©2010 Carlos VasquezVictor and Father Louis, Montagne Jaquot-Merlin, Haiti.

23 Feb 2010 – Victor Vincent Kinyanjui, from Kenya and WASH specialist for UNICEF Sierra Leone, and I set out early in morning to visit a rural school on top of mountain Jaquot-Merlin. The school is run by Father Louis Marrie from France. In order to get there we had to cross a dry river that shows clear signs of bank erosion due to heavy water flow during the rainy season.

© UNICEF/NYHQ2010-0156/Shehzad NooraniRose-Laure Gedeon, 13, and Windelyne Milford, 15,(left-right) walk past rubble with items they received during a distribution of newly arrived care packages for children, at the UNICEF-assisted Foye Zanmi Jezi orphanage, in the Lilavois neighbourhood of Port-au-Prince, the capital. The quake destroyed both the orphanage building and the adjacent primary school but the children were playing outside at the time and all survived.

When Columbus first arrived in the new world, he established his first settlement on what is today Haiti. The first university, hospital and the first cathedral in the Americas were built on this island; Española.

I was scheduled to fly to Port-Au-Prince on Sunday the 14th from the airport in Dominican Republic, after having checked my backpack I was told to gather my belongings and go back to the UNICEF office in Santo Domingo. The orders from UNICEF were for me to attend meetings and review materials for potential prefab structures.

© UNICEF/NYHQ2010-0173/Shehzad NooraniHaiti, 2010 Fabienne Pierre smiles as her five-year-old daughter, Alexi Kerida, plays with a set of stacking toys from a newly delivered UNICEF ECD kit, at the Lakay Don Bosco centre in Port-au-Prince, the capital.

Young children are usually the most vulnerable when disasters strike. In the wake of devastating natural disasters, like the earthquake in Haiti, children are at increased risk of separation from primary caregivers. The physical harm they suffer, along with increased exposure to all types of trafficking, sexual and other forms of violence, can leave long-term emotional and psychological scars. Experiencing what is referred to as ‘toxic stress’ in early childhood exposes children to greater risk of developing cognitive, behavioural and emotional difficulties.

Rain was supposed to start late March or April. Last night heavy rain came down on Port-au-Prince over hundreds of thousands of displaced people. The last drops fell around 5am this morning. Action on shelter and schools is of the utmost urgency.

Carlos Vasquez
Architect
UNICEF, Education Section

Monday 18 February 2010, 7:00 am

Related link: Ask the Architect

© UNICEF/NYHQ2009-2184/Ricardo PiresClosing of the Children's Climate Forum in Copenhagen-Dec.'09.

NEW YORK, USA, 11 December 2009 – Architect Carlos Vasquez designs child-friendly schools for UNICEF. This past week, he had the opportunity to give presentations about his schools, which are built to withstand disasters caused by climate change, at the Children’s Climate Forum in Copenhagen.

Building a modern developed society, a sound economic system, providing proper health and
educational systems are some of the objectives and commitments of the government of Myanmar
to its people. Such objectives require the participation of all and the leadership of those with
capacity to improved existing conditions.