HaitiPRO

Haiti Security Weather Flooding Cyclone-Risk June 9

2010-06-10T16:38:00.002-04:00

According to:

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/gtwo_atl.shtml

which we can subscribe to via news readers, and which is updated every 6 hours during hurricane season, FOR THE NORTH ATLANTIC...CARIBBEAN SEA AND THE GULF OF MEXICO.

1. A LARGE AREA OF CLOUDINESS AND SHOWERS MOVING WESTWARD ACROSS THE
WINDWARD ISLANDS AND THE SOUTHEASTERN CARIBBEAN SEA IS ASSOCIATED

WITH A TROPICAL WAVE. SURFACE PRESSURES REMAIN HIGH AND UPPER-LEVEL
WINDS ARE NOT CURRENTLY FAVORABLE FOR SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENT.

THERE IS A LOW CHANCE...10 PERCENT... OF THIS SYSTEM BECOMING A TROPICAL CYCLONE DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS. ELSEWHERE...TROPICAL CYCLONE FORMATION IS NOT EXPECTED DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS.
"Tropical Cyclone" is a storm that can become a "Possible Hurricane." This is a low risk that impacts Haiti and the BP Gulf Oil Spill.

Basically most Haiti cities will get one clear day in five, where the rains can include occasional thunderstorms, and sometimes high winds (like around 20 km/h)

I have not seen a military police JOTC situation report since June 4, but the Red Cross did send out a June 4 Security Incident report.

http://reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/EGUA-864PT6?OpenDocument&rc=2

Also Situation News 2010 June 4 – The UN Security Council authorizes more international police to Haiti. The forces added today boost the total number of international police in Haiti to 4,391, working alongside 8,940 military troops.

JOTC SITREP 04 June 2010

2010-06-05T08:31:00.004-04:00

HIGHLIGHTS

Security Council authorizes increased police strength for UN force in Haiti
HRIC slow to spring to life despite Punta Cana Summit
Severe damage from heavy rains in Ouanaminthe
Sweep operations in Fort Toulon net 36 arrests

I. GENERAL SITUATION

No tropical cyclone formation is expected during the next forty-eight hours, however a high-pressure system spinning in the mid-Atlantic will continue pushing moisture over the Caribbean. Scattered showers and thunderstorms will likely develop over the Greater Antilles, including Haiti. The storm-watch issued on 26 May (protectioncivile.gouv.ht/bulletin_jour.htm) therefore continues in effect, particularly for the southern part of the country, which the Centre National de Météorologie has identified as at greatest risk for overflowing rivers, mudslides, landslides, subsidence and flooding.

The UN Security Council today authorized a significant increase in the number of police officers serving with the peacekeeping force in Haiti as part of the efforts to help boost the capacity of the country’s national police to meet the myriad challenges arising in the wake of January’s catastrophic earthquake. This deployment of an additional 680 officers will bring the total number of UN Police serving with MINUSTAH to 4,391. (www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=34920&Cr=haiti&Cr1=)

The Interim Commission for the Reconstruction of Haiti (HRIC) got off to a slow start at its first meeting, only 72 hours after the appointment of eleven Haitian members to serve on its board of directors. The Haitian commissioners for reconstruction were present at the Punta Cana Summit in neighbouring Dominican Republic, but the meeting was hampered by the absence of their foreign counterparts. Progress was further hindered by the lack of an HRIC Executive Director, who has yet to be named by President Préval. Haitian authorities have announced two new important dates for moving forward, with official presentation of the Committee next week on 7 June, to be followed on 14 June by the first working session of the Commission.

The two HRIC co-chairs, the UN and Haitian authorities are all awaiting release of funds promised by donors at the previous conference in New York, which were confirmed at the meeting in Punta Cana, where the UN Special Envoy called on donors to honour their commitments to launch the reconstruction process. The Haitian Prime Minister meanwhile revealed that 60 selected projects had been submitted to donors for consideration. Donor approval is essential for launching projects already regarded by some opposition political leaders as well behind schedule. (Source: http://www.metropolehaiti.com/metropole/full_une_fr.php?id=17800)

II. SECURITY AND PUBLIC ORDER

Over the last twenty-four hours, the security situation in Haiti has remained largely stable, but the security environment continues to be characterized by persistent criminal activity. Disaster-preparedness has moved to the forefront of planning by all MINUSTAH components, as the weather forecast continues to point toward heavy rains that could require the rapid deployment of MINUSTAH resources to support for local or national authorities in coping with serious challenges.

Heavy rains on 1 June in Miragoâne (Nippes) forced the evacuation of 770 families located in various communities. The following day, the city of Hinche was cut off from Mirebalais when the road became flooded. Also on 2 June in Port-au-Prince, relentless rains resulted in injuries to six minors when a tree felt on their school. The children were rescued with the help of UNPOL, HNP, French engineers and the Haitian Fire Brigade, then transported to hospital for medical treatment. Late in the evening, news from Ouanaminthe (North-East) also brought reports of heavy rains in the department that caused the River Massacre to overflow its banks (further details below under ‘Humanitarian Operations’). The Police Operations Centre was informed this morning that access to Bord-de-Mer via Limonade (North) became impossible after yesterday’s rains caused a fissure in the road before the bridge, preventing crossing.

On 2 June in Baudouin (Jacmel, South-East), a WFP local staff member on his way home was assaulted by an unknown numbers of armed individuals. The incident occurred between the MINUSTAH and WFP offices at around 2100 hours. The victim suffered a gunshot injury and was evacuated to the Argentinean Hospital in Port-au-Prince on 3 June at 1600 hours.

Two sweeping operations in the Fort Touron area of Port-au-Prince on 2 and 3 June led to the detention and arrest of 36 suspects by HNP. Additional arrests were made throughout the country, including on 2 June a 23-year-old male in Cap-Haïtien (North) for the rape of a minor (suspect already possessed a criminal record for rape and kidnapping. An escaped prisoner in Petit Goâve was also apprehended, in addition to two kidnapping suspects in Port-de-Paix (North-West) in connection with an abduction on 23 May. Finally, on 3 June an HNP officer was wounded by gunfire during the arrest of a prison escapee in Miragoâne (Nippes), while another escapee died during the exchange of fire between the UDMO (departmental public order unit) and the criminals. Four other prison escapees, along with two unidentified suspects, were arrested.

On 3 June, two UN vehicles were damaged in collisions in Miragoâne. In the first incident, the driver of a motorcycle tried to overtake a UN vehicle as it was turning left. The motorcycle driver suffered minor injuries, for which he was treated at hospital. The second incident only involved vehicular damage.

Today, Léogâne was the stage of a large three-hour demonstration. JOTC Security and Police components reported over 1,000 participants protesting in front of the town hall against an alleged lack of support from local authorities since the 12 January earthquake. The demonstration was monitored by MINUSTAH police and military, along with HNP, and ended peacefully.

During the last forty-eight hours, UNPOL and HNP have conducted 664 joint patrols and 111 checkpoints throughout the country. A total of 63 arrests were reported including one escaped prisoner. MINUSTAH military conducted 2052 security operations, involving 10118 troops, and 18 maritime patrols, sailing 340 nautical miles.

III. HUMANITARIAN OPERATIONS

In the late evening of 2 June, approximately 120 mm of rain fell in the Northeast department of Haiti, provoking one local mayor to consider a general evacuation. After MINUSTAH military and local authorities carried out a quick assessment of the area, however, the waters of the River Massacre began quickly to recede. In the locality of Ouanaminthe, the new bridge linking the city to Dajabon across the border in the Dominican Republic was particularly affected when the major access road was cut.

Quickly reacting to the event, representatives from the Civil Protection Directorate (DPC) joined WFP Logistics Cluster Lead, OCHA, HNP, local authorities and MINUSTAH Police on an aerial assessment of the flooded zones the next day to evaluate the damage. Based on a report produced by the DPC, the findings of the mission concluded that:

250 houses were flooded and still covered by mud and water;
the border market remained under water;
the embankment of the River Massacre river suffered heavy damage;
structural damage to the old Ouanaminthe-Dajabon bridge was significant, but the new bridge remained usable after only minor damage;
crop damage appeared substantial, but further evaluation would be needed; and
the zone of Gaya, home to 14,758 people, was hardest hit by the flooding, leaving part of the locality inaccessible after landslides.

ReliefWeb reported that the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) yesterday announced that it would make $200 million in grants available to Haiti over five years to strengthen land tenure rights, boost agricultural production, increase market access for farmers and reinforce food security. These grants will cover a quarter of the total cost of a Haitian government plan to revamp farming after the earthquake and mark a significant increase in IDB support for rural development in Haiti.

Accounting for a quarter of the country's gross domestic product, agriculture generates jobs and incomes for millions of Haitians. The IDB will finance projects to improve economic and environmental conditions in rural communities, fostering sustainable crop production, while building on past investments in projects involving irrigation and watershed management, as well as efforts to combat pests and crop diseases. The promotion of farming techniques to reduce soil erosion and boost productivity will also figure prominently.

A major thrust of the new initiative will be to improve the system to recognize land tenure as a means to stimulate long-term investment in rural areas. Few Haitian farmers enjoy clear title to their land in the absence of modern property registry system. Under the proposed scheme, the IDB will seek to increase the number of titled properties and improve the quality and access of registry services in rural communities.

In the last forty-eight hours, MINUSTAH military have conducted 21 humanitarian assistance missions involving 141 troops. These missions included medical assistance, food and water distributions, benefiting about 750 families, 2400 people, 2000 IDPs, 207 prisoners and 3 orphanages.

IV. JOTC

The Joint Operations and Tasking Centre (JOTC) continued to respond to requests for assistance from humanitarian partners, the Government and the Project Management Coordination Cell (PMCC). To date, 800 requests for support have been received and 505 completed. Most of the requests pertain to the provision of security and engineering support.

Needs Requests - Solicitation for Long Lasting Insecticide Treated Nets (LLINs)

2010-06-04T16:22:00.001-04:00

In collaboration and coordination with the Ministry of Health’s National Malaria Control Program, the Vector Borne Working Group under the Health Cluster is in the process of coordinating LLIN needs and available resources. After the earthquake that had affected the country and to support the effort of the National Malaria Control Program( PNCM), approximately 800,000 LLINs provide by agencies and organization such as UNICEF PSI - OIM -MENTOR- -IRFC, are in country or slated to arrive to contribute to earthquake relief efforts. In order to reach the most at risk populations in earthquake affected areas, the Vector Borne Working Group has been working with the National Malaria Control Program to identify priority areas for LLIN distribution.

All nets will need to be distributed with appropriate information and education on hanging and usage and adhere to the attached guidelines. Should your organization wish to distribute nets but does not have required expertise/experience, training can be provided. Priority departments and communes have been identified.

NGOs requesting to distribute in these communes will be given priority. As such, the Vector Borne Working Group is currently soliciting requests from organizations to distribute LLINs in these priority areas. Once the LLIN needs are met in these sites, other requests will be considered. In your formal request for LLINs, please provide the following information:

Name and contact details of requesting organization
Years of experience working in Haiti and year of registration with the GOH
Location (commune) and/or IDP camp(s) of proposed distribution base on the attached list. Please highlight your preferred intervention sites in the list provided
Number of LLINs requested (based on 1 net per household within camps)
Confirmation that the attached distribution guidelines will be followed
Description of prior experience with LLIN distribution if applicable(quantity-place-year)
Number of staff needing distribution training, if applicable
Existing logistical capacity (material and human resources) for net distribution

Requests must be received by June 11, 2010 and should not exceed one page. Requests can be sent email to mleandre@psihaiti.org with copy to yjgpilou@psihaiti.org at Population Services International with mention “NET REQUEST”.

The Vector Borne Working Group, in consultation with the Malaria Control Program, will then assess all requests and allocate nets accordingly. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate contacting us.

Recommendations for the distribution of Insecticide-treated nets in Long Term (LLINs)

2010-06-04T14:36:00.002-04:00

Introduction:

As part of the response to emergencies and in the fight to prevent malaria and dengue fever, several organizations have in their mandate to intervene in preventing the distribution of mosquito nets. From the Working Group of the Vector Borne disease was designed under the coordination PSI Haiti, the subset distribution of bednets.

To improve the impact of the distributions of mosquito nets and the coordination of public and private stakeholders, policy recommendations were developed taking into account the reality of the camps, priority areas of malaria prevalence and human / material resources .

All these recommendations resulting from the collaboration of key partners distributing mosquito nets under the direction of PSI and in coordination with the "Vector Borne Disease group, the health cluster and MSPP / CNIL.

This document approved by the Ministry of Public Health will be available for distribution and partners are encouraged to implement within their respective mandates and resources.

Targeting (common minimum standard of 4 SPHERE standard)
* = Recommended targeting the entire population

The Anopheles albimanus is responsible for transmitting the parasite that can cause malaria in Haiti begins to bite in the evening around 5-6 pm on that is to say when the majority of beneficiaries are not lying. It's the same for the aedes aegypti, vector of dengue virus, which is fed mainly at dawn and dusk.

Protection against mosquitoes offered by LLINs will therefore truly effective if there is a high coverage over 85% of the population (camp, village, etc. ..) and not only physical protection of individual beneficiaries when sleeping under a mosquito net.

In addition, given the low immunity among the Haitian population (seasonal transmission of malaria, areas of low transmission), any person is at risk of developing severe malaria.

NGOs that have problems in achieving this coverage, will work with other NGOs to maximize their impact.

Distribution Method

For maximum impact given the behavior specific vectors in Haiti (Anopheles mosquitoes, Aedes, Culex) and gaps in KAP (knowledge, attitudes and practices) of the beneficiaries, the following points are recommended. They aim to get the best use, conservation and efficiency of MILD.

The nets should be distributed taking into account their specific medical and not as NFIs (non food items)
In addition to the earthquake-affected areas should emphasize the departments of high transmission of malaria (North, Northwest, Nippes, Grand Anse, and South and South East).
The recommended method of distribution is the door to Hook near the homes of beneficiaries. In case this is not possible, the distribution must be made to a central monitoring follow-up visits at random recipients (with attachment if necessary).
The quota is a MILD / shelter (shelter) in the camps of internally displaced people - For the host population, 2 MILD / home undamaged.
The nets should be distributed to beneficiaries without their packaging business. Depending on the resources of organizations, the nets should be distributed with tools hanging (rope, nails, pin feed, etc..)
For purposes of monitoring and evaluation nets will be marked during the distribution (marking on any surface of the screen and not the package) with an indelible mark. Ex NGOs xxx D / M / A
The awareness of beneficiaries must be continued on malaria, the consistent use of the net and his maintenance during this distribution process (before, during). Wherever possible we recommend awareness 1-2 weeks after delivery.
When distributions, filling the data collection tool (1) taking care to comply with all the information requested.
Distributions after sharing the data collection tool (2) on a regular basis with PSI Haiti to ensure better coordination, avoid duplication and thus ensure effective coverage of 85% of the beneficiary population.

