Lena Hanson (volunteer) in Santo Domingo
Every time it rains in the poor neighbourhood of Ribera del Ozama, on the outskirts of Santo Domingo, Aida Montero´s home fills with dark, stinking water. A new canal being built by the Dominican Red Cross and the local community, is going to keep her house dry.
A steep, narrow street leads down to Aida's wooden house, which is located next to the river. When it rains, all the water from the streets above runs down the hill in torrents, invariably causing huge damage.
"All the houses fill up with water, sometimes up to here", says a boy, about eight years old, pointing at his knee. "And the beds get wet, so when it stops raining we have to bring them outside and let them dry. And then we have to clean them, because the water is very dirty" says his friend.
Sometimes the matresses have to be thrown away, along with clothes, shoes and furniture. Because the water brings with it all kinds of refuse. Once a family found three dead dogs in their house, washed in by the floodwaters. This decaying matter breeds disease and the water attracts mosquitoes, bringing the threat of dengue fever.
But soon this might be just a memory. The new canal, which should be completed in December 2002, should improve the situation dramatically. Even when it rains heavily, the canal will handle the flood and channel the surplus water safely into the river.
The Dominican Red Cross leads the project together with the local Neighbourhood Council It is part of a larger, region-wide programme that started in 1998, and which aims to prepare communities for disasters.
The project is being supported financially through the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid Office, ECHO, and technically through the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
In early November, representatives from the Red Cross societies of Grenada, Jamaica, St Kitts & Nevis and the Dominican Republic will meet in Santo Domingo to discuss progress so far and to plan for the remainder of the programme.
Thousands of Dominicans have taken part in the programme, learning about the main threats to their communities, how to prevent disasters and how to make emergency plans. A series of micro-projects has been carried out to mitigate disasters and to improve local preparedness.
The canal in Ribera del Ozama is one such micro-project, and the whole community is cooperating. At weekends, many adults and even children have been offering their services voluntarily to get the canal finished. Their enthusiasm is understandable - they have been hoping for just such a project for over ten years.
Garbage removal has long been a problem in this neighbourhood. Large garbage-collection vehicles cannot enter these narrow streets, so piles of rubbish block the escape of rainwater.
But now the authorities have promised to make collections with smaller dust-carts twice a week. The Dominican Red Cross will also give lectures on garbage and the environment, to prevent people from throwing refuse into the new canal.
"And we will see to it that nobody throws rubbish in the new canal" says Margarita Ramirez of the Neighbourhood Council, with a stern look. Then she smiles proudly and looks out on her neighbours working on the canal.
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