Journal Article > ResearchFull Text
Disasters. 2003 June 1; Volume 27 (Issue 2); 141-153.; DOI:10.1111/1467-7717.00225
Van Herp M, Parqué V, Rackley E, Ford NP
Disasters. 2003 June 1; Volume 27 (Issue 2); 141-153.; DOI:10.1111/1467-7717.00225
The people of the Democratic Republic of Congo for decades have been living in a situation of chronic crisis. Violence, population displacement and the destruction of infrastructure and health services have devastated the health of the population. In 2001, Médicins Sans Frontières conducted a survey in five areas of western and central DRC to assess mortality, access to health-care, vaccination coverage and exposure to violence. High mortality rates were found in front-line zones, mainly due to malnutrition and infectious diseases. In Basankusu approximately 10 per cent of the total population and 25 per cent of the under-five population had perished in the year before the survey. Humanitarian needs remain acute across the country, particularly near the front line. Infectious-disease control and treatment are a priority, as is increasing access to health-care. Humanitarian assistance must be increased considerably, especially in rural areas and zones that have been affected directly by conflict.
Journal Article > CommentaryFull Text
Disasters. 2009 July 27; Volume 33 (Issue 4); DOI:10.1111/j.1467-7717.2008.01088.x
Pinera JF, Reed RA
Disasters. 2009 July 27; Volume 33 (Issue 4); DOI:10.1111/j.1467-7717.2008.01088.x
Kabul and Monrovia, the respective capitals of Afghanistan and Liberia, have recently emerged from long-lasting armed conflicts. In both cities, a large number of organisations took part in emergency water supply provision and later in the rehabilitation of water systems. Based on field research, this paper establishes a parallel between the operations carried out in the two settings, highlighting similarities and analysing the two most common strategies. The first strategy involves international financial institutions, which fund large-scale projects focusing on infrastructural rehabilitation and on the institutional development of the water utility, sometimes envisaging private-sector participation. The second strategy involves humanitarian agencies, which run community-based projects, in most cases independently of the water utilities, and targeting low-income areas. Neither of these approaches manages to combine sustainability and universal service. The paper assesses their respective strengths and weaknesses and suggests ways of improving the quality of assistance provided.
Journal Article > ResearchFull Text
Disasters. 2004 June 1; Volume 28 (Issue 2); 176-189.; DOI:10.1111/j.0361-3666.2004.00251.x
Tong J
Disasters. 2004 June 1; Volume 28 (Issue 2); 176-189.; DOI:10.1111/j.0361-3666.2004.00251.x
This article examines the relationship between Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and the Sphere Project. Prior to revisiting the concerns MSF had with the project, it looks at factors that give rise to differences between NGOs and cites some reasons for why an organisation such as MSF would not embrace such a project and clarifies some key elements of MSF-style humanitarianism. The author revisits the original concerns and arguments presented by MSF when it decided not to participate beyond assisting with the establishment of technical standards and key indicators for the handbook. This is followed by a critical discussion examining these concerns and counter-criticism with reference to experiences a few years after the inception of Sphere. It concludes with MSF's perceptions and stance regarding Sphere and accountability in 2003.
Journal Article > ResearchAbstract
Disasters. 2014 September 5; Volume 38 (Issue 4); DOI:10.1111/disa.12078
Derderian K
Disasters. 2014 September 5; Volume 38 (Issue 4); DOI:10.1111/disa.12078
In recent years, protracted crises and fragile post-conflict settings have challenged the co-existence, and even the linear continuum, of relief and development aid. Forced migration has tested humanitarian and development paradigms where sudden-onset emergencies, violence and displacement arise alongside ongoing development work. Drawing on Médecins Sans Frontières interventions in the region from December 2010 to May 2011, this paper examines aid and healthcare responses to displacement in Côte d'Ivoire and Liberia; it focuses on challenges to the maintenance of preparedness for such foreseeable emergencies and to adaptation in response to changing situations of displacement and insecurity. This 'backsliding' from development to emergency remains a substantial challenge to aid; yet, in exactly such cases, it also presents the opportunity to ensure access to medical care that is much more urgently needed in times of crisis, including the suspension of user fees for medical care.
Journal Article > ResearchFull Text
Disasters. 2006 September 1; Volume 30 (Issue 3); 364-376.; DOI:10.1111/j.0361-3666.2005.00326.x
Grais RF, Coulombier D, Ampuero J, Lucas MES, Barretto AT, et al.