Note

Training a day to strengthen the capacity of staff are available through various partners such IFRC, PSI, the MENTOR Initiative.

Community involvement (see a common standard of SPHERE standard)

Area affected:

The vast majority of camps have a management committee made of residents of the camp or not supervised by an institution. To gain a better acceptance of distribution activities and a lasting impact in terms of net use is recommended:

Meet the committee and the training on the subject of malaria and use of mosquito nets
Encourage committee members to conduct awareness sessions before and during the distribution of mosquito
Have their active participation in the distribution with a good monitoring system
It is advisable to include in this awareness simplified information on dengue fever and filariasis. In terms of gratuity See paragraph 8

Highly endemic area

For people in areas endemic distribution will be made after consultation with the Health Department involved in using health workers, representatives of NGOs and local associations.

IEC messages on malaria and LLINs
The camp population must be sensitized before-during and after distribution.
The education materials will be printed in Creole and (brochures - poster) and audio (radio spot)
Awareness may be door to door (eg door to door outreach for the attachment of LLINs, pilot shelter where clients can see how to hang a mosquito net, workshop discussion / demonstration in the queue, etc..)
Whenever possible, each beneficiary will receive a screen printed educational materials on malaria and use of the net.

The key messages of awareness:

THE CAUSE OF MALARIA (role of the mosquito)
GRAVITY OF THE DISEASE (malarial coma --- dead!)
GROUPS AT RISK: can reach everyone, especially the most vulnerable (person immune deficient, malnourished, pregnant women, child - 5 years, persons traveling to areas of low transmission to high transmission area)
THE MEANS OF PREVENTION

a. Consistent use of LLINs
b. Clean environment (prevent puddling and eliminate any potential container)
ROLE LLINs

a. Physical barrier (to prevent mosquito mesh to pass but are large enough to allow good aeration).
b. Deterrent or repellent (insecticide)

- USE LLIN (latch-wash-care information)

The MILD when hooked to touch the ground or return under the layer
The MILD day and night should remain attached and well-deployed to play its role repellent
Possible side effects may be experienced (hives, itching, digestive disorders). These disorders are transient and we recommend washing hands after handling the net.
Washing with plain soap and water every four months and extend the shade
Keep out of reach of fire (candle-light - stove )

How to get education materials specific to MILD?

PSI / Haiti has IEC materials already approved by the Directorate of Health Promotion and Protection of the Environment is a cell of the Ministry of Public Health and Population. These materials are available in limited quantities partners. The models can be shared for printing after permission of the management of PSI Haiti.

NB No changes may be made to the various models without the written permission of the management of PSI Haiti

Initial assessment (see Standard 2 of common SPHERE standard)

In conjunction with the camp committee, an initial assessment of the camp must be made to have data on:

the number of families involved
number of shelters
access areas
the storage nets in the distribution
health status and hygienic.

A micro-planning should include awareness of the committee, the date of initial awareness of the inhabitants of the camp by the committee, the evaluation of possible pre-positioning / MILD storage on site, the definition of the distribution strategy and followed to the letter of notification to the mayor and the police.

Follow-up (minimum common standard No. 5)

Monitoring the distribution must include awareness of users / Managers, messages on the maintenance and conservation of nets (mosquito nets are hung they always?).

The Recommendation is to empower the committee of such monitoring. In areas of high endemicity the assistance of health workers may be requested.

Rating (common minimum standard SPER No. 6)

An assessment of the distribution must be made by the organization distributes. A key indicator of this assessment is the knowledge of users on the vector and the means to protect themselves against the vector and the change in attitude to sleep on a screen. (See also standard on an anti-SPHERE vector. These data will be compared with epidemiological data to see if the result from the decreased incidence of malaria has been achieved.

Note

The post distribution monitoring tools / training are available (Contact The MENTOR Initiative)

Contribution / Gratuity

To carry out the activities, volunteer work is encouraged. However, given the reality of the camps and the availability of funds to the institution, a system of 'cash for work "can be established. The amount allocated per person will understand between 300 and 500 Gourdes per working day and will be at the discretion of the institution. No meals or transportation costs would be awarded. but the icy water in sufficient quantity for each day of activity will be made available Team Distribution / hooking.

Coordination of actors

PSI / Haiti provides coordination and supervision of distribution activities nets. In this capacity he is asked all organizations that want to distribute, and / or distribute mosquito nets to coordinate their efforts to avoid duplication of activities.

Organizations must submit to PSI following information:

Date, place and population distributions made sites
Date - location-and population distributions provided sites.
Number and type of nets distributed and characteristics of beneficiaries (general population, pregnant women, families with children under 5 years e)
Constraints / Recommendations
Tracking provided

To provide supervision during and / or after distribution to PSI Haiti, in each geographical department, a field coordinator who can with good planning framework for the institution making the distribution.

Also with the updated distributions already made in the PSI may limit its budget achieve mass awareness activities around the site with 2 vehicles with sound.

The information gathered will be updated regularly and communicated to the National Programme for Control of Malaria and clusters.

NB Meet the actual needs (common standard 3)

During a visit to the camp to distribute mosquito nets an assessment of unmet needs (health-food-health etc. ..) must be made and the organization must facilitate decision-committee contact with organizations that can help .

JOTC SITREP 02 June 2010

2010-06-03T18:25:00.002-04:00

HIGHLIGHTS

US Operation ‘Unified Response’ ends
Update on demonstration yesterday in Port-au-Prince
OCHA warns that hurricane threat could reverse humanitarian gains
Internally Displaced Persons Surveillance System (IDPSS) Update

I. GENERAL SITUATION

No tropical storm development is anticipated today, however much of the Caribbean will see some wet weather throughout the day. A ridge of high pressure spinning in the mid-Atlantic will spread moist air over the region, with widespread scattered showers followed by a chance of afternoon storms. The storm-watch issued on 26 May (protectioncivile.gouv.ht/bulletin_jour.htm) continues in effect for all of Haiti, but particularly for the southern part of the country, which the Centre National de Météorologie has identified as at greatest risk for overflowing rivers, mudslides, landslides, subsidence and flooding.

The US military announced the end of major relief operations in Haiti yesterday. Spearheaded by the US Army's 82nd Airborne Division, thousands of American troops were deployed to Haiti as part of Operation Unified Response. The US has been drawing down the number of soldiers in the impoverished Caribbean country steadily in recent months. The US Southern Command in Miami also noted that a 500-strong contingent of National Guard troops would be engaged in humanitarian assistance projects in rural Haiti through September. (Source: The New York Times)

UN Special Envoy returned to Haiti yesterday on a new mission to boost recovery efforts since the devastating earthquake in January. In his first visit since being named co-chair of the Interim Haiti Reconstruction Committee overseeing billions in aid, Clinton proposed credit programmes for small businesses at a meeting of community leaders yesterday in Léogâne, pledging to negotiate with landowners to secure more space for housing. The UN envoy then flew on to Dominican Republic to attend today’s first meeting of the reconstruction panel that he leads with Haiti's prime minister. The committee will oversee the allocation of more than US$5.3 billion in donor pledges over the next eighteen months.

Dozens of people protested on the morning of June 1 to demand the departure of MINUSTAH from the national territory. Students, university professors and civil society leaders marched through the streets of Port-au-Prince to demand the withdrawal of UN troops on the sixth anniversary of their deployment. The leader of the Union of Haitian Educators (UNOH) accused MINUSTAH with a host of abuses, including rape and plunder. Organizers of the action expressed their hope of influencing the UN Security Council in considering renewal of the mission mandate. This action follows in the wake of a recent incident in which peacekeepers entered the premises of the Ethnology Faculty at the Haitian State University in pursuit of an alleged stone-thrower. Despite a promise from the SRSG to investigate the matter, student leaders have so far rejected his official apology. (Source: AlterPresse)

II. SECURITY AND PUBLIC ORDER

Over the last twenty-four hours, the security situation in Haiti has remained largely stable, but the security environment continues to be characterized by persistent criminal activity.

Around the country yesterday, four peaceful demonstrations were conducted. In South Department, about 150 persons again gathered in Les Cayes to show support for the mayor, who had escaped after an arrest warrant was issued against him for attempted murder. In Southeast Department, a demonstration organized in Jacmel by about 100 members of the Mouvement Alternatif pour la Décentralisation et la Reconstruction (MADRE), renewed demands for the departure of the president and remaining senators, as well as calling for decentralization and national reconstruction. Over in Petit-Goâve in the West Department, 20 members of the Mouvement des Jeunes Révolutionnaires de Petit Goâve (MJRPG) organized a peaceful march to protest against the president and to complain of a purported lack of authority in their town, while also accusing the mayor and commissioner of diverting humanitarian aid.

Finally, in Port-au-Prince, 300 persons organized another peaceful march in the Champ-de-Mars area and on Avenue John Brown to protest against the government. Local press sources (as mentioned above) reported that participants also demanded the withdrawal of UN troops. In all these demonstrations, security operations were conducted by HNP, UNPOL, FPU and MINUSTAH military. No incidents were reported.

Today in Artibonite Department, the Mouvement des Jeunes pour Haïti Tout Neuf (MJPATN) organized a peaceful protest march in Gonaïves against the current situation in the country. The demonstration counted approximately fifty people mostly youths. A joint response by HNP UNPOL, FPU and MINUSTAH military provided security for this march without incident.

Yesterday in the West Department, three unidentified suspects threatened a man at gunpoint in Carrefour, robbing him of US$4,000 and documents in front of SOGEBANK branch in Mon Repos. An investigation was opened.

Yesterday, in Port au Prince, an UNPOL mobile patrol was suddenly assaulted by unknown persons who threw stones at a vehicle carrying three UNPOL and one HNP officers, along with their Haitian interpreter. Although the front left side window was smashed in the attack, none of the passengers sustained any injuries. An investigation was opened.

During the last twenty-four hours, UNPOL and HNP have conducted 312 joint patrols and 50 checkpoints throughout the country. A total of eight arrests were reported. MINUSTAH military conducted 991 security operations, involving 5,087 troops, and 18 maritime patrols, sailing 260 nautical miles.

III. HUMANITARIAN OPERATIONS

With the arrival of the hurricane season yesterday, OCHA issued a warning that a new crisis could threaten Haiti even as the humanitarian response to the earthquake still faced daunting challenges. In order to prepare for the menace posed by rains, tropical storms and hurricanes, contingency planning has forged ahead in collaboration with the Haitian Civil Protection Directorate. Humanitarian rapid-response teams will be deployed in response to such an event, while other measures already taken include the pre-positioning of 2-million emergency food rations by WFP and emergency items in ten towns and cities by ICRC. As agencies working in the shelter sector are stockpiling quantities of shelter material, clusters focusing on water and sanitation, logistics, communications and camp management have equally swung into action to prepare for an eventual disaster. The danger posed by hurricanes to the already vulnerable populations left homeless by the quake cannot be underestimated. (Source: OCHA)

To protect Haiti’s youngest from the lifelong scarring effects of hunger, WFP is providing over 550,000 nursing mothers and children under four with foods specially designed to stave off malnutrition. Kids are eating healthy doses of Plumpy’nut, a nutritional supplement that packs 500 calories and over 16 vitamins and minerals into a 92g package of fortified peanut paste. Families also receive rations of corn soya blend, oil and sugar to take home and prepare for the rest of the family. In addition to the inhabitants of Port-au-Prince’s slums, the programme is also targeting families who have left the capital for Haiti’s rural countryside.

In the most recent update of the Internally Displaced Persons Surveillance System (IDPSS), the total number of clinic visits documented through week 20 stood at 207,537, of which 42,795 cases presented reportable conditions listed in the surveillance form. The total number of clinic visits by children under five with reportable illnesses reached 18,901, representing 44.2% of the total. Acute respiratory infections (ARI) remain the most commonly reported illness, with an overall prevalence of 9.4% of total reported clinic visits since February, followed by watery diarrhoea (3.9%), suspected malaria cases (3.7%), fever of unknown origin (2.0%), suspected typhoid (0.7%) and bloody diarrhoea (0.4%).

One additional confirmed fatal diphtheria case emerged during week 18 from Pétion-Ville. IDPSS collects data on diphtheria, but among the 207,537 visits documented, only two have been reported. This endemic disease in Haiti is vaccine-preventable. In addition, 94 confirmed malaria cases have been reported to IDPSS. Overall, the surveillance system has detected little change in recent weeks in the number and percentages of diseases/illnesses reported, with ARI remaining the most commonly reported. Finally, although the number of sites reporting to IDPSS has increased over the past three weeks, a frequent delay of a week or more has been observed. Timely reporting would improve the quality and stability of week-to- week data rather than relying on retrospective adjustments. (Source: IDPSS Google Group)

In the last twenty-four hours, MINUSTAH military have conducted 11 humanitarian assistance missions involving 146 troops. These missions included medical assistance, food and water distributions benefiting about 2,235 families and 1,903 people.

IV. JOTC

Haitian Customs Process

2010-06-03T16:15:00.003-04:00

Bulletin # 4 on rules for Haiti Customs and Immigration

http://www.logcluster.org/ops/hti10a/Bulletin-No4-100317/view

Most cargo to Haiti has to land in Dominican Republic first, so there's Customs & Tax exemption to arrange there also. Different rules for different nations.

Bulletin # 4.1 on rules for Haiti Customs and Immigration ... replaces earlierI do not have all of the bulletins, but by comparing the different editions, you can get a flavor of the complications.

Summary:

Whole story: 219 k, 3 pages1.

Get registration (approval) for entering the country (catch 22)
Demonstrate your financial worthiness to the Haitian government taxing authority (this requirement suspended until April 30 due to quake distraction)
Get tax exemption for humanitarian goods coming in by approved group. This document must be renewed quarterly.
Get customs clearance for the goods that have the exemption.

If your organization was approved to import goods into Haiti BEFORE Jan 12 quake, then you should be processing your cargo thru a customs broker.

