When his 11-year-old daughter, Noel-Dina, was beaten by unbearable fever and abdominal pain, Oriata did not hesitate.
He immediately took his son to the nearest hospital. “I couldn’t walk anymore because I was very weak. I had to take her on my back. I was terribly worried and I thought I was going to lose it,” said Oriata, his eyes full of tears.
That day, Noel-Dina was diagnosed with anger.
Oriata (center) participates in a community campaign against cholera.
Like many children in their rural neighborhood of Grand-Gâve west of the capital of the Haitian capital, Prince, he lived without access to basic sanitation facilities. “We had no choice but to use the outdoors like our bathroom. This is how the disease entered our lives,” Oriata explained.
Extension of cholera
Cholera has recently been extending in Haiti. So far this year, more than 3,100 suspicious cholera cases have been reported throughout the country.
A small child is treated for cholera in a hospital in Port-Au Prince, Haiti.
Between 21–Only on September 25, 40 suspicious cases and three deaths were reported in Pétion-Ville, an occupied suburb with many schools, a worrying development with the new academic year that will begin.
Young adults, who generally move a lot, represent most cases, feeding the concerns of the spread of the disease.
The UN spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric, said that the UN Humanitarian Coordination Office, Ocha, was working “together with the authorities and our partners to ensure that there is a rigorous monitoring of cases and that health workers are quickly mobilized to reduce the risk of a greater propagation of cholera.”
Community action
Noel-Dina, eleven years old, survived thanks to timely medical care.
His painful experience was a turning point, since thanks to the awareness campaigns in his area, his mother, Oriata, learned that the lack of latrines was one of the main reasons for the propagation of cholera and other diseases transmitted by water.
A health worker carries out sanitation procedures as people enter a cholera installation in Haiti.
Without waiting for external help, he began to dig a well in his patio.
“I didn’t have many resources, but I knew I had to do something, not only for my daughter, but for all the children of the neighborhood,” he explained.
Oriata did not stop there. After seeing his daughter gradually recovering the strength, he got involved in awareness activities in his community, going from home to house, to encourage other families to take measures.
His commitment caused a wave of solidarity.
“When someone began to dig a well and could not continue, we met to help them and did this house at home until it became a movement,” he recalled.
This mutual support transformed its neighborhood. Letrinas became the standard and hygiene practices, such as systematic hand washing, were adopted by all.
“Today, when you walk around here, you no longer smell any bad smell because nobody relieves themselves outside,” he said.
Full of dreams
Sitting in his bed, his math notebooks open in front of her, Noel-Dina smiles timidly. She dreams of becoming a nurse. Every day, she helps her mother at home and wash well after using the toilet, actions that have become automatic.
“Before, I had to leave. We now have a latrine at home, and I’m glad my mother built it. He did it for me and for everyone,” he said.
Other communities are also taking measures with the support of the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF and local authorities.
Access to almost 3,000 homes have now been created to safe and hygienic latrines and 30 hygiene clubs, 22 in schools and 8 in health centers, to encourage good practices among children, teachers and medical staff.
“Before, there were bacteria everywhere, and children often became ill. Now, even when a child has a fever, it is no longer due to dirt. They are healthier and more happy,” said Oriata.