Disasters. 2006 September 1; Volume 30 (Issue 3); 364-376.; DOI:10.1111/j.0361-3666.2005.00326.x
Emergencies resulting in large-scale displacement often lead to populations resettling in areas where basic health services and sanitation are unavailable. To plan relief-related activities quickly, rapid population size estimates are needed. The currently recommended Quadrat method estimates total population by extrapolating the average population size living in square blocks of known area to the total site surface. An alternative approach, the T-Square, provides a population estimate based on analysis of the spatial distribution of housing units taken throughout a site. We field tested both methods and validated the results against a census in Esturro Bairro, Beira, Mozambique. Compared to the census (population: 9,479), the T-Square yielded a better population estimate (9,523) than the Quadrat method (7,681; 95% confidence interval: 6,160-9,201), but was more difficult for field survey teams to implement. Although applicable only to similar sites, several general conclusions can be drawn for emergency planning.
Journal Article > CommentaryAbstract
Disasters. 2013 July 22; Volume 37; DOI:10.1111/disa.12021
del Valle H, Healy S
Disasters. 2013 July 22; Volume 37; DOI:10.1111/disa.12021
Journal Article > ResearchFull Text
Disasters. 2004 June 1; Volume 28 (Issue 2); 205-215.; DOI:10.1111/j.0361-3666.2004.00253.x
Weissman F, Leverdier R
Disasters. 2004 June 1; Volume 28 (Issue 2); 205-215.; DOI:10.1111/j.0361-3666.2004.00253.x
Although the war in Liberia in July 2003 claimed hundreds of lives, the international community was reluctant to intervene. In this article, the author debates the question: does international military intervention equal protection of populations? The role of humanitarian organisations in military intervention is considered. Aid organisations cannot call for deployment of a protection force without renouncing their autonomy or appealing to references outside their own practices. Such organisations provide victims with vital assistance and contribute to ensuring that their fate becomes a stake in political debate by exposing the violence that engulfs them, without substituting their own voices for those of the victims. The political content of humanitarian action is also outlined and military intervention in the context of genocide is discussed. The author concludes that the latter is one of the rare situations in which humanitarian actors can consider calling for an armed intervention without renouncing their own logic.
Journal Article > CommentaryAbstract
Disasters. 2010 June 7; Volume 34 (Issue 4); 973-995.; DOI:10.1111/j.1467-7717.2010.01178.x
Lucchi E
Disasters. 2010 June 7; Volume 34 (Issue 4); 973-995.; DOI:10.1111/j.1467-7717.2010.01178.x
Cities are fast becoming new territories of violence. The humanitarian consequences of many criminally violent urban settings are comparable to those of more traditional wars, yet despite the intensity of the needs, humanitarian aid to such settings is limited. The way in which humanitarian needs are typically defined, fails to address the problems of these contexts, the suffering they produce and the populations affected. Distinctions between formal armed conflicts, regulated by international humanitarian law, and other violent settings, as well as those between emergency and developmental assistance, can lead to the neglect of populations in distress. It can take a lot of time and effort to access vulnerable communities and implement programmes in urban settings, but experience shows that it is possible to provide humanitarian assistance with a significant focus on the direct and indirect health consequences of violence outside a traditional conflict setting. This paper considers the situation of Port-au-Prince (Haiti), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) and Guatemala City (Guatemala).
Journal Article > CommentaryAbstract
Disasters. 2012 July 1; Volume 36 (Issue Suppl 1); S87-S104.; DOI:10.1111/j.1467-7717.2012.01283.x
Lucchi E
Disasters. 2012 July 1; Volume 36 (Issue Suppl 1); S87-S104.; DOI:10.1111/j.1467-7717.2012.01283.x
Given the rising numbers of crises in urban settings, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is currently shifting its focus from 'why' it should intervene to 'how' it should intervene effectively in these contexts. Beyond communities affected by natural disasters and epidemics, MSF has chosen to target populations in urban settings that are affected by violence or by marginalisation and neglect: these groups appear to suffer the greatest number of severe threats to their health and well-being. Recent reflection within MSF has identified a number of key operational challenges to confront in order to respond efficiently to the needs of these populations. These include: appropriate assessments; measurable indicators of vulnerability and impact; pertinent operational approaches and medical strategies; adapted security management; and responsible closure of activities. This paper summarises the main lessons learned from working in urban settings with the principal aim of mutual sharing and understanding.