Everyone else is subject to the catch 22 that the Gov of Haiti Ministry, in charge of approval, was wiped out by the quake & not yet back in operation. In the past we have advised that you partner with some organization that already has approval, and a track record for getting stuff into the country, and you know how to cope if your cargo is not on the capacity priority list. The UN has also invited people asking their help.

Bulletin # 4.1 adds the alternative of seeking the assistance of the Direction de la Protection Civile (DPC) with registration / clearing their goods.

There are always (at least) two components to importing humanitarian goods:Obtaining a Duty and Tax Exemption AND Customs Clearance, for which you may need to go through different gov offices for each.

The main Customs Office has moved to the Customs Building located near the Seaport of Port-au-Prince Port (APN).

In order to import humanitarian goods into Haiti, the minimum required documents for Customs purposes include the following:

Declaration Form*
Packing List
Bill of Lading/Airway Bill
Freight Certificate
Declaration of Value or Invoice
Gift Certificate (if applicable)
Vehicle Title (if applicable)
Certificate of Origin (if applicable)
Phyto-sanitary Certificate (if applicable)
Relevant ministry certificates (i.e. Ministry of Health certificate for medicines, Ministry of Agriculture certificate for seeds)

These documents must be ORIGINALS, often even stating ‘ORIGINAL’ on the document. They must be computer generated. Handwritten are not acceptable.

I posted to another thread about ADDITIONAL requirements that the UN imposes.For example, if you are sending powdered milk, you have to have clearance from the Nutrition Cluster, because your procedures need to be relevant to the water pollution issues in Haiti. Mix the milk with water in any other nation, and good for the child. Same thing in Haiti, and you kill the child.

Some documents I have downloaded that may be relevant to this discussion ... I could post them elsewhere on this site, such as my thread on Shareable Resources, in Volunteer Database Group (Miscellaneous attachment stuff from Al – the usual, key links, topics before I started thread specific)

This memo from the Ministry for Finance and Economy informs the general public, importers and exporters that Customs (Directorate of Fiscal Inpections) officers will no longer be posted at the Jimani-Malpasse border crossing as of 30 April 2010 to facilitate the transit of humanitarian goods. All organisations are advised that procedures revert to the standard procedures of pre-12 January 2010.

The procedures for importation remain valid.

Info on the Import Regulations document:
----------------------------------------------------------

Following the Haiti earthquake on 12th January, the GoH granted the grace period of three months for importation of humanitarian goods in response to the crisis.This grace period is only applicable to basic humanitarian goods (not to items such as vehicles, generators and other support equipment).

The letter from the Ministry of Economy and Finance, inclusive of an annex listing waived goods, is the above"Import Regulaciones frontera PAP"

There is an on-going effort to try to get GoH to extend the waiver of import fees for humanitarian goods.

Haiti Port Authorities (in French I think)

Every so often the UN Logistics cluster comes out with a package of guidance for people struggling to move relief cargo into and through Haiti, sometimes via Relief Web, often distributed thru the LC mailing list, which can take a while to sign up for ... I had been sharing military & police reports with many people, Ansel asked HOW I get them ... he tried to sign up a week ago, still not getting.

End of March 2010 summary.

As of 28 March, the importation of goods into Haiti now requires the customs declaration form to be generated by computer using software that is used by those brokers registered with the Haitian authorities. Given the situation in Haiti and the increased volumes transiting through the border, the LC is in discussions with the Custom Authorities in Port au Prince perhaps to place a workstation and printer at the border.

Full Situation Report 97 k 4 pages, from which I am highlighting a few items relevant to this thread.

Customs/Importation guidelines:

http://www.logisticscluster.org/ops/hti10a/proceduresfor-importation

DASHBOARD – Overview of Cargo Deliveries ex PAP:

http://www.logcluster.org/ops/hti10a/deliveries-overview/view

LC Bulletin 5:

http://www.logcluster.org/ops/hti10a/Bulletin-No5-100325/view

Updated Facts and Figures:

http://www.logcluster.org/ops/hti10a/facts-and-figures/view

Revised CONOPS is due for publication in the coming week.

http://www.logisticscluster.org/ops/hti10a/haiti-earthquake-response-concept-ofoperations

Transport Dashboard:

http://www.logcluster.org/ops/hti10a/deliveries-overview .

JOTC SITREP 01 June 2010

2010-06-03T10:27:00.003-04:00

HIGHLIGHTS

Heavy rains and thunderstorms herald advent of Atlantic hurricane season
Names of five members of HRIC released to media
Peaceful demonstration in Les Cayes in support of local mayor
World Cup drives demonstrators in Miragoâne to protest electricity cuts
Child wounded during gun battle between rival gangs in Fort National
Peaceful demonstration against the government in downtown Port-au-Prince
UNESCO and education ministry unveil special post-earthquake school syllabus

I. GENERAL SITUATION

Today marks the beginning of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season. While forecasts anticipate this year’s season to be quite active, no tropical storms are expected to develop in the near term. Intermittent showers and thunderstorms in the northwestern Caribbean associated with the remnants of Pacific tropical storm Agatha continue, but the accompanying upper-level winds are not conducive to development into a tropical cyclone. Rather, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has estimated only a very low chance of (10%) of such a development over the next forty-eight hours. This system is projected to remain relatively stationary through tomorrow.

To the north, a broad area of high pressure is developing with dry and sunny conditions around Bermuda, but the flow associated with this system will direct moisture across the northern islands of the Caribbean, sparking showers, periodic heavy downpours and chances of thunderstorms across Hispaniola. The storm-watch issued on 26 May (protectioncivile.gouv.ht/bulletin_jour.htm) therefore remains in effect for all of Haiti, but particularly for the southern part of the country where the Centre National de Météorologie has identified the greatest risk of overflowing rivers, mudslides, landslides, subsidence and flooding.

Just forty-eight hours before the first meeting of the Interim Commission for the Reconstruction of Haiti (HRIC), various media outlets have published the names of five of the members. Besides the Haitian Prime Minister and the UN Special Envoy who serve as co-chairs, the names of five sectorial representatives have emerged: 1) Réginald Boulos, President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Haiti, representing the private sector; 2) the leader of the Haitian Workers Central (CTH), Jean-Claude Lebrun, selected by union members; 3) the Rector of the University Quisqueya, Lucien Jean Bernard, representing the Senate, also sitting on HRIC board of directors; 4) Lucien Francœur, former secretary-general of the lower house of parliament, selected by that body before its session expired; and 5) Joseph Billy Louis, elected by the National Association of Magistrates. Names of the remaining members have not yet been released to the public.

II. SECURITY AND PUBLIC ORDER

Over the last twenty-four hours, the security situation in Haiti has largely remained stable, but the general security environment continues to be characterized by persistent criminal activity.

On 30 May at 2100 hours in the Carrefour area of Port-au-Prince, the local population lynched a man who had attacked and injured two men with a knife. The victims were taken to hospital and the body of the assailant to the morgue.

On 31 May at 1010 hours in Les Cayes, a demonstration was organized with about 100 people in support for the mayor of the municipality. The mayor escaped after an arrest warrant was issued against him for attempted murder. No incident was reported.

Also today, a demonstration began at 1015 hours in Miragoâne, where about 150 people demanded that the Haitian electricity utility (EDH) provide sufficient power to enable them to follow World Cup matches in real time. No incident was reported.

Meanwhile at 1430 hours in Port-de-Paix, a demonstration was organized by the students of Tertulien Gelbaud High School to protest the replacement of the former school co-ordinator. After blocking access inside the perimeter, the demonstrators ended their action at 1530 hours without incident.

Last night at 2030 hours in Hinche, a traffic accident occurred involving a UN vehicle and a privately owned motorcycle. The motorcycle struck the UN vehicle, injuring the two motorcycle passengers, who were then transported to the Nepalese Hospital. The UN vehicle was slightly damaged. An investigation was opened.

Today at 0936 hours in the Fort National area of Port-au-Prince, an identified local man called MINUSTAH to report gunshots in the streets between two rival gangs. Residents fled the violence, but calm was restored when MINUSTAH military arrived on the scene. An eight-year-old girl who had been struck with a bullet in the right leg was transported to hospital. The victim’s family filed a complaint with the HNP. Gunshots were subsequently heard in the area of Fort Touron at 1100 hours, but no further details have yet become available.

Today at 1000 hours in Jacmel, a peaceful demonstration was organized against the government by the Alternative Movement for Decentralization and Reconstruction (MADRE) with approximately 100 protestors. The demonstration ended at 1200 hours without incident.

At 1000 hours in Les Cayes today, another demonstration was organized to support the mayor with about 100 people in attendance. This action ended at 1150 hours, also without incident.

Today at 1055 hours in the Champ-de-Mars area, a demonstration of between 200 and 300 people to protest against the government started marching Pave Street and on John Brown Avenue at 1110 hours. By 1140 hours, the demonstrators had moved in front of the UNIBANK on John Brown, then at 1210 hours reached Villa Privée. The action ended at 1227 hours without incident.

During the last twenty-four hours, UNPOL and HNP have conducted 336 joint patrols and 53 checkpoints throughout the country. A total of nine arrests were reported. MINUSTAH military conducted 988 security operations, involving 5,056 troops, and eight maritime patrols, sailing 187.4 nautical miles.

III. HUMANITARIAN OPERATIONS

UNESCO and the Haitian education ministry have launched a new website to make the special syllabus for the schools in Haiti available to sector professionals (www.haitiprogrammescolaire.org). This special syllabus was jointly developed by UNESCO and the ministry to take into account the trauma and disruption experienced by both children and teachers. Under the new syllabus, educational programmes will resume in stages, starting with psychosocial activities involving song, dance and other forms of creative expression to help children cope with the extreme stress they have experienced as a result of the earthquake. Children will also learn about earthquakes as natural phenomena.

Regular lessons will resume a few weeks later in an accelerated format allowing pupils to complete the school year normally ending in August in just eighteen weeks. Other materials available on this new web platform include information on the next exams, reference documents for the Strategic Plan on Education for All and the National Training Plan of Education. This initiative falls within the framework of the emergency response by the education sector in the aftermath of the earthquake.

In the last twenty-four hours, MINUSTAH military have conducted 13 humanitarian assistance missions involving 107 troops. These missions included medical assistance, food and water distributions benefiting about 9,673 people.

IV. JOTC

The Joint Operations and Tasking Centre (JOTC) continued to respond to requests for assistance from humanitarian partners, the Government and the Project Management Coordination Cell (PMCC). To date, 796 requests for support have been received and 505 completed. Most of the requests pertain to the provision of security and engineering support.

JOTC SITREP 31 May 2010

2010-06-03T10:19:00.002-04:00

HIGHLIGHTS

Representatives from 54 countries and 35 international organizations to be at summit
Private sector leader opposed to overthrow of Préval
MINUSTAH staff and property victims of vandalism
Gang-related armed robbery and rapes in Pétion-Ville.
Three kidnapping victims recovered
Newborn child rescued from a septic tank
MINUSTAH military patrol pelted with stones
Humanitarian response faces accountability challenges in camp committees

I. GENERAL SITUATION

With the official start of the six-month Atlantic hurricane season tomorrow, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has issued an outlook projecting a 70% probability of 23 storms of at least tropical storm strength. Forecasts point toward eight to fourteen hurricanes with top winds of 74 mph or higher, of which three to seven might be major hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5) with winds of at least 111 mph. While no tropical development is expected today, scattered showers and thunderstorms are expected across the Caribbean Sea, with the heaviest likely to be over Hispaniola. The storm-watch remains in effect for all of Haiti, but particularly across the south where the departments South, Nippes and Southeast continue to be identified by the Centre National de Météorologie as at greatest risk of overflowing rivers, mudslides, landslides, subsidence and flooding. (http://protectioncivile.gouv.ht/)

Delegations from 54 countries and representatives from 35 international organizations have confirmed their participation in the summit ‘Haiti: Solidarity beyond the crisis’ to be held on 2 June in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. The Dominican and Haitian presidents will co-chair the meeting. The meeting will be also be attended by the Haitian prime minister and UN Special Envoy, who co-chair the Interim Commission for the Reconstruction of Haiti. The Dominican Republic hosted a similar meeting prior to the conference of donors in New York on 31 March.

The President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Haiti (CHIC) announced his disagreement with the mobilization by various sectors of the opposition to overthrow the Préval government. Emphasizing instead the need to avoid formation of a transitional government that might aggravate current problems, he noted that previous transitional arrangements during the past 25 years only succeeded in creating a climate of instability. The CHIC leader urges politicians to focus on the preparation of credible elections and to engage in constructive dialogue for which the president should take the initiative (Source: www.metropolehaiti.com)

II. SECURITY AND PUBLIC ORDER

Over the last 48 hours, the security situation in Haiti has largely remained stable, but the general security environment continues to be characterized by persistent criminal activity. During the weekend, several crimes involving rape and kidnapping were reported. In addition, MINUSTAH staff and property were increasingly the targets of criminal activity.

On 29 May in Grande Anse, a UN vehicle was vandalized by unidentified suspects. The rear back right window was broken and the wheel key stolen. The same day in Port-au-Prince, unidentified thieves stole a personal bag from a Japanese military officer on Boulevard 15 Octobre, near Camp Charlie. The suspect fled the scene after the incident.

Also on 29 May at about 0100 hours in Pétion-Ville, five suspected gang members broke into the house of a local man living with his niece and a housekeeper. The perpetrators stole several valuables, then physically mistreated and raped the two women. On the same day in Pétion-Ville, a 16-year-old male was arrested for raping a 14 year-old girl. Likewise, in Delmas 2, a 25 year-old male was also arrested for rape.

In Port-de-Paix that day the population of Peralte joined the PNH in ransacking two houses belonging to alleged kidnapping suspects. In each house the search uncovered a child who had been kidnapped. No suspects were arrested, but two homemade firearms were seized by the PNH. Also on 29 May, in Gonaïves a woman who had been kidnapped by two unidentified suspects on a motorcycle in the Savane Désolée area was released by her captors. She was transported to hospital for medical treatment. No arrest was made.

On 29 May, in Croix-de-Bouquets, a local fire-fighting team intervened and extracted a newborn baby boy from a septic tank. The infant was taken to hospital.

