Somali pirates donate to Haiti earthquake fund Spokesmen for the so-called Somali pirates
have expressed willingness to transfer part of their loot
captured from transnational boats and send it to Haiti. Leaders of these groups have declared they have links
in various places around the world to help them ensure
the delivery of aid without being detected by the armed
forces of enemy governments. The pirates typically redistribute a
significant portion of their profits among relatives and
the local population. In their operations, the pirates
urge transnational corporations that own the cargo
confiscated to pay back in cash as banks can not operate
in Somalia...
The whole nine
yards - Jamaican aid workers vow to
go all the way
Published: Sunday | January 24,
2010 Daraine Luton (from
Haiti) ONE WEEK after arriving in earthquake-ravaged Haiti,
Jamaican aid workers have vowed to go the full nine yards
to help in the rebuilding of that country. Major Jaimie Stuart Ogilvie, who is heading the
contingent of Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) personnel on
the ground in Haiti, told The Sunday Gleaner that
they were examining the structure of their delegation to
"make sure that we have the right persons here for
the long haul to continue the relief as long as we can". The JDF has been at the centre of Jamaican involvement
in the restoration of Haiti following the 7.0 magnitude
quake. The Jamaica Fire Brigade, the Ministry of Health
and the Jamaica Medical Doctor's Association
have also been key contributors to the relief effort. "We felt the magnitude of the earthquake, we knew
the devastation that it would have caused, and we are
happy to be here helping," Ogilvie told The
Sunday Gleaner. Hundreds of thousands of Haitians are feared dead and
countless others injured as a result of the quake, which
had its epicentre in the capital, Port-au-Prince. The
Jamaica Fire Brigade, which participated in Up to yesterday, the Jamaican contingent was
delivering relief supplies to some of the hardest-hit
areas while continuing to provide security and medical
assistance. The medical team has, even with limited resources,
been leaving its mark on Haitian soil with its presence
being welcome medicine for an ailing nation. "We have been able to impact positively on people's
lives. No life has been lost in our care. Whatever we
have been doing is being well done and is being done
carefully. Were it not for us, more lives would have been
lost," head of the medical delegation, Dr Derrick
McDowell, told The Sunday Gleaner. The Jamaican medical team comprising orthopaedic
surgeons, general surgeans, anaesthetists, nurses,
emergency medical technicians and public-health workers,
now operates two of eight hospitals in Port-au-Prince.
The JDF also runs a clinic that offers medical treatment. "The whole team worked together to lay a
foundation and has built a strong system so when the next
team comes in they will have something to work with,"
McDowell said. But while the Jamaican team carries on its tour of
duties, it is being hamstrung by the absence of its own
vehicle fleet and a shortage of fuel in the country.
Language difference is a hurdle, but there is an
abundance of goodwill from volunteers eager to ensure
their countrymen get aid. Rehabilitation phase McDowell has said there is going to be another phase
of medical intervention where there will be "public-health
problems" as well as "direct repercussions from
the amputation of the limbs". "We will now enter a phase of rehabilitation
where these people will need crutches or some walking aid
and ultimately, a prosthesis, and the impact this will
have on the patients themselves will be tremendous,"
McDowell said. Meanwhile, Ogilvie said the Jamaican team was focused
and committed to the job. "Members of the teams are very energised. They
have made great personal sacrifices in a lot of cases to
be here at such short notice. That is the nature of the
military, but there are other persons from outside of the
military that are here," Ogilvie said. He added: "The gratitude and the many thanks of
appreciation that we have got have been well worth the
effort when we see the relief that we have been able to
bring to them and how much they appreciate it." Many Haitians have lamen-ted the predicament of their
nation and have expressed concerns about the ability of
the country to bounce back. One female doctor noted that a large portion of the
country's university population had been killed in the
quake, which could retard the pace at which Haiti
rebounds from this disaster.
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