet on his upper arm with my scarf. He could not move his arm at all, it was completely flattened. The only option was to cut the arm. I could not sedate him, but I was able to buy clarin ( a local alcohol). The police officer gave me his consent and I amputated his arm.
The officer said that in such incidents, there no longer exists a social rank, everyone is on an equal sanding. He thanked me for having saved his life. As he told me himself “ too bad for the arm, it was necessary.”

After the disaster I became sick, I caught malaria. The stress was overbearing. I had a breakdown, I was traumatised. I wasn't feeling well, I was in distress because I saw a hole filled with cadavers. I wanted to save lives. But my head hurts because the events were so horrifying. I was sick for 2 weeks. Despite that I am ready, to continue to save lives, to save my country. Things are going a bit better even though, I continue to feel the vibrations within me.

A message: I would like to say that for me scouting is beautiful movement and that I will stay. In the movement I feel more and more comfortable and happy. I wish for all the scouts of the world to come and visit us!”

Rousseau Marckenson- 25 years old
The St. John Group ( Port-au-Prince)-Troop Leader

On January 12th I was with my brother, my little sister and a friend. After the disaster,we managed to get out safe and sound. Throughout the earthquake I was frozen. As I was leaving my house I heard a woman cry “help, help!!”. I remembered that a scout is trained to serve and save human life, so I went into the house from which I heard the cries, and I found a young girl with blocks of concrete over her. I helped her and we were able to get her out. Afterwards she thanked me so many times that it was as though I was like a God to her. We reached other places with some of my friends to help other people get out. We were able to save about a dozen people. A few days later, the stench of the dead was quite unpleasant, almost intolerable. Then, as a scout I started providing people in my region - since many people had gone mad or had been severely traumatised- with psychological support. This was because I had attended a seminar organised by the scouts, regarding psychological support after the cyclones of 2008. We organized psychological support sessions for the Gonaives population.
Till today I continue to converse with people and to provide them with support.

Message: A scout smiles though through times of hardship, and to all scouts and non-scouts people who lost a close one, life goes on. I love my country, Haiti.”

Romain Jérôme – 39 years old
Charlemagne Peralte- Group Leader

“ I pulled out many people in a super marker: 16 alive and 6 dead. Afterwards, at a different location, we continued to remove people from the debris. And we continue to do so till today. We serve the population. We are constantly searching for work to be of assistance. We take all the people who want to help along with us. We provided First Aid to the injured victims.

Message: We need more support were there to be another disaster. Help us by providing us with the necessary equipment.”

Since the horrifying earthquake which struck Haiti on Jan 12th, the Scouts and CARE International have had the opportunity to join forces and strengthen their ties in order to help the victims of the Haitian catastrophe. Thanks to CARE International- which has been a great support for the scouts in Haiti- CNN reporter Moni Basu and Camera man Gabe Ramirez of CNN, were put into contact with Leogane scout, Joanie Yetsin.

On Feb 4th an article and a video were published by CNN, about this brave young lady, who continues to help her country and her immediate community- despite her personal tragedy- by waking up every morning, putting on her scout uniform and joining her troop.“I will do my very best to help others that is what I have been trained to do “, she said regarding her 5 years of training with the scouts, when interviewed.

Another encouraging statement was heard from Sophie Perez, the director of CARE Haiti, regarding scout action:“ The scouts are particularly important because its a youth organisation, more than 50% of the population in Haiti are young people, so it's very important to involve them right from the start in this long attempt at reconstruction of the country”.

By empowering the youth to play an active role in their society, the Scouts are proving to be a key player in the reconstruction and rehabilitation phase in Haiti.

To read the full article and view the video please click on the links below:

CNN article

Video

L’OIM (Organisation internationale pour les migrations) et l’USAID (Agence des États-Unis pour le développement international), qui coordonnent la distribution de l’aide non alimentaire, ont fait part aux associations haïtiennes de la nécessité d’une organisation régionale en « pôles de coordination », afin de répondre efficacement aux besoins de la population. Dans ce contexte, les scouts ont prévu de rejoindre les pôles de certaines régions, qui restent à déterminer, et d’en assurer la coordination. Ils vont par exemple organiser les files d’attentes, en appui de la distribution alimentaire opérée par l’US Army, à Port-au-Prince. Dans le cadre de sa cellule « Education », l’UNESCO a demandé aux scouts haïtiens d’intégrer les équipes d’inspecteurs afin de lancer un programme de recensement scolaire.

Les scouts haïtiens facilitent la communication entre les ministères dominicains et haïtiens de la Jeunesse, en poursuivant les liaisons mises en place avec les scouts dominicains. Une conférence scoute à Saint-Domingue est prévue prochainement, afin de faire le point sur les efforts déployés pour la reconstruction d’Haïti et sur les différents outils de formation à projeter. Cette conférence, très attendue par les scouts haïtiens, s’inscrit dans l’objectif plus large d’une mise en place d’un réseau des associations de Jeunesse en Haïti.

Dès son retour en France, Frédéric Amiel, logisticien envoyé par les Scouts et Guides de France, a été reçu par le ministère des Affaires étrangères afin de présenter les résultats de sa mission.

Vous vous attendez à voir Wilner Ulysse aider une personne agée à traverser la rue, image classique du scout dévoué. Mais Wilner, 23 ans, effectue une B.A autrement plus importante aujourd’hui.

