By John Uniack Davis, Country Director, CARE Madagascar

“On Wednesday morning, CARE sent a helicopter to the areas affected by cyclone Giovanna to assess the damage. The storm made landfall on Tuesday, February 14, on the east coast of the country and it brought heavy winds and rains. Our staff have been preparing for this as we could monitor the storm coming close. Luckily, when Giovanna made landfall, it lost some speed and was therefore not quite as strong as the Category 4 storm that had been predicted. But still, it left a path of destruction through several districts.

Impact of previous cyclones in Madagascar, such as storm surge. (Photo: CARE/ Dasy Ibrahim)

By Mandefro Mekete, Emergency Operations Coordinator, CARE Ethiopia

Nothing illustrates this better than listening to the people affected by the drought. When asked about the impacts of the 2011 drought, many start recalling the interrelated chain of events over past years that have pushed them over the edge this year. The story of one man in West Hararghe last November is particulalry striking. Ashenafi, a 35 year-old farmer and father of eight children, explained to CARE how he progessively sold his productive assets over the years to cope with the drought or lean seasons. As result, he was backsliding each time a little bit more into the cycle of poverty.

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By Mandefro Mekete, Emergency Operations Coordinator, CARE Ethiopia

I clearly remember July 2011 when the world started to focus its attention on the food crisis in the Horn of Africa. At that time, more than 4.5 million people in Ethiopia were in need of food assistance and water shortages were putting millions at risk of waterborne diseases.

I remember July 2011 because by then it had been almost a year since I released a drought alert for the Horn of Africa to our key partners. In August 2010, la Niña, a meteorological phenomenon that usually provokes dry weather conditions, was forecasted. As an Ethiopian who grew up in the north-eastern part of Ethiopia and who has been affected by drought, I knew the potential consequences of such a forecast.

By Haoua Lankoandé, Advocacy Manager, MMD Project, CARE Niger

Niamey, Niger – For those of us in the city, we are seeing the first signs of food crisis spreading across our country. We have seen it before. It has already started, and it is coming fast.

People are leaving their village and moving to town. (Photo: CARE/ Brooks)

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By Hugh Earp, Shelter Accountability Advisor for the Emergency Capacity Building Project.

Hugh spent over 10 months in Haiti working for CARE International and Save the Children on shelter and re-construction and writes about where Haiti is now, as the two year anniversary approaches.

Transitional shelters have sprung up all over the hillside, providing people with much needed protection from rain and heat. (Photo: CARE/ Cameron)

by Jamshed Naseer Siddiqi, Security Officer, CARE Pakistan

They say the floods that hit Pakistan on 2010 were the worst ever floods since 1929. One would think nothing would compare to the pain and misery that met the eyes during the flood response in 2010. But it seems there is no limit for human misery. Eyes can open to observe more devastation, hearts can feel more pain, and souls can be shaken again. 29^th September 2011: I have never been one for remembering dates, but this date will be engraved in my mind for years to come.

Water is receding slowly, and families face another month or two of displacement before they can return to rebuild their homes. (Photo: CARE/Rauf)

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by Sardar Rohail Khan, Security Operations Assistant, CARE Pakistan

My friends say I can appear expressionless, even cold at times. It’s an occupational hazard ofsecurity training, where we learn not to show too much emotion on the job. But one glance from a small village girl, and I was lost. As her eyes pinned me, sparking fiercely with anxiety, I found myself wondering almost aloud: What are we doing here? How can any amount of humanitarian aid make a difference in this poor girl’s life?

She was staring at me, reciting her lessons while looking uneasily at the guests, intruders in her world. (Photo: CARE/Khan)

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by Niki Clark in Dadaab

When I told my family and friends that I was leaving for six weeks to work with CARE on temporary assignment in Dadaab, the world’s largest refugee camp, I was immediately bombarded with Facebook messages, emails and calls along the lines of “I’m so proud of you. You’re going to save the world!” and “You’re making such a difference!

A newly arrived refugee child attemps to lift the family's new cooking utensils. (Photo: CARE/Clark)

Dadaab, Blog #1,  August ^30th, 2011

Here I sit, 7,500 miles away from home. I’m a week in. Over the course of just a few days, my life has completely changed. On a Monday I reported to work at CARE’s Washington, D.C. office. By Thursday I was on a plane bound for Nairobi where my final destination would be Dadaab Refugee Camp, the world’s largest. I will spend the next six weeks here as CARE’s emergency media officer. It is a position that both thrills and terrifies me. As an employee of one of the most prominent global humanitarian agencies, there is always an excitement that surrounds “going to the field.” But this is different.

Niki Clark, who works in Policy Communications at CARE USA, is currently working in Dadaab, Kenya. (Photo: CARE/Wilke)

I am standing in front of the borehole well, waiting for the clicking sound of my camera. But there is no sound. The CARE engineer has just explained how ground water is pumped up and then distributed to water stations. We are wandering around Dagahaley, one of the three refugee camps in Dadaab. A photographer working for a newspaper is gathering images of how a refugee camp works. But now as we stand at the borehole I feel yesterday’s long hours creeping up on me: my camera battery has obviously run out, plus I forgot my pencil and notebook on the desk. But there are solutions to these minor problems: The photographer lends me a pen and I use the back of my permission papers for the camp to take notes. In fact, I am starting to like my day without a camera.

dadaab from above. Up to now more than 420.000 people live here. (Photo: CARE/Wilke)