×

News publications and other organizations are encouraged to reuse Direct Relief-published content for free under a Creative Commons License (Attribution-Non-Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International), given the republisher complies with the requirements identified below.

When republishing:

  • Include a byline with the reporter’s name and Direct Relief in the following format: "Author Name, Direct Relief." If attribution in that format is not possible, include the following language at the top of the story: "This story was originally published by Direct Relief."
  • If publishing online, please link to the original URL of the story.
  • Maintain any tagline at the bottom of the story.
  • With Direct Relief's permission, news publications can make changes such as localizing the content for a particular area, using a different headline, or shortening story text. To confirm edits are acceptable, please check with Direct Relief by clicking this link.
  • If new content is added to the original story — for example, a comment from a local official — a note with language to the effect of the following must be included: "Additional reporting by [reporter and organization]."
  • If republished stories are shared on social media, Direct Relief appreciates being tagged in the posts:
    • Twitter (@DirectRelief)
    • Facebook (@DirectRelief)
    • Instagram (@DirectRelief)

Republishing Images:

Unless stated otherwise, images shot by Direct Relief may be republished for non-commercial purposes with proper attribution, given the republisher complies with the requirements identified below.

  • Maintain correct caption information.
  • Credit the photographer and Direct Relief in the caption. For example: "First and Last Name / Direct Relief."
  • Do not digitally alter images.

Direct Relief often contracts with freelance photographers who usually, but not always, allow their work to be published by Direct Relief’s media partners. Contact Direct Relief for permission to use images in which Direct Relief is not credited in the caption by clicking here.

Other Requirements:

  • Do not state or imply that donations to any third-party organization support Direct Relief's work.
  • Republishers may not sell Direct Relief's content.
  • Direct Relief's work is prohibited from populating web pages designed to improve rankings on search engines or solely to gain revenue from network-based advertisements.
  • Advance permission is required to translate Direct Relief's stories into a language different from the original language of publication. To inquire, contact us here.
  • If Direct Relief requests a change to or removal of republished Direct Relief content from a site or on-air, the republisher must comply.

For any additional questions about republishing Direct Relief content, please email the team here.

Day 20: Cyclone Winston Response, Fiji

News

Cyclone Winston

By Gordon Willcock

Current Situation:

18,600 people remain in 555 evacuation centers across Fiji in the wake of Cyclone Winston. The death toll from the cyclone remains at 43. UN assessments indicate that a total of 87,500 women of reproductive age have been affected by Cyclone Winston, and it is estimated that this amount includes ‘5,600 pregnant women, of which 1,600 are expected to give birth in the next three months.

The UN estimates that 200 of these deliveries are at risk of an obstetric complication requiring emergency medical care. As a result, maternal and child healthcare is a critical issue for families in the affected areas, where shelters are destroyed, and 38 percent of the nation’s health facilities have sustained some form of damage – 8 with major damage and 55 with minor damage.

Wide-scale destruction of crops will have a lasting social impact, especially in the sugar cane industry that employs some 30,000 workers. The CEO of Fiji’s sugar industry association, Mr. Mohammed Rafiq, reports that it is now too late to plant a second crop, and the farmers who do the planting are now trying to rebuild their houses. This means that thousands of poor farmers will have less income this year from their crops at a time when they need more financial resources to rebuild their homes in the wake of Cyclone Winston.

Developments:

Working closely with Fiji’s Ministry of Health and the Fiji Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Services Center (FPBS), Direct Relief has already delivered and distributed 10 tons of specifically requested emergency medicines and medical supplies. Direct Relief has assisted the FPBS in developing a national distribution plan and supported this distribution by renting trucks and funding the transportation of goods via ocean ferry between islands.

On behalf of the Korovou [Hospital] team, I wish to extend our gratitude and appreciation for the donated items that w[ere] delivered to us…. We have been in need for an autoclave machine for more than three years, and this is an answer to our prayers.” — Dr. Ilisapeci Lasaro, Sub-Division Medical Officer, Tailevu.

Direct Relief’s emergency medicines and medical supplies, including a complete disaster module, have been distributed to Fiji’s national referral hospital, the Colonial War Memorial Hospital; Rakiraki Maternity Hospital; Savusavu Hospital; Lautoka Hospital; and Korovou Hospital.

The FPBS is also utilizing Direct Relief’s weatherproof orange tubs to transport requested medicines out to the most remote affected island communities, including Udu Nursing Station on the Island of Kabara – 180 miles southeast of Suva.

Working with Fiji’s Ministry of Health, Direct Relief is now readying a shipment of requested emergency tents – provided by Barebones – that will be utilized at the sites of damaged health facilities. These tents will be donated to the Ministry of Health via the FPBS, to Savusavu Community Foundation, and the Loloma Foundation.

Filed Under: , , ,

Giving is Good Medicine

You don't have to donate. That's why it's so extraordinary if you do.