In the last 48 hours, two demonstrations were reported. The first, in Jérémie, drew about 5,000 people who peacefully marched to honour the decision of the authorities to liberate the Regional PNH Inspector after 37 days of detention, who had been arrested after physically assaulting a service station worker. The second demonstration occurred in Fort National, where approximately 200 people, mostly women, demonstrated against the continued violence against women. Participants wanted to raise awareness of sexual and domestic violence.

On 30 May in the Cité Soleil area, a MINUSTAH military patrol was pelted with stones. The patrol commander observed established procedures in the rules of engagement, ordering the firing of a non-lethal shot into the air. The aggressors then fled the area, with no physical or material damage reported.

Also on 30 May, the SRSG visited Malpasse. MINUSTAH military elements and UNPOL assisted HNP in monitoring the event. No incident was reported.

During the weekend, UNPOL and HNP conducted 598 joint patrols and 99 checkpoints throughout the country. A total of 49 arrests were reported, including two escaped prisoners in Port-au-Prince. MINUSTAH military conducted 2,030 security operations involving 9,744 troops and 10 maritime patrols, sailing 140 nautical miles.

III. HUMANITARIAN OPERATIONS

After two months of working with agencies in Haiti, the Humanitarian Accountability Partnership - International (HAP) team in Haiti has found that the structure and functioning of camp committees are a major accountability challenge for the humanitarian response. Rather than serving as effective accountability mechanisms for camp management agencies in terms of participation, handling complaints and disseminating information, in some cases these governance structures have become a vehicle for subjecting earthquake victims to opaque and corrupt practices.

While the humanitarian community allocates significant decision-making power to these committees, the HAP team found a lack of knowledge about them among camp populations. Committee structures were also found not to reflect community governance structures. Worse, committees have been using their decision-making power for personal gain. Working with a member agency with camp-management responsibilities, the HAP team has been collaborating closely with international and national NGOs over the past two months to conduct training workshops in accountability, provide consultative support and conduct the first of a series of planned camp assessments,. NGO workers have consistently reported the camp committee structures as one of the major challenges to accountability.

While some committees are undoubtedly functioning well and enabling effective participation and representation, others suffer variously from a lack of representation, corruption or manipulation for political or personal purposes. In coming months, the HAP team will advocate for a wider adoption of exercises to assess the representation of committees through examination of such aspects committee makeup, election processes, relations between committees and pre-existing governance structures, committee impartiality and responsiveness to disadvantaged groups. (Source:www.hapinternational.org)

In the last 48 hours, MINUSTAH military have conducted 14 humanitarian assistance missions involving 153 troops. These missions included medical assistance, food and water distributions benefiting about 39,825 people, 207 prisoners and three orphanages.

IV. JOTC

The Joint Operations and Tasking Centre (JOTC) continued to respond to requests for assistance from humanitarian partners, the Government and the Project Management Coordination Cell (PMCC). To date,788 requests for support have been received and 505 completed. Most of the requests pertain to the provision of security and engineering support.

JOTC SITREP 27 May 2010

2010-06-02T17:10:00.002-04:00

HIGHLIGHTS

Flood watch for the south
Education students urge Haitians to expel peacekeepers
UN bus attacked, five national staff injured
Threats against IOM staff in IDP camp
Venezuela forgives Haiti’s oil debt

I. GENERAL SITUATION

On the eve of the beginning of hurricane season next week, heavy rains accompanied by winds and flooding have marked the end of May across Haiti. In response, the Centre National de Météorologie announced a 72-hour flood-watch alert for the south of the country, covering the departments of South, Southeast, Nippes and Grand’Anse in the face of deteriorating weather conditions associated with a low pressure system in the Caribbean that is producing heavy showers and thunderstorms over the Greater and Lesser Antilles. Torrential rains bring increased risk of floods, landslides and building collapse in the region. With the departments of North and Nippes, as well as Léogâne and Gressier in West, already affected by flooding, the Civil Protection Directorate has activated the national risk and disaster management plan to urge the evacuation of areas most at risk as rivers in spate overflow their banks. Concerns are especially high for many of those displaced after the earthquakes, who have often occupied low-lying land.

Students from the Faculty of Ethnology met with MINUSTAH officials after the incident on 24 May and reiterated their determination to continue demonstrations calling for the departure of the peacekeepers. They also demanded the return of laptops and other items confiscated by UN soldiers, asserting that the provocation had come from the Brazilian peacekeepers. These students have called upon their comrades in other faculties of the UEH to join in the movement and stated their intention to bring the case before international courts. Several social and political organizations, including the Alternative and UNNOH, have expressed their solidarity with the students. Alternative officials described the actions of the peacekeepers as unacceptable behaviour and demanded compensation for the victims. The leader of the National Union of Haitian Education Students (UNNOH) took the further step of urging all Haitians to fight against the presence of foreign troops. An event to mobilize this effort has been planned for 1 June, marking the sixth anniversary of the arrival of the peacekeepers. (www.metropolehaiti.com/metropole/full_poli_fr.php?id=17769)

In recent weeks the finance ministry officials have struggled to finalize two bills that will create and put into circulation new banknotes and metal coins. Earlier this month, the finance minister joined the governor of the Central Bank in a working session with members of the Finance Committee of the lower chamber at which recommendations emerged to replace ten-gourde notes with coins, offering the state significant savings in printing money through the issuance of coins that circulate for more than twenty years. If Haitian legislators vote the two bills into law, new 25, 50, 250, 500, and---for the first time---2,000-gourde banknotes will enter into circulation, facilitating transactions for major retailers. To counter concerns about the time needed for the public to become familiar with these new banknotes, the Central Bank is planning a publicity campaign to be conducted before their introduction. (Source: www.metropolehaiti.com)

II. SECURITY AND PUBLIC ORDER

The overall security situation in Haiti has become volatile, but joint operations, deterrence and operational presence have so far proved successful. In addition, the security environment continues to be marked by a low, but constant, level of criminal activity.

On 27 May at 0714 hours on Route 15 Octobre near the Indian FPU in Tabarre (PAP), a UN bus transporting staff members to work was attacked by an apparently mentally disturbed person who threw stones at the bus, breaking the windows. Five UN national staff members were injured during the attack, two seriously. The injured staff members were transported to the Argentine Hospital, while UN security responded to the scene to conduct an investigation. Also today, unidentified suspects burglarized the house of the driver of the SRSG, fleeing the scene after the incident.

Yesterday, SRSG Mulet, DSRSG Kennedy visited Croix des Bouquets area for an evaluation of the situation four months after the earthquake. HNP supported by MINUSTAH Police provided security during the event. No incident was reported.

Also on 26 May, the local population in the North Department attacked and looted a private truck loaded with sugar in the Carrefour Samari area. A Nepalese FPU patrol responded to the scene and used tear gas to disperse the crowd without further incident. In the same department, a group from the local population threw stones and bottles at an escorted WFP humanitarian aid convoy near the Bonet Dugal warehouse. No further incidents were reported. In Gonaïves an identified man fatally shot another 30-year-old man in the head. The suspect then fled the scene. The same day, also in Gonaïves, a joint HNP-UDMO (departmental public order unit) patrol stopped a black Cherokee vehicle driven by an HNP officer. One of the four passengers, a 40-year-old male, had his hands tied and his mouth covered. The driver explained that he had arrested the detainee but could not produce the arrest warrant. All four passengers were transported to the police station for further investigation. In Jacmel yesterday a traffic accident took place involving a WFP truck. The vehicle rolled back and slightly injured a 24-year-old pedestrian who was taken to hospital. An investigation was opened.

According to the last UNPOL report on developments in IDP camps, three identified individuals have made death threats against IOM staff during the distribution of humanitarian aid cards in the Ressource-Carrefour Vert Camp in Léogâne. The suspects also threatened to set fire to the camp at night but fled the scene soon after. MINUSTAH Police and HNP officers responded to the scene and monitored the situation.

In the last 24 hours, UNPOL and HNP conducted 287 joint patrols and 32 checkpoints throughout the country. A total of 21 arrests were reported, including two escaped prisoners arrested in Delmas 33 and one in Miragoâne. MINUSTAH military conducted 1,025 security operations, involving 5,366 troops and 18 maritime patrols, sailing 206.6 nautical miles.

III. HUMANITARIAN OPERATIONS

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez announced Monday that he would write off an undisclosed sum that Haiti owes Venezuela for oil supplies, as part of the ALBA (Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas) plan to help Haiti. He also announced that ALBA has decided on a comprehensive plan with at least $100 million in funding, along with an immediate donation of $20 million to Haiti’s health sector. ALBA members Cuba, Bolivia, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Dominica, Antigua, Barbuda and St Vincent and the Grenadines would also provide assistance in the form of ‘mobile service stations’ for fuel distribution to be operational within a few weeks. The ALBA plan includes support for such sectors as agriculture, food imports and marketing, as well as immigration amnesty for Haitians living illegally in the member states. (Source: laht.com/article.asp?CategoryId=10717&ArticleId=351054)

World Concern is working in the Delmas neighbourhood of Port-au-Prince, organizing massive work parties to clear rubble and repair homes. The programme now employs 2,000 people in this effort. Over the past two months, the NGO has repaired or built more than 300 homes and provided grants to dozens of small business owners to restart their livelihoods. A shipment of 500 ‘home-in-a-box’ kits has arrived in Port-au-Prince. About $1,200 is needed to rebuild a family's life, including a new home, an assessment of basic family needs and to provide assistance to re-establish a livelihood. Neighbourhood committees determine priorities in the allocation of new homes or home repairs. World Concern guides the process, providing oversight, supplies and expertise. The focus remains on those most vulnerable, including families affected by HIV and AIDS. (Source:www.reliefweb.int)

In the last 24 hours, MINUSTAH military has conducted five humanitarian assistance missions involving 16 troops. These missions included medical assistance, food and water distributions benefiting 1,030 people and 250 families.

IV. JOTC

The Joint Operations and Tasking Centre (JOTC) continued to respond to requests for assistance from humanitarian partners, the Government and the Project Management Coordination Cell (PMCC). To date, 772 requests for support have been received and 482 completed. Most of the requests pertain to the provision of security and engineering support.

Crowd Sourcing - Incident Reporting in Haiti

2010-06-02T17:05:00.002-04:00

Any witness can report, via a variety of techniques, to a map-based data base of related pattern of problems, then other people can add additional information to any reported incident, such as follow-up details, closure, links to news stories. Haiti SOS

http://haiti.ushahidi.com/

The #s indicate #s of incidents, at the location shown, where people needed help.Notice the categories of types of help needed, relevant to Haiti disaster. Reports

http://haiti.ushahidi.com/reports

are sorted to show most recent SOS on top.There's RSS news reader so people can get details and links about new incidents, as they are reported.When you look at ONE Incident, it is shown on the map as a red dot.Nearby there are orange dots locating other incidents.You can mouse over, click on, get full details on those other incidents.

Mitigation Activities in Most Vulnerable Camps

2010-06-02T16:46:00.003-04:00

Due to the heavy rains predicted over the next few months, a number of camps are at risk of flooding and landslides. The Mitigation Task Force is continuously assessing mitigation works needed in the 150 vulnerable sites through an environmental engineering team. The team consists of members from IOM, UNOPS and Shelter Cluster.

CCCM, Early Recover, WASH and Shelter clusters will be contacting agencies bi-weekly to coordinate mitigation activities. These activities will likely include: cutting internal drainage, improving external drainage, securing hazardous areas (fencing), and possibly sandbagging. The camps needing minor or moderate mitigation works include:

Hazard Assessment Spreadsheet - 28.05.10

We would appreciate if your agency can contribute in improving the conditions of these camps before the heavy rains. A detail list of the camps and organizations who have already offered to support camps is attached for your further information. If you are already working in these areas or these camps, it might be easier for you to respond to mitigation needs. Please contact me if you are able to support these sites, and a site engineering report can be forwarded to you with a Google Earth map.

A presentation of the most vulnerable sites will be made at an Inter Cluster Mitigation Task Force meeting on Tuesday, 2nd June at 4.00 PM at OCHA meeting room in the UN Log Base. We would appreciate your participation at this meeting if you are able to support some of the ongoing camp mitigation work.

We urge you to support the mitigation work required to ensure the safety of the camp residents before the onset of heavy rains. We look forward to your valuable support..

What Is The Haitian Plan For Development?

2010-05-26T14:38:00.001-04:00

There are plenty of development models that are out there. You can look to the African nations and the Asians nations as examples for development. Businesses need a stable environment to grow and make a profit > People need to benefit from business activity (i.e. good education, healthcare, and a decent way of living...) > Governments need taxes to pay for services and creating a stable environment for businesses to thrive. Countries with great economies have a balance. What can Haiti do to create a good environment for development?

The problem with Haiti is not the international community but Haitians. Haiti does not have the resources to manage its own affairs. There has been a brain flight from the country since the 60s. The country needs the international community to help build its institutions. I don't see that as a loss of sovereignty, it's the reality of Haiti.

Haiti has been mismanaged since independence because you have different clicks of Haitians looking out for their own interest with some collusion with international actors. Haitians must change their ways before Haiti will ever change. You can not blame everything on the international community. If Haitians were thinking of the country after the earthquake they would have done the following immediately:

1) Decentralization - appoint interim governors for each departments. Have direct elections for the post at the end of the year. This post would help with the flow of aid to the people. This post would also help coordinate aid efforts to the cities and the country side, and also help with resettlement of migrants. Coordinate a strategy for aid, needs, for the cities and the provinces. Also help put together a development model for the department.

2) Amend the constitution - to include dual citizenship. This is to reverse the brain drain. Also include land reform to help with business activity. Businesses should be able to buy/sell assets in an easy way like some of the thriving economies in the region. Remove articles that make the government inefficient. Law makers make laws with some oversight powers. The Executive branch run the government, they should have the power to hire and fire members of their cabinets. The Judiciary is the referee. If you don’t agree with something sue, and let the judiciary decide. The judiciary should be independent with its own budget.

3) Encourage private investment by enacting laws that streamline business processes, taxes, starting and closing a business, financing, etc... Work on improving your business ranking on:

http://www.doingbusiness.org/exploreeconomies/?economyid=85

Try to be the best in the region and in the world. There has been some improvement in this area. Currently Haiti ranks 151 out of 180 countries but much work needs to be done.

