When Oriata’s 11-year-old daughter, Noel-Dina, suffered from a fever and severe abdominal pain, she acted swiftly. She rushed her to the nearest hospital. “She was so weak she couldn’t walk. I carried her on my back. I feared losing her,” Oriata tearfully recalled. That day, Noel-Dina was diagnosed with cholera.
Oriata participates in a local cholera prevention campaign. In their rural area of Grand-Goâve, west of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, many children lived without basic sanitation. “We had no choice but to use the outdoors as a toilet. That’s how the disease came into our lives,” Oriata explained.
Cholera has been spreading in Haiti. This year, over 3,100 suspected cases have been reported nationwide. Between September 21-25, 40 cases and three deaths were reported in Pétion-Ville, a busy suburb with many schools, a worrying sign as the school year begins. Young adults, who are more mobile, make up most cases, raising concerns about the disease’s spread.
UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric stated that the UN’s OCHA is working with authorities and partners to monitor cases and rapidly deploy health workers to minimize cholera’s spread.
Noel-Dina survived due to prompt medical attention. Her ordeal was pivotal for her mother, Oriata, who learned from awareness campaigns that the lack of proper sanitation was a primary cause of cholera and other waterborne diseases.
Without waiting for external aid, Oriata started digging a pit in her yard. “I had limited resources, but I had to act not just for my daughter but for all neighborhood children,” she said. After seeing Noel-Dina recover, Oriata engaged in community awareness activities, encouraging others to adopt preventive measures.
Her dedication inspired collective action. “If someone struggled to dig a pit, we’d help and continued house by house, turning it into a movement,” she shared. Their neighborhood transformed, adopting latrines and hygiene practices like regular hand washing. “Now, you don’t smell anything bad because no one uses the outdoors,” she said.
Sitting with her math books, Noel-Dina dreams of being a nurse. She helps at home and consistently practices good hygiene. “Before, I used the outdoors. Now we have a latrine. My mom built it for all of us,” she said.
Other communities are also improving sanitation with help from UNICEF and local authorities. Nearly 3,000 households now have access to hygienic latrines, and 30 hygiene clubs, 22 in schools and 8 in health centers, have been established to promote healthy practices among children, teachers, and medical staff. “Before, bacteria were everywhere, and kids got sick often. Now, when they have a fever, it’s not from dirt. They’re healthier and happier,” Oriata observed.
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