Il fait partie des scouts et guides de Léogane, une ville près de l’épicentre, durement touchée par le tremblement de terre de la semaine dernière. Leur ville a été presque totalement détruite. La plupart des gens ont perdu ici leur maison ou des membres de leur famille. Les funérailles sont devenues un phénomène malheureusement courant. Mais en dépit de leurs propres traumatismes et pertes, les jeunes de Léogane se mettent au service de leurs concitoyens.

Wilner et ses amis Scouts ont rejoint l’équipe de CARE pour fournir une aide d’urgence près du centre-ville de Léogane. Le bureau des télécommunications, en panne depuis la destruction du service téléphonique par le séisme, sert de mairie et de centre temporaire d’aide humanitaire. Depuis ce lieu, Care a mis en place un service opérationnel pour apporter une aide et des soins vitaux aux survivants traumatisés, en particulier aux femmes.

Le travail des scouts est d’apporter sécurité et réconfort. Les Scouts, forts et courageux, montent la garde à l’entrée de l’enceinte. Les guides accompagnent les femmes, leur touchant délicatement à l’occasion le bras ou l’épaule, jusqu’au point de distribution. Les femmes sont marquées par l’épuisement, mais de timides sourires apparaissent lorsqu’elles reçoivent un objet précieux: un kit d’hygiène comprenant du savon, du dentifrice, des serviettes et des serviettes sanitaires, le tout emballé dans un seau de cinq gallons qui peut être utilisé pour recueillir et purifier l’eau. Les visages autour du camion de CARE sont fatigués, marqués et en sueur.

Les jeunes et brillants Scouts ont l’air grave - beaucoup ont subi des pertes dans leur propre entourage - mais leur visage est plein de compassion pour les mères et grands-mères qu’ils accompagnent gentiment.

«Nous ne pouvons même pas imaginer à quel point ces femmes sont traumatisées et ont le cœur brisé», indique Sophie Perez, directrice de CARE Haïti. «L’aide matérielle est une chose mais il faut aussi qu’elles sachent que le monde s’intéresse à eux, et qu’elles ne sont pas seules. Avoir ces charmants jeunes gens debout à côté d’elles est un très grand réconfort dans ces moments tragiques».

Bon nombre des femmes présentes à la distribution de mercredi ont perdu leur maison et vivent dehors, dans des tentes et abris de fortune. Même celles dont les maisons sont encore debout ont souvent peur de retourner à l’intérieur, du fait de la terrifiante série de répliques.

«Perdre son foyer, des proches, et en plus ressentir constamment la peur, c’est très lourd à supporter», explique Sophie. «Nous nous sommes engagés à travailler très dur afin qu’ils ne continuent pas à souffrir inutilement.»

Voila, vous avez fait connaissance avec Wilner, 23 ans, et scout haïtien. En sept ans de Scoutisme, c’est certainement la plus belle chose qu’il a accomplie.

Existe-t-il un badge «tremblement de terre»?

Texte préparé de l'article de Rick Perera, CARE Communications Coordinator in Haiti.
Traduction française : Sébastien Faÿs / LaToileScoute

Plus d'info:

Visiter le site web de CARE
Contribuer aux dons de care.

Jour après jour, les membres de l'association nationale des scouts de Haïti (ANSH) s'organisent à Port-au-Prince et dans plusieurs grandes agglomérations. Les difficultés de transport et de communication ne permettent pas de joindre facilement la province. Mais cela n'empêche pas les scouts de se mettre à la disposition de tous ceux qui peuvent avoir besoin d'eux.

Une équipe de huit scouts parlant le français, le créole et l'anglais ont commencé de travailler hier comme traducteur dans les hôpitaux de Port-au-Prince. Un centre d'appels gratuits international bénéficie également de traducteurs scouts pour gérer l'afflux des personnes. Les Scouts de Marchand Dessalines sont responsables d’un camp de réfugiés dans l’Artibonite. L'ANSH soutient aussi l'ambassade de France pour le montage du camp du Champ-de-Mars à Port-au-Prince.

Aujourd'hui, les scouts aideront la Protection civile haïtienne à monter un camp de réfugiés. L'ambassade brésilienne verra l'arrivée de vingt scouts pour l'aider dans son action. Le nombre de scouts engagés dans la distribution de l’aide sur les zones affectées est de 250 à Port-au-Prince, de 150 à Jacmel, de 150 à Petit Goave, de 150 à Léogane. Un nombre indéterminé agit mais n’est pas encore recensé. De nombreux membres de l'ANSH sont impliqués dans l’accueil des réfugiés en Province.

Lors d'une réunion qui s'est tenue à Port-au-Prince le 23 janvier dernier, la mission des Nations-unies pour la stabilisation en Haïti (Minustah) a intégré l'Association Nationale des Scouts de Haïti (ANSH) dans la coordination humanitaire. Les scouts seront impliqués "dans toute activité et tâche requérant leur appui" notamment dans les centres de transit et les camps de déplacés. Il s'agira essentiellement d'aider au montage des camps et au transport de matériel.

La coordination humanitaire est composée de plusieurs ONG locales et de branches nationales d'ONG internationales, ainsi que des représentants de la société civile haïtienne, démontrant la capacité de la population de prendre en charge une grande partie des secours et de l'effort de reconstruction.