4) Enacted a new budgetary framework that does not rely on aid for support. Reduce the size of the government. Haiti should live on what it makes. There is no need to have 3 senators for each department. Take it down to 18 senators and maybe 50 deputies. Give the legislators a stipend for transportation. It does not make sense for law makers to be running around PaP in Jeeps. Give them a monthly stipend and have them take care of their own transportation need. The people in the government must have a stake in Haiti’s survival. They must live and understand the life of ordinary Haitians. You are in the government to serve the people. This is not a path to financial freedom. Districs for deputies should be drawn based on population size. We should have 2-3 senators elected from the Diaspora. We should also have the Diaspora represented on the Supreme Court. This would allow for more knowledge transfer.

I have more ideas that the Haitian government can start doing immediately, if they were willing. They don’t need $ billions to do these things or international help/resources; these are things they can do themselves. When the international community sees Haitians dragging their feet on these things it frustrates them and makes them wonder if they are serious. Patience is running thin.

These are not neo liberal ideas or ideas that will take away Haitian sovereignty, or international interference, or some conspiracy to keep Haitians enslaved. These are common sense, structural changes that’s needed to be competive and make the country better. There are a lot of countries that had to make these hard and difficult changes. You can see the results; a lot of them now have thriving economies.

JOTC SITREP 24 May 2010

2010-05-26T10:49:00.003-04:00

HIGHLIGHTS

German minister hands over house keys in Léogâne
Two joint sweep operations conducted in Cite Soleil and PaP
New camp management operation with 12 teams created to liaise with local authorities and community leaders

I. GENERAL SITUATION

Active weather will persist throughout the Caribbean today as the official start of the tropical storm season rapidly approaches. With a low pressure system located to the north of Hispaniola, scattered showers and thunderstorms are expected across the region. Although the Centre National de Météorologie has lifted its ‘orange’ alert, it has advised inhabitants of areas at risk of subsidence, landslides and flooding to remain vigilant. The CNM follows the same ascending colour scale employed by the US National Hurricane Center in Miami to indicate potential for formation of a tropical cyclone: yellow (<30%),>50).

The German cooperation minister attended the inauguration of a project to build houses in the town of Léogâne yesterday as part of an official visit to Haiti. In the Gerin area of this southern city with hundreds of homeless, keys to 51 wooden houses were handed over in the first phase of a programme planning to provide 1,000 such abodes at a cost of €5 million. As one of the cities most seriously affected by the January earthquake, Léogâne will be a focus funding for the German government, which has also launched a cash-for-work in neighbouring Anacaona. (Source:http://www.metropolehaiti.com/)

II. SECURITY AND PUBLIC ORDER

The overall security situation in Haiti remains stable, however anti-governmental demonstrations by the political opposition continue. A recent rekindling of criminal violence has also provoked renewed concerns.

On 22 May, at 0825 hours, Saint-Marc locality, a 38-year-old male was arrested for raping an 11-year-old girl. The victim was taken to the hospital and the suspect was detained by the HNP.

The same day at 0830 hours in Cité Soleil, unidentified armed assailants fired gunshots and then fled the scene. A 14-year-old male was struck in the chest by a bullet and transported to hospital. An investigation was opened.

Also on 22 May, at 1430 hours in Arcahaie a 45-year-old local man was arrested for the rape a 10-year-old girl. The suspect was detained by the HNP.

Finally, at 1524 hours on 22 May in Croix des Bouquets, an escaped prisoner was arrested and detained by the HNP.

On 23 May, in Fort Liberté, a demonstration was organized by about 50 persons in the Franche area to protest against the holding of elections for the syndicate of Ouanaminthe on the site of their school. No incidents were reported.

Also on 23 May at 1530 hours in Cité Soleil, a joint sweep operation was conducted by UNPOL, MINUSTAH Military and HNP, without incident.

The same day at 1900 hours in Port-au-Prince, a joint sweep operation conducted by UNPOL, MINUSTAH Military and HNP resulted in the arrest and detention of 14 suspects by HNP.

Finally, on 23 May 23 at 2100 hours on Barbancourt Street in Port-au-Prince, a corporal in the Nigerian FPU was threatened by unidentified gunmen who stole his valuables. One suspect was arrested and the mobile phone of the victim has been recovered. An investigation was opened.

Today at 0800 hours in Pétion-Ville Club IDP Camp, a peaceful demonstration was organized to ask for jobs. The demonstration finished without incident.

In the last 24 hours, UNPOL and HNP conducted 301 joint patrols and 52 checkpoints throughout the country. A total of 34 arrests and another one escape arrest were reported. MINUSTAH military conducted 755 security operations involving 4,265 troops and 4 maritime patrols, sailing 167.4 nautical miles.

III. HUMANITARIAN OPERATIONS

As the cluster lead for Camp Coordination and Camp Management, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) announced the creation of a new camp-management operation comprised of 12 teams to plan and liaise with local authorities and community leaders to improve the flow of information between affected populations and humanitarian actors. With a mandate to establish ties with the mayors of the seven municipalities in the greater Port-au-Prince area, officials from the Directorate of Civil Protection (DPC) and civil society leaders, the teams will develop a clearer understanding of the specific needs and priorities of each municipality for communication throughout the humanitarian system. (Source: Relief Web)

In response to two diphtheria cases during the past week, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and USAID have been working in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO), which includes the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO), UNICEF and the Haitian Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP) to develop a response protocol and communication strategy for diphtheria and other infectious diseases, such as rabies. During the past five years, Haiti has experienced between 10 and 260 annual reported diphtheria cases. (Source: Relief Web)

In the last 24 hours, MINUSTAH military has conducted four humanitarian assistance missions involving 31 troops. These missions included food and water distributions benefiting over 3,530 people.

IV. JOTC

The Joint Operations and Tasking Centre (JOTC) continued to respond to requests for assistance from humanitarian partners, the Government and the Project Management Coordination Cell (PMCC). To date, 754 requests for support have been received and 473 completed. Most of the requests pertain to the provision of security and engineering support.

Pre-Post Statistics About Haiti

2010-05-25T10:20:00.004-04:00

Some interesting statistics about Haiti before and after the Jan. 12th earthquake.

OCHA, which is the UN agency over all Humanitarian Aid, just came out with their periodic update on what's going on in Haiti. You can access it here:

http://reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/VVOS-85RPLG?OpenDocument&rc=2

· 9 to 10 million = Haiti Population in Haiti before Jan 12 quake.

· 8.5 to 9.5 million = Haiti Population in Haiti after the earthquake main deaths

· 3 million = Haitians in Port au Prince (capital) before Jan 12 quake

· 3-5 million Haitians Diaspora in other nations, such as USA, Canada, other Americas, France, rest of Europe.

· 2 million Haitians Diaspora in USA, 60% born in USA (US citizens under 14thamendment to constitution).

· 80% of college educated Haitians live outside of Haiti.

· 2-4 million Haitians affected one way or another by the quake, in person (not counting Diaspora etc. who seek to provide aid).

· 200-300 thousand Haitians dead in instant of quake, with buildings falling down, etc.

· 200-300 thousand additional Haitians died soon after the quake, due to inadequate international aid effort … did not get to buried (but still alive) people fast enough, did not get them adequate medical attention, did not respond to SOS like Ushahidi, or they were not able to contact Ushahidi, were very slow getting to places devastated worse than Port au Prince

· 300 thousand Haitians injured in quake (but rescued)

· 1-3 million Haitians displaced by quake

· 1-2.5 million Haitians into over 1,300 spontaneous refugee camps (these #s widely change rapidly)

o 206 camps have camp management agencies, as of May-3, which represents 37% of the population being tracked in the camps, or 62% of large sites of 1,000 families or more.

o 90,000 families, in the 70 largest sites, have now been registered (registration for purposes of relief aid … I don’t think elections yet)

o 1,500 unaccompanied children (separated from their families) have been registered. 175 of them were reunited with their families.

· 500-750 thousand Haitians left Port au Prince to rural Haiti

· 200 thousand Haitians crossed border into Dominican Republic

· 20-30 thousand Haitians evicted from emergency housing, without notice, often middle of night.

· 19-20 prisoners killed, 40 wounded, when crisis at Haiti jail, immediately after quake, in the town of Les Cayes, outside the main quake zone. This is independently of the mass breakout of prison in Port au Prince.

· 100 thousand homes destroyed

· 200 thousand homes damaged

· 67 thousand homes so far assessed by qualified engineers (UN & Goh)

o 42% green; 31% yellow; 27% red

o 50% green houses are now occupied

o Green means safe to go back to (based on prior disasters, not relative to future risks)

o Yellow means they need some repair first

o Red means not safe, not repairable, need to be demolished

· UN & NGOs have done a good job of delivering tents & tarps to the camps. This protects against sun, but poor job rainy season, hurricane season, rape epidemic, surprise evictions. They got done with this AFTER rainy season started.

· Approx 469 Transitional Shelters have now been built, which can accommodate 2,345 people. “Why not a better job?” is an exercise in mass finger pointing. These shelters do much better job with protection from rain. Some, by no means all, provide decent rape protection. All claims are “trust us” variety, no standards cited like we find here:

o http://www.unesco-ipred.org/gtfbc/

· 85% of schools (4,578) in affected areas have been destroyed or damaged

o 75% of Leogane primary schools have reopened

o 100% of Petit/Grand Goave primary schools have reopened

o 90-100% of secondary schools have re-opened, in the communities reporting such data

o Most Haiti schools are private, affordable only to families with jobs or otherwise lots of money, which now is under 10% of the total population, so enrolment is 50% below pre-quake figures.

o Efforts, to provide free education to homeless children in the camps, are being resisted by the powers that be, since this is perceived as counter-productive to the private schools economy.

· 57% of FTS flash appeal (of Feb 2010) now funded … another flash appeal is imminent (June 7).

· 20-30% money pledged by Donor nations thru UN actually gets delivered by those nations

· 80-90% money pledged by ordinary people to NGOs actually gets delivered by those people

· 70% camp dwellers have access to showers, as of 4 months after the quake, but the showers are not safe from rapists waiting in ambush for women.

· 80% below poverty line before the quake

· 90% unemployment in Haiti

· One toilet for every 190 people, on average, as of end of April. Just think about that next time you need to use one … how many minutes of day do you need, and how long can you hold it? My math = in 24 hour period, each person has 7 minutes for their business. This is the AVERAGE ... in some camps the figure is one toilet for like 500 people.

Some amazing facts.
Due to funds running out: most Haiti hospitals closed in May; Water delivery by truck to camps ended in April. There were only 12 mental health doctors for all of Haiti, then some had to go out of business when ran out of funds.

· Number people, per arable land area, Haiti more dense than India.

· Haiti is more mountainous than Switzerland.

· In 1923, over 60% of Haiti's land was forested; by 2006, less than 2% was.

· Two fault lines thru that island, aftershocks expected for YEARS near where Jan 12 quake occurred, and other places on THAT fault line, then a LARGER intensity quake on the northern fault line, probably in NE Dominican Republic.

JOTC SITREP 22 May 2010

2010-05-24T16:11:00.003-04:00

HIGHLIGHTS

In gang fights over territory in Cité Soleil, one child killed, five wounded
Anti-government demonstrations continue
Two WFP trucks attacked in Cap Haitïen
MSF: time passes, medical needs persist

I. GENERAL SITUATION

Associated Press reports today indicated that Haitian officials are warning of heavy rains that could trigger floods and landslides. Disaster prevention officials issued an ‘orange’ alert beginning Friday to last for five consecutive days, in response to a weather system now forming near the neighbouring island of Cuba. Such an alert represents the second-highest warning. Areas most at risk include Port-au-Prince, Jacmel, Léogâne and others already ravaged by the January earthquake.

MINUSTAH met with various partners today to formulate a strategy to respond to the potential threat. Although the surface trough covering an area from the Bahamas to Hispaniola is expected to dissipate over the next twenty-four hours, the persistent meteorological low could produce gale force winds.

While the security environment continues to be characterized by a generally low level of criminal activity, occasional spikes have occurred recently. Cité Soleil currently offers a stage to gangs fighting over territory. Reports suggest that this violence may simply represent a resurgence of an existing rivalry, the security situation has been rapidly deteriorating over the last three days. Shootings between ‘Ti Ayiti’ and ‘New-York’ gang members have been reported now for three consecutive days. This morning, five members of Ti Ayiti were reportedly transported to the Sainte-Cathérine Hospital in Cité Soleil after being injured by bullets. The official representative of the hospital only confirmed that a certain number of people bearing bullet wounds had been admitted, revealing no further details. A 12-year-old boy also fell victim to this rivalry, killed by a stray bullet during an exchange of gunfire. MINUSTAH Military, Police and FPUs are monitoring the situation in the area. Experience would suggest a renewal of gang violence after MINUSTAH forces withdraw.

II. SECURITY AND PUBLIC ORDER

The overall security situation in Haiti remains stable, however anti-governmental demonstrations by the political opposition continue. A recent rekindling of criminal violence has also provoked renewed concerns.

In the last 24 hours, three demonstrations were reported, all of which remained were peaceful. In the first, 400 members of the movement ‘Pour Sauver le Bas-Artibonite’ (MOSOBA) organized a peaceful march in Gonaïves to protest against the extension of the presidential mandate and criticize alleged governmental mismanagement. Meanwhile in the Carrefour district of Port-au-Prince, 100 people took the streets to demand the departure of the president and the restitution of his predecessor. At a third event in the Pétion-Ville suburb of the capital, 300 people wearing red tee-shirts and carrying a black/red/black flag walked to Place Boyer to show their support for the return of Jean-Claude Duvalier and his participation to the incoming elections.

On 21 May at 1615 hours, a WFP convoy of two trucks was pelted with stones by the local population in Cap Haitïen (North) on Route 300. MINUSTAH Forces fired three warning shots to disperse the crowd, after which the convoy continued to its final destination. A similar incident had occurred on the same road the previous day during the escort of two Caritas trucks. Also in Cap Haitïen, MINUSTAH Police reported that unidentified individuals attempted to loot a humanitarian aid truck belonging to the NGO ‘Appel de Détresse’. A quick UNPOL/HNP intervention prevented the looters from their intent. No arrests were made.

In the last 24 hours, UNPOL and HNP conducted 289 joint patrols and 53 checkpoints throughout the country. A total of 36 arrests and another two escapees arrest were reported. MINUSTAH military conducted 936 security operations involving 5,019 troops and 12 maritime patrols, sailing 188 nautical miles.

