There is one thing that really fascinates me, and these are the facial markings of some people in South Sudan. You see very simple ones with parallel lines on the forehead up to very complicated patterns in the face and over the arms. The first times I saw these subtle lines on the men’s forehead … More Fascinating facial markings
I was walking around in a village, to find out and observe how the people are living and what their biggest needs are. The area can be described as a forestry highland wherein the villages and households are very spread. Most of the people fled to this area in the beginning of the year due … More Lesson from the handicapped guy
I am realising more and more that “the field” is actually a place you cannot reach. It is the place that is always farther, more rural and more difficult to reach than where you are at that moment. And once you have reached that place it is kind of the field has moved away from … More The never-ending fractal of “the field”
We are now for almost three weeks in Juba, the capital of South Sudan. The time goes fast. It is hard to imagine that a month ago, we were packing our belongings. We had discussions on which things we wanted to keep and store somewhere in the Netherlands, which things we wanted to give away, … More Trying to find our feet
The start of 2017 turned out to be different than we thought. On the brink of the new year, between Christmas and new years eve, we applied for two functions for Medair in South Sudan. Two days later we heard the great news that the jobs were offered to us. It still feels unrealistic but … More New year, new plans
In Haïti I worked on assessing the damage the hurricane made to the water gravity fed systems. By rehabilitating these systems the people in the villages will have clean water again!
“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” This is a common phrase used in the development sector. Also in emergiency situations it is important to include training, instead of only handing out things. With Medair we focused on shelter … More Training and sensibilisation
Medair responded in the emergency by targeting the commune of Tiburon and focus on their shelter and WASH needs (water, sanitation and hygiene). Tiburon is a remote commune along the South coast of Haiti where more than 90% of the houses are destroyed. The area is difficult to reach; it takes half a day to … More Emergency response distributions
On the 4th of October 2016, hurricane Matthew raged over Haiti. It caused widespread destruction and catastrophic loss. The impoverished nation was just recovering from the earthquake in 2010 and an ongoing cholera outbreak after tragedy stroke again. Three weeks after the hurricane I see the enormous damage with my own eyes. The first things … More Hurricane Matthew devastated Haiti
Madagascar is one of the most important biodiversity hotspots in the world. More than 160 million years ago Madagascar broke away from Africa and is a living example of flora and fauna evolution in isolation; undisturbed by outside influences and human beings. Over 70% of animals and 90% of plants found in Madagascar are endemic; found … More Biodiversity hotspot
Wondering Nomads 