Japan

On 11 March 2011, the most devastating 9-magnitude earthquake in Japan's history left scenes of destruction along the country's northeast coast. Over 15,000 people died and more than 4,200 people were missing. The massive earthquake triggered a tsunami wave. Many buildings were engulfed in flames in the aftermath of the earthquake. The tsunami swept away numerous buildings, destroying roads and bridges in its wake. The relief effort was further hampered by fears of a potential nuclear leak. World Vision delivered non-food emergency relief items to more than 68,000 people and provided food for over 1,000 students daily. A school bus service was also provided for displaced children returning to school. 7 Child-Friendly Spaces were established to assist children with psychological and educational support. 6 community kitchens were constructed to provide more than 15,000 hot meals. Washing machines, rice cookers, refrigerators, vacuum cleaners and other electrical appliances were distributed for shared use at evacuation centres.

Volunteers are unloading trucks of relief items into the temporary shelters.

Yunnan

On 10 March 2011, an earthquake of 5.8-magnitude rocked Yinjiang County in Yunnan Province, China, affecting some 340,000 people. People suffered loss of electricity and water supply. Local transportation and communications were also interrupted. In fear of aftershocks, many people set up tents in public squares, parks and roadsides. World Vision distributed hygiene kits, 4,500 quilts, 660 child-friendly kits, 8,000 mosquito nets, 4,000 mats, 100 residential tents and 35,100 litres of cooking oil. Also, 3 Child-Friendly Spaces were set up to provide psychosocial support for the affected children.

Children are happy to share the child-friendly kits given by World Vision with their friends.

Myanmar

On 24 March 2011, northeast Myanmar was severely hit by a 7-magnitude earthquake felt throughout Yunnan and Guangxi Province, China, as well as Bangkok in Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. Latest report stated that the quake has left 70 people dead, more than 100 people injured, over 200 buildings collapsed and over 15,000 people homeless in poverty-stricken areas. World Vision provided complete sets of household kits and 381,300 litres of water for nearly 1,820 families. 8 Child-Friendly Spaces were set up and we supported the construction of 6 temporary schools. Besides these, 2 mobile clinic teams also visited 9 villages, attending to the needs of villagers.

World Vision distributes purified drinking water to help thousands of quake survivors in Myanmar, as the need of safe drinking water is vital.

Southeast Asia

In October 2010, heavy monsoon rains, floods and super-typhoon Megi swept across Laos, Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines in Southeast Asia. In the Philippines alone, over 690,000 people were affected. In Thailand, about 300,000 people were in dire need of help. Many houses, schools, roads and bridges were ravaged; crops and fields close to the harvesting season were flooded and destroyed. Villagers were left homeless and facing serious food shortage. In the Philippines, World Vision provided food and daily necessities for 8,700 families, distributed 3,300 back-to-school kits and 4,880 tents. 8,900 farming families received seeds and fishing boats repair services while 10 Child-Friendly Spaces were set up.

A family in the Philippines affected by the typhoon and floods is thankful to receive relief supplies from World Vision.

Sri Lanka

Heavy rains have lashed across Sri Lanka's North Central and Eastern provinces since December 2010, around 1.2 million people were affected. The agricultural community was among the worst hit. Flood waters increased the risk of water-borne diseases such as cholera. World Vision distributed cooked meals, dry rations and non-food items to over 15,000 people, and provided tin sheets to build temporary tents for more than 1,100 families. We provided assistance for the local government in transporting goods and medical teams, delivered 32,000 litres of water daily, conducted 40 mobile medical clinics and distributed about 3,000 hygiene packs and more than 7,000 school packs. Over 8,000 individuals benefited from the cleaning of 500 wells.

The emergency relief materials provided by World Vision bring the affected people some relief.

China

In June 2011, prolonged rainstorms caused severe floods, especially on the Yangtze River and in Sichuan Province. Anhui, Henan and Jiangsu Provinces situated along the Huai River were also affected. Floods across seven provinces caused havoc in those areas, leaving over 36 million people in desperation. Many houses collapsed, and around 2.6 million hectares of farmland were damaged. World Vision distributed 3,300 quilts and 1,000 hygiene kits, and around 640,000 kg of rice to 42,300 people. Fertilisers were also provided for 8,300 farmers.

A villager is excited to receive the rice provided by World Vision.

Haiti

In October 2010, while still recovering from the January earthquake, Haiti fell into turmoil due to an outbreak of cholera. The road to rehabilitation remains long and arduous. Since the beginning of the outbreak, many areas have been affected, including the densely populated capital, Port-au-Prince. Over 220,000 infected cases and more than 4,400 deaths have been reported. World Vision distributed hygiene kits, latrine cleaning tools, 18.7 million gallons of water, 8 million aqua tablets, and 13,100 soap bars. Also, we installed 890 latrines and 1,600 hand-washing stations. 3,600 children from 24 schools and 256,300 people received cholera kits and health training respectively.

Some Haitians are waiting inside a World Vision cholera treatment unit (CTU) at a Port-au-Prince camp.

China

Since the latter half of July 2011, the southwestern part of China has been suffering from a severe drought, with Guizhou Province being the hardest-hit area. Continued hot and dry weather has affected over 21 million people in Guizhou. More than six million people have been facing a shortage of drinking water since. Worse still, food supplies of the drought-stricken villagers have been expected to last just a few months. Crop harvest has become impossible due to large areas of farmland being damaged. World Vision plans to distribute rice to 28,500 people, and support water system and facilities that will benefit 8,600 people. Also, 100 child-friendly kits are distributed.

African food crisis

2010-2011 has been the driest period in the Horn of Africa in 60 years. Natural disasters and soaring food prices, together with a lack of farming skills and knowledge among farmers, have left many households facing poverty and hunger. Across East Africa, over 12 million people are in desperate need of life-saving assistance. In September, six regions of Somalia were declared famine. Among the 390,000 malnourished children, 35,000 are serious cases. Poor crop performance throughout the country as well as overall instability of the state have led to increased prices of both domestically produced and imported food. In Kenya, rains have failed for two consecutive seasons; millions of livestock are at risk of death while food production has been adversely affected. The north and northeast regions are on the brink of famine. Ethiopia is also facing the problem of water and pasture shortage caused by prolonged drought in pastoral areas. Numerous lives of livestock have been claimed. World Vision assisted the needy with emergency food and developed a wide spectrum of farming projects in communities to help villagers restore their livelihoods. The following are some of the highlights of our relief work in Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia.

Somalia

• Immunisation and treatment of various diseases for children under 5
• Provided hygiene and sanitation training for 42,470 people
• Cash-for-work programmes in rebuilding 9 earth dams
• Construction of temporary pit latrines
• Provided emergency water trucking for 1,850 households
• Established 93 livelihood committees for 2,000 people
• Provided goats for over 1,000 households

Kenya

• Provided food for 345,720 people
• Provided 4.4 million gallons of clean water
• Provided nutritious food for 66,170 people
• 210,000 people were treated for malnutrition
• Provided non-food items for 32,920 people
• Constructed and improved water boreholes

Ethiopia

• Provided 4,070 tons of food for 157,250 people
• Provided 1,210 tons of corn soya blend and 150 tons of vegetable oil for 48,350 mothers and children under 5
• Provided 4,840 tons of various kinds of seeds and 5 million sweet potato cuttings for farmers
• Provided 1,600 cattle and 1,300 shoats for 2,900 households
• 13,060 households benefited from 560,000 gallons of clean water

Thanks to an irrigation scheme, Lokaale's family from Kenya manage to successfully harvest maize from their land. Unlike other children facing drought, Lokaale does not have to worry about food.