III. HUMANITARIAN OPERATIONS

MSF announced that it had provided medical care to 137,000 patients since 12 January. , MSF has provided medical care to 137,000 patients. Diseases treated in primary healthcare facilities today include respiratory and water-borne illnesses, such as malaria and diarrhoea. Since late March, 71 suspected cases of typhoid fever have been treated at the Choscal Hospital, in the Cité Soleil neighbourhood. In a country where 60 percent of the medical facilities suffered serious damage or were destroyed, MSF is working to meet second-line medical needs by managing or supporting hospitals and specialized medical facilities. Three specialised MSF facilities provide functional rehabilitation therapy, including physical therapy, psychological assistance and other follow-up services. Psychologists have also treated 69,000 earthquake victims at MSF medical facilities and in camps.

While injuries sustained during the earthquake still require orthopaedic and reconstructive surgery, everyday medical needs are also returning to the fore. For example, obstetrical cases have again become a priority, with 635 complicated deliveries, including 131 caesarean births, in April alone. The same month, MSF treated 81 victims of sexual violence in its Port-au-Prince facilities. Care includes psychological and medical assistance, specifically including vaccination against Hepatitis B and HIV/AIDS preventive treatment.

With the arrival of the rainy season and imminent threat of hurricanes, MSF is gradually shifting its medical activities from tents to permanent or semi-permanent structures. In Léogâne, for example, construction of a 120-bed hospital, built out of containers, began in early May to replace the hospital that had been destroyed in the earthquake. In Jacmel, where the hospital was largely destroyed, the surgery, maternity, internal medicine and paediatrics departments have now been organised into a semi-permanent structure. Extensive rehabilitation work has also been performed at public medical facilities that MSF supports.

Finally, three months prior to hurricane season, MSF is preparing to meet a possible increase in needs for emergency treatment related to the arrival of the rainy season and a possible worsening of the medical situation in Port-au-Prince and throughout the country. Additional medical and logistical supplies have been ordered and will be available in the coming weeks based on the needs that may arise.

In the last 24 hours, MINUSTAH military has conducted 12 humanitarian assistance missions involving 71 troops. These missions included food and water distributions benefiting over 8,724 people.

IV. JOTC

The Joint Operations and Tasking Centre (JOTC) continued to respond to requests for assistance from humanitarian partners, the Government and the Project Management Coordination Cell (PMCC). To date, 754 requests for support have been received and 473 completed. Most of the requests pertain to the provision of security and engineering support.

Haiti Housing Update = Invitation to more disasters

2010-05-24T15:10:00.002-04:00

Basically we have NGOs, which by their own admission, are not experienced in the home building business, building structures that do not measure up to international standards of protection from Hurricanes, Quakes, or nite epidemic of rapes, such as what you can see here:

http://www.unesco-ipred.org/gtfbc/

Everyone knows that Haiti needs Building Codes. Earthquakes don't kill people, Buildings that fall down kill people.You'd think in the rebuilding effort, that we'd get buildings that won't fall down in future quakes similar to Jan 12 intensity. There are two fault lines going through the island, with scientists predicting how large a quake to expect where, in approx five different sets of target spots, they just can't predict when. Well guess what, Haiti still has no building codes, and housing is being built on the bullseyes of future predicted quakes, mudslides, flooding, etc. without adequate protection for what is predicted.The main reason they are slow to get started, with the Transitional Housing, is the Haiti Land Tenure problem.

The UN NGO shelter cluster

http://groups.google.com/group/shelterhaiti2010?lnk

has had some postings regarding their plans for "Emergency Shelter" (tents & tarps)"Transitional Housing" (look to me to be a cross between an outhouse and tool house)It has been a while since I looked at any of those ... you could use SEARCH on the discussion archives to locate what I remember.Near the top of THIS page

https://sites.google.com/site/shelterhaiti2010/information-management

There are TWO Excels that you can download.They give statistics on the number of the 2 kinds of "shelters" that the NGOs are delivering.Note that they plan 128,000 of the "Transitional" and have built less than 500 so far.

The ratio of people to toilets is abominable. I occasionally have indigestion & while sitting in the toilet I did the math ... in a 24 hour day, there's people in the camps in which their share of the available time in a toilet is like 5-10 minutes a day. Some of these toilets overflow when there is heavy rain there, plus there is a serious problem with mosquitoes.This video (22 minutes long) explains why the work of NGOs are often largely dysfunctional, in all kinds of disasters.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TC7M_g0foJk&feature=related

Here is weather situation right now:Recent Heavy Rains with serious consequences to some camps in Port au Prince.Think Ground Saturation.

http://biosurveillance.typepad.com/haiti_operational_biosurv/2010/05/heavy-rainfall-inundates-portauprince-idp-camps.html

Incidentally I advise people to put this BIOSURVEILLANCE site into their News Readers, since it gives excellent information on the abominable health situation in Haiti, warning which medical threats are getting worse. If you scroll thru recent postings to that site, you will find one about people getting forceably evicted from camps with no notice, sometimes in the middle of the night. I have located multiple such incidents, and most recently have been keeping my list up-to-date here:

http://haitirewired.wired.com/group/architectureforhaiti/forum/topics/forced-evictions-of-quake

A journalist has informed me that the Gov of Haiti has imposed a two week moratorium on the evictions of people camped on private school grounds. This after quite a few people got evicted from the grounds of schools and churches.Weather pretty same as usual, nothing much worse, at least thru May 19Expect less rainfall overall in next 7 days

http://reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/LYLN-85EQR5?OpenDocument&rc=2

Bottom 1/2 of this document is a color coded map estimating # millimeters of rain to fall where ... Most of Haiti will be under 10 mm (1/3 inch), with the south quaked region looks like up to 40 mm (1.2 inch), much heavier East end of Dominican Republic. Wow - look at Panama, Costa Rica, Northern Tip of South America!!

http://reliefweb.int/rw/fullmaps_am.nsf/luFullMap/FF0FB6D3549BD35885257722006B67B2/$File/map.pdf?OpenElement

Translation / Conversion
1 millimeter = 0.0393700787 inchesThe Rainy Season is right now. We are near the end of El Nino, which means more rain than usual at this time.

The Hurricane Season is Imminent. Scientists cannot predict exactly, but La Nina is expected some time in 2010, which means worse Hurricane Season than usual. Haiti is facing a perfect storm.

It is my understanding that, prior to Jan 12 quake, there were Public Buildings rated as safe from a Hurricane, that people went into for safety when Hurricanes coming. All those, in the area where the earthquake was, are now gone.

We are also watching activity at an active Volcano in the area, Soufrière Hills currently is only making a mess of the West Indies Island of Montserrat. In February it pulled an Iceland, but the wind direction was less disruptive to aviation.

I do not believe the "Transitional Housing" that the 40 NGOs are now building, will protect the people of Haiti from Hurricanes and Earthquakes, only from Rainy season, and SOME of them (not all) will protect women from rapists unlocking their homes with knives.

There is something in the works to address that reality, through the Haiti Action Plan that the Donor's Conference agreed to March 31 at the UN in NYC. You can download info about that from here.

http://www.haiticonference.org/documents.html

and see how wisely the money is being spent here

http://www.refondation.ht/index.jsp?&lng=en

However, it was not until the end of April that the Haiti Parliament approved this Plan, and it was not until a few days ago that there was any money for it, which I explain here.

http://haitirewired.wired.com/profiles/blogs/haiti-reconstruction-fund-of

At the rate this is going, Hurricane Season 2010 will have been here and gone by the time there's any building of homes that are safe from hurricanes.

Agriculture Grant $ 2.5 million via IFAD to IICA

2010-05-22T13:49:00.001-04:00

International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has provided a US $2.5 million grant – $2 million of which was provided by the Swedish government – to the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) for a locally-managed 18-month program designed to create jobs and ensure food security for the hard-hit Haitian countryside.

Details here. They include info on other Haiti funding by this outfit.

These funds will be spent on irrigation systems, rural roads, community and family gardens, supply seeds and tools to approx 9,000 households, provide over 250 training courses on marketing, agricultural production, gender issues and organization building. They estimate this will generate around 200,000 days worth of employment.

$850m Pledge To Support Caribbean And Haiti

2010-05-21T13:50:00.004-04:00

$850 million to Caribbean Joint Action Plan, by five international financial institutions, active in the Caribbean. This announcement May 19, as part of Caribbean Development Bank's annual meeting currently underway in Nassau, Bahamas.More details here.

The Caribbean Development Bank (USD 300m),
The European Investment Bank (USD 100m),
The Netherlands Development Finance Company FMO (USD 100m),
The International Finance Corporation - part of the World Bank Group (USD 150m),
and PROPARCO - the private sector arm of the Agence Française de Développement Group (USD 200m).

Joint investment, under the Caribbean Joint Action Plan, will concentrate on crucial economic sectors most impacted by the economic slowdown: finance, tourism andinfrastructure. It is expected that this approach will further supporteconomic growth in the region by mobilizing IFI (international financial institutions) investment to act as acatalyst for private sector engagement and facilitating national andsub-regional support and policy dialogue amongst both private and publicstakeholders.

JOTC SITREP 20 May 2010

2010-05-21T12:03:00.002-04:00

HIGHLIGHTS

Group of Reflection and Action for Haiti conference held in Montreal
24 individuals arrested during joint operation
Armed encounter between gangs in Cite Soleil
IFC working towards creating thousands of jobs

I. GENERAL SITUATION

The city of Montreal will be hosting today, another international conference on the initiative of the Group of Reflection and Action for Haiti. This event, held at the Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal, is part of the colloquy "Rebuilding Haiti-2030", held on 4 and 5 March this year. During two days, the thematic committees will present their strategic vision for sectoral reconstruction of the country over a period of 20 years. They will also share their goals and proposals by sectors, and projects that could be made with the relevant authorities. During the conference, a panel is provided on the technical aspects of reconstruction and various presentations on, inter alia, the integration of the Diaspora in national life. More than 300 people are expected at this conference, attended by several personalities, including Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade of Canada, Pierre Arcand, Minister of International Relations of Quebec and Mirlande Manigat, academic and politician in Haiti. The industrialist and leader of the Haitian political Respi named Charles Henri Baker, the historian Claude Moïse geologist or engineer Claude Prépetit were also invited.

(Source: http://www.alterpresse.org/)

II. SECURITY AND PUBLIC ORDER

The overall security situation in HAITI remains stable. Although crime remains a concern, the security environment continues with low level of criminal activity.

On 18 May at 1230 hours in Gonaïves, MINUSTAH police supported HNP in the arrest of an identified 23 year old male escaped prisoner. He was detained at the police station for investigation. In PAP at 1700 hours, unidentified suspects in a vehicle, attempted to kidnap an unknown male in wharf area. The victim was rescued by HNP officers. The suspects fled the scene. An investigation is on going.

On 18 May, two bodies were discovered. The first, in Portail Léogâne, belonged to an identified 62-year-old male who had sustained no marks of violence. On Bolosse Avenue #3, an identified 24-year-old male body was found, which preliminary investigation revealed suicide.

On 18 May,in Port-de-Paix, HNP officers arrested an identified 28-year-old male for illegal weapon possession. The suspect was detained at the police station for investigation and the firearm was seized.

On 19 May at 1240 hours, a demonstration organized by an unknown number of persons in Camp Perrin locality took place. The participants asked for employment and blocked the route. MINUSTAH military and UNPOL monitored the situation. No incidents were reported.

On 19 May in Canape Vert-PAP (Ouest) the same day, the body of an identified 24 year old male was discovered. The victim died of an electrocution. Another identified female body was discovered in Delmas 4 area at 1100 am. An investigation was opened. In Malpasse, HNP officers arrested a 17-year-old male for involvement in human trafficking. The suspect was detained at the police station for investigation.

On May 19, 2010, a MINUSTAH Military motorized patrol sighted three individuals in Bel Air (Perpetuel Secours Church area). One of the male individuals was identified as Ti-Edward, a member of the Grand Black gang. The gang is led by an individual known as Di-Lou, and Ti-Edward is reportedly second in rank. The suspect was detained and delivered to Port-au-Prince Police Station.

During the night of 19-20 May, a special HNP SWAT and BRABATT operation was conducted in Bel Air. A total of 24 individuals were arrested: three were identified as post-earthquake prison escapees. The identification process was still ongoing at the time of receiving the information.

An armed encounter occurred between the Ti Ayiti and New-York gangs today, in Lithno 2, Cite Soleil. Upon arrival of HNP, MINUSTAH Police and FPU, gang members ran away. One member was intercepted and transported to the Cite Soleil police station, where he was identified. The fight continued in Soleil 14. MINUSTAH forces and HNP intervened once more. No further arrests were made. In the same area today, at the Gonaives bus station, an UNPOL patrol came across two individuals in a car: one was dead, the other had sustained a bullet wound. An HNP patrol arrived on scene and transported the injured individual to the hospital. Based on witnesses’ statements, they were shot by two unidentified individuals on a motorcycle.

In the last 24 hours, UNPOL and HNP conducted 112 joint patrols and 12 checkpoints throughout the country. A total of 23 arrests and two escapee arrests were reported. MINUSTAH military conducted 699 security operations involving 4,667 troops and 16 maritime patrols, sailing 476 nautical miles.

III. HUMANITARIAN OPERATIONS

IFC (International Finance Corporation), a member of the World Bank Group, remains committed to supporting Haiti's recovery by helping finance private sector projects and providing advisory services to improve investment conditions and create jobs. In the wake of the devastating earthquake, IFC's Board quickly approved a $35 million emergency investment program to help private companies get back to business. Yesterday, IFC signed the first of these emergency commitments. IFC and the Soros Economic Development Fund, a not-for-profit investment fund that works to alleviate poverty, are together providing $6 million in financing to the apparel company Grupo M. This will expand the CODEVI free trade zone in Northern Haiti and create 2,000 new jobs by the end of this year, and 2,000 more by the end of 2011.

IFC aims to help textile firms capitalize on the HELP Act, which nearly triples duty-free quotas for Haitian clothing exports to the United States and extends trade preferences through 2020. Haiti's clothing sector has a significant development impact, accounting for 75 percent of export earnings and employing more than 25,000 before the earthquake. IFC's focus in Haiti includes strengthening financial markets, with a focus on access to credit for micro, small and medium enterprises improving infrastructure, such as ports, roads and energy plants supporting agribusiness, and increasing telecommunications capabilities.

(Source: http://www.reliefweb.int/)

As of 17 May, 75,110 buildings have been assessed by the Ministry of Public Works; of these, 30,375 (40%) passed inspection. New assessments, which are being done by IOM/UNOPS, have presented 18 new at-risk camps, where mitigations will have to take place to avoid new IDP relocation.

