News

Early in the summer of 2015, Shua’a (9) and her family were caught in a bombing raid in Syria, resulting in the amputation of her left foot. Her family now lives in Azraq camp, in Jordan. With Handicap International’s help she will very shortly be fitted with a prosthesis and will be able to walk over longer distances. 

Hurricane Matthew hit southeast Cuba on the night of 4 to 5 October, after making landfall in Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica. In Cuba, the hurricane had a significant impact on vulnerable people, particularly people with disabilities. Handicap International has been present in Cuba for more than 18 years and part of its work includes preparing the most vulnerable people for natural disasters. 

Three weeks after Hurricane Matthew hit the southwest and northwest of Haiti on 4 October, affecting 2.1 million people, 1.4 million Haitians still need humanitarian aid. To help the most vulnerable people, HI has deployed a team of nine expatriate emergency specialists to areas affected by the hurricane. Below is an update of the organisation’s humanitarian response.

More than 15,000 people have been displaced since military operations to retake the city of Mosul in Iraq began on 17 October. Handicap International is preparing to supply them with aid and fears mass displacements are likely to occur within weeks.

On the occasion of the historical Peace Agreement between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), Handicap International calls Canada and the entire international community not to reduce their support for Colombia. There is still much to do to decontaminate the country from its landmines, and other explosive remnants of war, and to assist survivors and their families.

Typhoon Haima, the most powerful storm to hit the Philippines in three years, made landfall in the north of the country on Wednesday 19 October, displacing more than 90,000 people from their homes. Handicap International is travelling to the affected areas to assess the needs of local communities.

When Typhoon Haima makes landfall on the island of Luzon in the northern Philippines on Wednesday 19 October, thousands of people could be affected. Handicap International is travelling to the province to assess the impact of the damage caused by the disaster.

There are fears that the offensive on the Iraqi city of Mosul could result in a humanitarian crisis on an unprecedented scale. More than one million people may be forced to flee to escape the fighting, in a country where at least 3.3 million people have already been uprooted. Handicap International is concerned that the people fleeing Mosul will not all be able to access humanitarian aid. Thomas Hugonnier, head of emergency response operations in Iraq, explains the situation.

Typhoon Haima is forecast to hit the Philippines on  Wednesday 19 -Thursday 20 October , affecting thousands of people. Handicap International's teams are preparing to cope with the potential disaster.

As Handicap International’s emergency teams travel to the areas worst affected by Hurricane Matthew to supply aid to victims, an air cargo of humanitarian equipment was scheduled to land in Port-au-Prince on Wednesday evening. With access to the southwest of the country still unreliable a week after the disaster, Handicap International is organising the transport of aid by sea.

After Hurricane Matthew made landfall in Haiti last Tuesday, Handicap International has been mobilising its teams in the field, supported by its emergency specialists, who arrived on Friday. Part of the country has been devastated and thousands of homes destroyed. The United Nations estimates that more than 2.1 million people have been affected, of whom 1.4 million immediate assistance. Josie and Moise, who live in the south of Haiti, which was severely affected by the disaster, provided us with their testimonies.

As the death toll in Haiti soars to more than 800, four days after the passage of Hurricane Matthew, humanitarian organisations including Handicap International face a race against the clock. Rising casualty numbers threaten to overwhelm the few health centres and hospitals not hit by the disaster. Large sections of the population are also at risk from epidemics.

As Haiti begins to recover from the passage of Hurricane Matthew, the impact of the disaster is still uncertain for large sections of the population, which remain isolated and without any means of communication. Hélène Robin, who is coordinating the emergency operations from Handicap International’s head office in Lyon, gave us a situation update.

Hurricane Matthew, which hit Haiti on 4 October, has affected more than one million Haitians and forced the evacuation of more than 15,000 people. Access to large swathes of the affected southern area remains difficult and the scale of the damage means humanitarian needs are likely to be significant. Handicap International has deployed an emergency team to assess the needs of the affected population.