When her 11-year-old daughter, Noel-Dina, was struck by unbearable fever and abdominal pain, Oriata did not hesitate.
She immediately took her child to the nearest hospital. “She couldn’t walk because she was so weak. I had to wear her on my back. I was terribly worried and I thought I was going to lose her,” said Oriata, eyes filled with tears.
That day, Noel-Dina received a diagnosis of cholera.
Oriata (Center) is participating in a community campaign against cholera.
Like many children in their rural district of Petit to the west of the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince, it lived without access to basic sanitation facilities. “We had no choice but to use the outdoors as a toilet. This is how the disease has entered our lives, ”explained Oriata.
Quarrel
Cholera has recently spread to Haiti. Until now this year, more than 3,100 cases suspected of cholera have been reported nationally.
A young child is treated for cholera in a hospital in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
Between 21–Only September 25, suspect cases and three deaths were reported in Pétion -Ville, a lively suburb with many schools – a worrying development with the new academic year that should begin.
Young adults, who generally move a lot, explain most of the cases, fueling the concerns of the propagation of the disease.
UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said that the United Nations Humanitarian Coordination Office, OCHA worked “with the authorities and our partners to ensure that there is rigorous surveillance of cases and that health workers are quickly mobilized to reduce the risk of cholera spread.”
Community action
Noel-Dina, eleven, has survived thanks to medical care in a timely manner.
His painful experience was a turning point because thanks to the awareness campaigns in their region, his mother, Oriata, learned that the lack of latrines was one of the main reasons for the spread of cholera and other water diseases.
A health worker performs sanitation procedures when people enter a cholera establishment in Haiti.
Without waiting for external help, she began to dig a pit in her courtyard.
“I didn’t have a lot of resources, but I knew I had to do something not only for my daughter, but for all the children in the neighborhood,” she said.
Oriata did not stop there. After having seen her daughter resume gradually, she got involved in awareness -raising activities in her community, from home to house, to encourage other families to act.
His commitment sparked a wave of solidarity.
“When someone started to dig a pit and could not continue, we meet to help them and we made this house by house until it becomes a movement,” she recalls.
This mutual support transformed their neighborhood. Latrines have become the standard and hygiene practices such as systematic hand washing have been adopted by everyone.
“Today, when you walk here, you no longer feel bad odors because no one is relieving outside,” she said.
Dreamy
Sitting on her bed, her mathematical notebooks open in front of her, Noel-Dina smiled timidly. She dreams of becoming a nurse. Every day, she helps her mother at home and washed her hands carefully after using the toilets, actions that have become automatic.
“Before, I had to go out. Now we have a latrine at home, and I am happy that my mother is built. She did it for me and for everyone, ”she said.
Other communities also take action with the support of the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, and local authorities.
Nearly 3,000 households now have access to safe and hygienic latrines and 30 hygiene clubs, 22 in schools and 8 in health centers, were created to encourage good practices in children, teachers and medical staff.
“Before, there were bacteria everywhere, and children have often fallen sick. Now, even when a child has a fever, it’s no longer because of dirt. They are healthy and happier,” said Oriata.