IV. JOTC

The Joint Operations and Tasking Centre (JOTC) continued to respond to requests for assistance from humanitarian partners, as well as to provide administrative support to the Coordination Support Committee (CSC) Planning Task Force and the PMCC. To date, 747 requests for support have been received and 473 completed. Most of the requests pertain to the provision of security and engineering support.

Diphtheria Crisis In Haiti

2010-05-20T16:39:00.000-04:00

There is now a Diphtheria crisis in Haiti, that may have inflicted hundreds of victims, at several camps, which the mainstream media is not following, because until a few days ago the UN was saying NO PROBLEM.

http://haitirewired.wired.com/profiles/blogs/diphtheria-outbreak-leads-to?xg_source=activity

Lack of efficient medical collaboration communication, on public health topics, continues to pose a serious challenge in Haiti. I suggest you visit this link, then check out the links from this thread, and the links from the other sites posts they take you to, to get the big picture. The most recent comments to the thread are on top. Diphtheria is not the only medical crisis in Haiti, it is just the latest.

Photos Of Transitional Shelters In Haiti

2010-05-20T16:17:00.002-04:00

Transitional Shelter efforts.

https://sites.google.com/site/shelterhaiti2010/twig-1/tshelter

Transitional Shelter Technical Working Group of the Shelter Cluster. The Shelter Cluster has traditionally focused on Emergency Shelter (tents tarps) and non-food items.

Shelter CLuster's Picasa photo album with new photos of transitional shelters that have been built in Haiti:

http://picasaweb.google.com/shelterhaiti2010.IM/TShelter

Thanks, to our colleagues from CHF, Danish People Aid, Habitat forHumanity and "Un techo para mi pais" for making them available.

Below is a link to the IAT Picasa page with photos from camps,schools, and some random spots around Port au Prince.

http://picasaweb.google.com/IATAyiti

JOTC SITREP 19 May 2010

2010-05-20T10:15:00.002-04:00

HIGHLIGHTS

Préval’s speech at Flag Day ceremonies

Two kidnappings in the last 48 hours

Strong anti-government protests mark Flag Day marches and demonstrations

Four bodies discovered with signs of a violent end

Looting of a humanitarian aid truck

Internally Displaced Persons Surveillance System (IDPSS) Update

I. GENERAL SITUATION

In his speech at ceremonies commemorating the 207th anniversary of creation of the Haitian flag, the head of state, René Préval, emphasized the main thrusts of government action until the end of his term. The president called on his countrymen to make January twelfth a historic date. Recalling that 18 May 1803 had marked the starting point of the march toward independence, Mr Préval called for 12 January 2010 to serve as a starting point for remaking the nation. He also appealed for patience, offering assurances of increased efforts to help the victims of the earthquake. The Haitian president intends to continue the relocation programme for the homeless whether in neighbourhoods or in the camps. Other promises related to expansion of humanitarian and development efforts to the towns. Implementation of several road projects was noted before the head of state also announced preparations for beginning construction of two power plants in Artibonite and Port-au-Prince. (Source: Metropolehaiti.com)

Members of the political parties Alliance, Fusion of Social Democrats, Organization of People in the Struggle and Lavalas who had been members of the Préval government between 2006 and 2008 are maintaining their mobilization efforts to bringing about the resignation of the head of state. These constituent parties of the Alternative movement have joined other political groupings such as Ucadde, Libération and Rasemblé in demanding the formation of a transitional government. These political platforms enjoy the support of several popular organizations close to Lavalas. The mobilization effort has, however, striven to be as wide as possible by bringing together both supporters and opponents of Aristide. Over the past three weeks, opposition leaders have organized anti-Préval demonstrations in Gonaïves, St Marc, Miragoâne, Cap Haïtien, Jacmel, Marigot, Léogâne, Petit Goâve and Les Cayes. In addition to street protests, an action was launched in front of the Supreme Court to call for cancellation of the emergency law. (Source: Metropolehaiti.com)

II. SECURITY AND PUBLIC ORDER

During the last 48 hours the overall security situation in Haiti has remained stable, despite several demonstrations and marches. The security environment continues to be characterized by a low level of criminal activity.

On 15 May at 1900 hours in the Delmas 33 area of Port-au-Prince, unidentified assailants attempted the kidnapping of a 19-year-old woman from a vehicle. Following activation of the vehicle’s alarm system, however, the perpetrators fled. No further details have been received.

Also on 16 May at 2035 hours in Quanaminthe, four unidentified suspects kidnapped a 44-year-old man from his house, also taking money in US and Dominican currency and a motorcycle. On 17 May at 2230 hours the kidnapped was released after a ransom of $13,000 American dollars. The victim was immediately transferred to Dominican Republic and hospitalized.

On 17 May at 1000 hours in Cap Haïtien, unidentified gunmen shot at the tribunal and the town hall in Limbé locality. The suspects also sprayed graffiti demanding the departure of the local representative of the Haitian Government. No loss of life was reported. On the same day in Torbeck, an unidentified 26-year-old man raped a 16-year-old girl and fled the scene. Also on 17 May, four bodies were discovered. The first, at the intersection of Tiremasse and Magasinde l’Etat Avenues, belonged to an identified 34-year-old male who had sustained gunshot wounds. On Dr Aubry Avenue, an identified 30-year-old male body was found, which preliminary investigation revealed to be the victim of a lynching by the local population. On Saint Martin Avenue, the corpse of an identified 30-year-old male was found with signs of violence. And in Cité Soleil, the male body of an identified escaped prisoner was discovered with gunshot wounds.

Five demonstrations were also reported on 17 May. In Miragoâne, two demonstrations with approximately 200 participants demanded the departure of the president, accusing him of violating the constitution, while an unknown number of people protested the lack of electricity. In Les Cayes, 70 citizens requested assistance from the local authorities. Around Fort National in Port-au-Prince, 400 people not only called for the departure of the president, but also the return of former President Aristide. Several gunshots came from a building, resulting in one demonstrator being shot in the chest. The victim was transported to hospital. Finally, in the Champ de Mars area of downtown Port-au-Prince, 800 people peacefully demanded the departure of the president and the return of former President Aristide, with no significant incident reported.

On 18 May, several demonstrations and marches were reported as part of the commemoration of Flag Day, some of which degenerated into violent protests against the government. A recapitulation of actions reported by MINUSTAH military, UNPOL and HNP from their monitoring of demonstrations across the county appears below.

In Cap Haitian, 200 people demonstrated by throwing bottles and stones. MINUSTAH military elements, UNPOL and HNP controlled the situation. No physical or material damage was reported.
In Gonaïves, 200 people peacefully protested against the Haitian Government and the extension of the presidential mandate.
In Jacmel, 1,200 people celebrated Flag Day by demanding the decentralization and reconstruction of Haiti. Stones were thrown, but no injuries were reported.
In Les Cayes, 300 people protested against the extension of the presidential mandate, accusing the head of state of disrespecting the constitution, and further demanding the return of former President Aristide.
In Miragoâne, two demonstrations and two marches comprising a total of 2,500 participants celebrated the holiday peacefully, though in protest at the national government.
In Jérémy, 2,000 people peacefully demonstrated.
In Port-au-Prince, approximately ten peaceful marches or demonstrations occurred, with 50-100 participants in each. No serious incidents were reported.

In other incidents, on 18 May at 0700 hours in the Courbe de Limbé area of Cap Haïtien, unidentified armed assailants attacked and looted a WFP truck loaded with humanitarian aid. The suspects fled the scene after the assault. The truck was travelling without escort.

Also on 18 May at 2100 hours, a MINUTAH military patrol approached an HNP vehicle parked along Magnolia Ave near Simon Pele in Cité Militaire where were found four male occupants, all in civilian dress, carrying weapons and wearing bullet-proof vests. When the patrol commander ordered them to descend from the vehicle, the driver menacingly got out with a gun in his hand. In accordance the rules of engagement the commander fired a warning shot in the air, moving the driver instantly to put the weapon back inside the vehicle. After proper identification, the person carrying a gun was determined to be HNP Police Chief from the Commissariat in Cité Soleil. The other three occupants were civilians, however, not HNP officers. The patrol released the police officer, but took the three civilians to the HNP Commissariat in Delmas 33 for proper disposition. At about 0000 hours, the Chief of the HNP Commissariat in Cité Soleil arrived at the Delmas station requesting and obtaining the release of his civilian companions.

In the last 48 hours, UNPOL and HNP conducted 658 joint patrols and 71 checkpoints throughout the country. A total of 52 arrests and two escapee arrests were reported. MINUSTAH military conducted 1,524 security operations involving 9,580 troops and 14 maritime patrols sailing 282 nautical miles.

III. HUMANITARIAN OPERATIONS

Mobile telephone operator Digicel has teamed up with several manufactures to distribute over 50,000 handsets and over $2 million in credits to a variety of NGOs and other non-profit organizations in Haiti. Thanks to handset manufacturers LG, Alcatel, Nokia, Samsung, RIM, ZTE and SIM card supplier Gemalto, over 30,000 phones have already been distributed to over 150 organizations by Digicel. These organizations include the International Organization for Migration, World Vision, Save the Children, Concern, Fonkoze, UNICEF, Partners in Health, Catholic Relief Services and Médecins sans Frontières, to name a few. Earthquake researchers, mobile health clinics, sanitation and shelter specialists, as well as hospital and orphanage staff have also received handsets and credits. These donations have helped to provide reliable and efficient communications between the organizations and their counterparts throughout the country.(Source:

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Digicel-and-Leading-Mobile-iw-1613425629.html?x=0)

As of 8 May, the Internally Displaced Persons Surveillance System (IDPSS) provided an update revealing a total of 136,898 clinic visits through week 18, with 31,139 cases (22.7%) presenting reportable conditions. The total number of clinic visits by children under five with reportable illnesses stood at 13,230, representing 42.5% (or nearly half) of the total number of reported diseases. Acute respiratory infections (ARI) remained the most commonly reported illness, with an overall prevalence of 9.6% of total reported clinic visits since February 2, 2010, followed by suspected cases of malaria, acute watery diarrhoea, fevers, suspected typhoid and bloody diarrhoea. During the past two weeks, 2,141 (11.2%) cases of ARI were reported, with the percentage of ARI cases at the IDPSS sites increasing slightly to 12.0% of all clinic visits during the last reporting week. (Full report at:

http://groups.google.com/group/haiti-idp-surveillance-system/files&sort=date)

On 15 May, WFP distributed humanitarian aid for 2,502 families in Caracolie locality. MINUSTAH police and military personnel assisted HNP officers in conducting security operations during the distribution.

IV. JOTC

The Joint Operations and Tasking Centre (JOTC) continued to respond to requests for assistance from humanitarian partners, as well as to provide administrative support to the Coordination Support Committee (CSC) Planning Task Force and the PMCC. To date, 743 requests for support have been received and 473 completed. Most of the requests pertain to the provision of security and engineering support.

Camps Relocation (Where People Are At Risk Of Flooding, Land Slides, ETC. To Be Moved To)

2010-05-19T18:22:00.003-04:00

Corail Cesselesse (North of PaP)
Tabarre Issa (PaP area)
Jacmel has a similar camp
Leogane has a similar camp
Petit Goave has a similar camp

Camp Relocation Corail 2010 April 28 PMCC Progress Report XL up to 4,921 individuals in 1,290 families.

Be advised that American Refugee Committee, will assume the Camp Manager's role effective, tomorrow, April 29, 2010 and has designated, Mr. Richard Poole as the Camp Manager for Corail.

Camp Relocation Tabarre Issa 2010 April 28 PMCC Progress Report XL up to 2,381 individuals in 1,802 families.

Camp Relocation update April 28 regarding the Valley de Bourdon.

Be informed that the Valley de Bourdon relocation to Tabarre Issa has reached its final conclusion yesterday April 27 2010.

There were 10 daily movements from April 17 - 27, 2010 and the total people that have been moved from Bourdon Valley are: 512 Families / 2.381 Individuals.

Camps … also see DTM (people movements), Priority Camps, Shelters, Maps, Situation Reports
* Child Protection Strategy Word 4 pages

* Concept of Operations (CONOPS) Logistics April 26 PDF

Note map showing where ports are now in operation, and where there are warehouse facilities. People who participate in the relevant clusters are able to cooperate with each other. For example, UNICEF has a weekly Excel listing where they ended up with excess food, tents, whatever, that some other NGO could take off their hands, by filling out the appropriate paperwork on a first come first served basis.
Note progress reports on sea port repair, leading to prioritization and management of which ports of entry are optimal for which types of cargo.
Note map showing where flooding can happen a lot on road from Dominican Republic to Haiti, especially during rainy season.
Note hazards on the Leogane Jacmel mountain road.
Note changes in Logistics Cluster offerings and prices.

* Cash Grant FAQ for Haitians April 14
** Relocated Haitians are getting mobile phones
** There may be opportunities here for Telephone Directories of Services Offered

* Child Ed May 2 An e-mail update from Dayanne Danier to RTF
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/diva-toolbox-radio/2010/05/03/where-did-the-money-go-a-firsthand-view-of-haiti-today

Sources of Contact lists include UN NGO Clusters, also:
https://www.cimicweb.org/cmo/haiti/3Wcontacts/Pages/default.aspx

Border Customs Rules Change April 30

2010-05-19T18:19:00.001-04:00

This memo from the Ministry for Finance and Economy informs the general public, importers and exporters that Customs (Directorate of Fiscal Inpections) officers will no longer be posted at the Jimani- Malpasse border crossing as of 30 April 2010 to facilitate the transit of humanitarian goods. All organisations are advised that procedures revert to the standard procedures of pre-12 January 2010. The procedures for importation remain valid and are available at:

http://www.logisticscluster.org/ops/hti10a/procedures-for-importation

and

http://www.logisticscluster.org/ops/hti10a/custom-clearance-guidelines-SD

Red Zones, WASH Cluster Sitrep

2010-05-19T18:02:00.002-04:00

There are official (UN+govs) red zones, where the military and police prevent aid from reaching the people in those zones, and take violent action against anyone they catch in the act of trying to do so. I have never seen an explanation for this which makes any kind of sense to me. These zones are not on any map or public signage, but officials working in the areas are told about them, through the UN NGO clusters, and by other means.

