Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight. I’m Robin Basselin.
Voice 2
And I’m Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
February, 2011. A severe storm hit the coast of Madagascar. Help was needed. And it came from the aid group Medair. Using airplanes, boats and two-wheeled motorcycles, workers could see the damage. And they began to make a plan.
Voice 2
Today’s Spotlight is on Medair. They work around the world to help people after natural disasters, like storms and earthquakes. They also work in conflict areas, and other crises.
Voice 1
Medair has been working in Madagascar since 2002. This large island is one of the poorest countries in the world. And every year, serious storms come from the ocean. Medair helps people after these cyclone storms. But they also help people prepare for the cyclone season.
Voice 2
These cyclones cause great damage. High winds damage roads, houses and farms. Large amounts of rain cause floods too. And the floods can bring dirty water into wells. This is what the Medair teams saw in February 2011. Heavy rain had flooded 19 villages. And the people in the villages lacked food and clean water.
Voice 1
The team met with leaders in the area. They were concerned about the people in the villages. But they also worried about the future. Dominique Zonarivelo was the leader of some of these villages. He told Medair,
Voice 3
“My first concern is that I have not had talked with anyone from five of my villages.”
“We will need to wait many days for the water level to go down. Then we can know if we have lost our rice crop. We had planted manioc and taro vegetables. But these have also probably been destroyed.”
Voice 2
The Medair team worked with these villages. Medair had experienced people and emergency supplies to help after the cyclone. This included medical help, and food. They worked with villages to find the places where people needed help most. But they also offered help for the future. Their WASH programme helps villages find, use and protect clean water. They teach people about the importance of clean water in preventing disease.
Voice 1
Madagascar is not the only place Medair is working. The country of South Sudan has experienced much conflict. And the people have suffered greatly as a result. Because of the conflict, many areas are very poor. People have little access to doctors, and other health care. But there is another serious problem. People often have bad information about health and clean water. In this area, Medair supports small village health centres, and clean water projects.
Voice 2
December 2010. Emily Chambers was speaking to a large village group. She is Medair’s Health Coordinator in the Darfur area. The group was gathered to celebrate breast feeding - a mother’s job in feeding a baby from her breasts. Emily spoke about a woman who carried a fat, healthy baby. This baby was four months old. What was the reason that this baby was so healthy? The mother gave her baby breast milk. Emily said that breast milk contained everything a baby needs, including water. Emily talked to the mothers in the group. But she also talked to the fathers and grandmothers. She told them that the whole family needed to encourage and support mothers.
Voice 1
Emily’s speech was broadcast on the radio so that many more people could hear it. She said, “Breast milk is a gift from God.” In South Sudan, many babies die every year. But breast milk can protect babies. Babies fed with breast milk are healthier and stronger.
Voice 2
Medair’s health centres support this message too. They give needed health care. But they also give important information and training, like the training about breast milk. They also teach people how to keep water clean, so that communities can be healthier.
Voice 1
This is also an important message in the country of Haiti. But after the earthquake in 2010, there were even greater need. The earthquake killed many people. And it destroyed most buildings in the quake area. Medair had not worked in Haiti before the earthquake. But they were experts in recovering after this kind of disaster. So they immediately sent people to help.
Voice 2
These teams helped people rebuild their houses. They also worked with local people, giving important jobs. This also made Medair a part of the community. Roger Sandberg worked in Haiti for six months after the earthquake. He was in the city of Jacmel. He reported that at the end of that time, one third of the people had moved back to their own homes. They did not have to stay in the temporary areas for people without homes. Roger talked about his time in Haiti on the Medair website. He talked about removing rubble. This rubble was from the destroyed houses, including large pieces of concrete and other building materials.
Voice 4
“We had two engineers on our team. They taught us all how to safely destroy and remove rubble. The work days were hot, dusty and tiring. Sometimes the dust from all the rubble made it almost impossible to breathe. At the end of every day, we would collect our tools. Then we would bring them back to a safe place. One night, on our long walk home, we stood taller and felt proud. This is why. One of the Haitians saw us. He said to the person next to him, ‘That is Medair. They are like us. They work hard.’”
Voice 1
Medair’s work does not end with rebuilding houses. Houses are just the first step! After the earthquake, people also had serious health needs. Like in the other places, Medair is creating health centres. They are also teaching about clean water, and sanitation, including toilets.
Voice 2
In this programme, Spotlight has visited three countries with Medair. Medair does this work for a simple reason. Their workers are following the example of Jesus Christ. Their goal is to care for each person, with respect and love. Each situation is different, but many of the needs are the same. Health care. Houses. Clean water. Medair is meeting these simple but important needs.
|