There are the civil society (land owner manager) red zones, where any aid supplied to quake survivors is regularly destroyed or sabotaged by local authorities or property managers, and/or the land owners demand to be paid $$$ in return for letting the relief workers in to help the victims.

There are the NGO red zones, where the security situation (criminals and other reasons) is so bad, no volunteers will consent to going in there.

There are color coded maps showing severity of various risks such as quakes, wind, inches of rain, etc. where red generally denotes the worst or most intensive risks.

Data quality ... here we are 3 months into the relief effort, and what changes from week to week are astronomical changes in the #s of people to be served and microscopic changes in the #s actually served.

Future Protection ... one of the areas it seems no one has a good grasp of, are the #s of people in harms way from the rainy season ... is it 40,000 or 400,00 or ... and NOTHING done yet to protect them from Hurricane Season, other than identification 2 months ago of land tenure problems not yet resolved.

Not so much WASH, but some other reports I recently shared ... people and debris get shuffled around ... a place is established to dump them, enormous effort is expended to fix it up, then they all get kicked out, demolish it, start over, and whatever started over is considered to be temporary. No one knows when it will be recycled. Legal documents are not honored by legal authorities.

The latest WASH Sitrep speaks of ", the lack of an overall humanitarian strategy presents great dilemmas for agencies of how much and how to invest in current camps. "

There are official (UN+govs) red zones, where the military and police prevent aid from reaching the people in those zones. I have never seen an explanation for this which makes any kind of sense to me.

There are the NGO red zones, where the security situation (criminals and other reasons) is so bad, no volunteers will consent to going in there.

Many relief efforts have had to shut down because the funds have run out.

Many more are at risk of following them out.

It has been known for over a month that there is a need to transfer funds from where there is an excess not being expended, to support underfunded operations. There is only microscopic evidence of anything being done about that.

Summary of Key Issues/Priorities/Advocacy Messages in the MARCH 29 Sitrep

1. New site allocated by Government in north Croix de Bouquet
2. Seven high risk sites in need of immediate remedial works to reduce
3. Municipal Coordination – decentralization of coordination and gap filling to municipality level taking off and yielding results
4. WASH Cluster/DINEPA facilitates work to map all new sites - working together with CCCM, Shelter and OCHA – many more sites expected to be mapped; results expected end of week and will lead to a new round of gap analysis and strategy for response
5. Is assistance in camps creating more and larger camps?

Al Macintyre Theories previously shared ...
(a) TOTAL FAILURE of competent assistance OUTSIDE of the camps means starving and suffering people are going to the camps where the best assistance is currently located.
(b) As the infrastructure repairs advance, UN NGO personnel are waking up to notice clusters of people in trouble, who they would have noticed earlier had it not been for the nature of the disaster, and the nature of the relief effort structure, a mismatch in some ways to the actual needs of the region.

6. Plan put in place for desludging of latrines and pooling of desludging truck capacity to meet needs

Summary of Key Issues/Priorities/Advocacy Messages in the APRIL 13 Sitrep

1. Initial figures suggest a doubling in the number of camps and an increase in the number of displaced – to be verified. Question as to why additional displacement is taking place and what motivates people who were previously outside of a camp to move in

AL Macintyre Theories to explain what may not be obvious to other folks.

There are the crooked gangs, alleged corruption, there are the mass evictions, and lack of visibility what is now a red zone, or why. For many Haitian, they may not be able to tell much difference between these actors, in causing them to escape to some other apparent safety.
Also there is a huge lag in data from people on the ground reporting their info to the central collections. As infrastructure repairs advance, that time lag will shrink, having a spike in the data collection, to fix some of what had been broken all along.

2. Need for a strategy for the way forward for the next year to know how best to invest resources and efforts

3. Under reporting of agencies continues to be a significant challenge in getting a clear picture of actual and planned efforts

In Al opinion this is a no-win situation so long as the leading groups have an arrogance of exclusion for new volunteer groups and interests, data reporting sharing methods are time consuming, and the legal structure prevents profit and non-profit organizations from significant cooperating.

Needs moving forwards for WASH Cluster moving forwards, as of the April 13 Sitrep

1. WASH cluster planning figure is for approximately 1,100, 000 people for the immediate/emergency WASH needs. New but unverified figures may put this much higher towards 2.1m

2. The WASH Cluster has a list of 750 locations in its database although only 473 with GPS points that we can plot on the map covering Port au Prince, Jacmel, Gressier, Leogane, Grand Goave and Petit Goave. It is believed that some of these are either duplicates or are registered with a WASH agency name, but who reported the camp, although they may not be working there. With the need to carry out new surveys highlighted by WASH work, new surveys were carried by CCCM with WASH to ensure only one data set. It is estimated that the actual figure is more than 900 sites in Port-au-Prince with over 1300 sites for all affected areas, but again these need to be verified which is being carried out by CCCM

There are also cross-cluster needs. The differences between different cluster data sets will be much easier to manage when there is more consistency in identifying camps:
SSID, Lat+Long, GPS, street address, etc. The last figure I saw was 3.6 million people in some kind of need.

You would think that with the UN being in the international humanitarian relief business now for 60 some years, that this kind of data management would be more advanced, but I suspect there's an inertia in how things are done, without the pressures to improve like in business where companies in competition with each other are driven to become more productive. There is similar competition within NGOs, but it is to be more clever with PR. Plus this data management issue is within the UN structure they are all in. The UN has no competitors. This is like how government infrastructure influences how capitalism can function within their world. Pressures to improve it are overwhelmed by inertia and budget constraints.

Food Aid - Genetically Modified Seeds

2010-05-18T18:16:00.002-04:00

Helping Haitian farmers with genetically modified seeds. Is that the best path for Haiti?

Continuing Rape Epidemic

2010-05-18T17:55:00.003-04:00

More about rape in the camps.

A related issue is the epidemic of rapes.

Under Haitian law, if a raped woman is to have justice, within 3 days of being assaulted, she has to have a certificate by a Doctor that she was raped, and the Doctor must be certified with the Haitian government as being qualified to make this assertion. Due to the Jan 12 quake, is is commonplace for patients to have to wait days before getting any kind of medical treatment. There have been multiple cases of a judge throwing out a doctor's certification that a woman was raped, and thus no charge against the named suspect, because either the doctor's certification was more than 72 hours after the attack, or the medical professional did not have the right government credentials to make this expert testimony.

In my opinion, this Haitian law needs amending, to reflect the reality that comes after a disaster like the latest.

In my opinion, a woman should be able to walk naked down a street without a horde of men trying to attack her, but the reality is that in today's "civilization", women need all kinds of protection against their fellow men. A tent or tarpaulin, with occasional police patrols, does not cut it.

Thanks to all kinds of pressures in the UN NGO community, the UN military, and Haitian National Police, began patrols of the camps, and in their daily reports, which I have been downloading, they used terminology like "alleged rapes" and "reportedly high incidence of rapes" to explain why they were doing these patrols. These same reports also included stories of kidnappings, traffic congestion, murders, etc. which were not preceded by qualifiers like "alleged traffic congestion" or "reported killings" but stated as actual events.

Prior to the start of these security patrols, I was seeing assessments by various UN NGO clusters, and downloading some of them. It was not unusual for 20% or more of the camps to be reporting a problem with sexual assaults. There are now over 1300 camps. The assessments pick questions to ask, and after a short time stopped including such assaults in their statistics gathering. But stories of the epidemic of rapes continued to percolate through many cluster reports.

A delegation of U.S. lawyers, health professionals, and community activists, has been looking into the reports of the rate of rapes. They found:

* women face a grave lack of security necessary to prevent and respond to the sexual violence crisis;

* the assaults mainly occur in dead of night when women want to be sleeping, not thanks to any promiscuity;

* some assaults occur when women try to use the inadequate toilet facilities, where men wait to ambush them in the dark stalls;

* many assaults are perpetrated by groups of armed, unknown assailants who often beat the women in the course of the attack, and threatened them with further violence if they reported the rape;

* medical services are overwhelmed and unable to meet women's health care needs stemming from the assaults;

* rape victims are treated by medical professionals in a very incompetent and unprofessional manner;

* some Haitian government officials claim that survivors are somehow to blame for the rapes;

* women who report rapes to the police describe being turned away, not taken seriously, or told to notify the police if they see the rapists again;

Other discussion in this thread that I started, on actions that shock our consciences, included:

· Scale of evictions with little notice (10's of thousands)
· Scale of not yet victimized this way (millions)
· Who's in charge (it is anarchy)
· What reactions are effective (none yet)
· Why do Churches do this (because they can, and see nothing wrong with it)
· Rights of private land owners (there should be a balance)
· What are reasonable people to believe (this is not a reasonable situation)
· Where is the justice system (not invented yet in Haiti)

Summary of the Working Group “Champ du Mars”

2010-05-18T17:44:00.002-04:00

Meeting Notes Documents:

Meeting Notes 1

Meeting Notes 2

Meeting Notes 3

Nearly every day, a wider working group met in the temporary meeting facilities in the Presidential Palace. Their main objective was to think about a strategy, how to move people from “Champ du Mars” back home into their original living quarters. The first living quarter to start with is “Fort National”. Whatever strategy the group would thing about, is supposed to become the pilot for other camps in Port au Prince.
Participants in the group where:
President Preval, the Minister of Interior, Niels Scott-Head of OCHA, the Cluster Leads from CCCM, Emergency Shelter, Early Recovery, IOM, UNHABITAT, Community Leader from surrounding living quarters, Camp Leader from Champs du Mars, Donors like USAID, NGO´s like CRS.
Over all a well balanced group with the widest possible foundation possible for the purpose.
The working style shifted between discussions in the main forum and working groups on:
- Cash for Work Programs
- Debris Removal
- Information campaigns
- Data/ Targeting
The draft plan as it stands by the 17th of May is:
- A mapping exercise in the “ Fort National” to identify Owners, Renters, Plot boundary’s, Status of the houses ( in the three categories ( green=save, yellow= repair needed, red= most likely need to demolish)
- Information Campaign to make people move back to all green houses (About 70% of the green house are already occupied.)
- Information campaign about the overall strategy.
- Demolishing of red houses with professional staff
- Cash for work program for to remove debris from red houses
- T-Shelter programs for the red houses

The discussion is ongoing and additional finding and adjustment might be ahead
Find attached some additional information from today’s meeting!

The shelter cluster is looking a cluster member to implement T-Shelter in the “Fort National” Area.
Some members indicated their interest. (IOM, CHF and Concern Worldwide a general interest to work in the City of Port au Price area)

Fort National is a high populated area.
The plan to implement is well ahead.
For the “pilot project” a high media attention is guaranteed.
More, similar project will follow.

Latest News Feed From Haiti

2010-05-18T17:39:00.002-04:00

More security help for Haiti and other news feed from the web.

Nevada Guard unit going to Haiti
About a dozen soldiers and a CH-47 Chinook helicopter of the Nevada Army National Guard depart Tuesday for Haiti to assist with relief supply and cargo airlift missions, troop movements, and medical m...

MANVILLE: ABIS council raises funds to help Haiti
The ABIS Student Council members, shown with advisor Robin Cook, raised more than $600 for American Red Cross projects in Haiti. Photo by Mary Ellen Zangara

First women contingent leaves Bangladesh to join UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti
Forty-five members of a Bangladeshi women contingent of the UN Formed Police Unit (FPU) left capital Dhaka Sunday for Haiti by a UN chartered flight to join the UN Peacekeeping Mission. This is for th...

In Haiti's devastation, Minnesotans shine
When it comes to civic engagement, Minnesota is hard-wired to step up. It's in our DNA. This is being proven true once again in Haiti. I have just returned from my first visit to Haiti as a board mem...

Abducted Haitian relief worker is found dead
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- A Haitian man kidnapped while working with a U.S.-based development foundation was found dead on Saturday, the group said.The driver for the Pan-American Development Foundatio...

US$2 billion sought to overhaul Haiti schools
Haitian President Rene Preval and Bank President Luis Moreno announced the five-year program Saturday. It could be among the first presented for possible funding by the new Haitian Interim Reconstruct...

Top Caribbean musician says gospel music is growing
GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands -- Former reggae and dancehall star turned gospel musician Papa San believes gospel music is gaining in popularity in the Caribbean. Speaking on local Cayman television bef...

OAS ready for elections in Haiti, says assistant secretary general
WASHINGTON, USA -- The Group of Friends of Haiti of the Organization of American States (OAS) met at OAS headquarters in Washington, DC, to review and discuss the preparations for the Haitian general ...

Bloodshed mars Dominican Republic elections
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AFP) -- Election day violence claimed the life of an opposition supporter on Sunday and left three others wounded as voters in the Dominican Republic chose senators,...

For Haitian-Americans, a day to rejoice, reflect
Local Haitian-Americans united yesterday in music and dance five months after an earthquake devastated the country, destroying homes, breaking up families, and taking thousands of lives.

Presumed Haitian presidential candidate dies of heart attack
GONAIVES -- Gabriel Bien-Aimé, former Haitian minister of education and presumed presidential candidate, has died, Haitian government officials confirmed. Bien-Aimé died of a heart atta...

Parade highlights pride, earthquake relief in Haiti
L ocal Haitians and those supporting recovery efforts in the island nation decimated by an earthquake in January gathered yesterday to celebrate Haiti’s heritage. The 10th annual Haitian Americ...

Situation Report 2010 May 12 JOTC Word

2010-05-18T11:12:00.005-04:00

Situation Report for May 12, 2010.

Dates various types of support due to end, what’s continuing indefinitely

UN Police continues to provide 24/7 security and sporadic foot patrols in the IDP camps throughout the country, particularly to monitor the reportedly high incidence of rape. Notice word “reportedly”. Other patrols to alleviate traffic congestion and deter public disturbances, not reported congestion or alleged disturbances, but actual stuff, actual risks.

Situation Report 2010 May 13 JOTC Word

These reports get more and more interesting.

Peaceful demonstrations continue.

Reports have been received of a possible demonstration on 18May (Flag Day) by political movements and parties to denounce the political process related to the extension of President Préval’s mandate.

May 11

In Tabarre 26 area (Port-au-Prince), four unidentified armed suspects on two motorcycles fired gunshots at two identified individuals in a vehicle. Another unidentified person returned gunfire on the attackers, killing two of them. The other two suspects fled the scene. The two targeted victims in the vehicle were not injured.

May 12

In Carrefour (Port-au-Prince), three suspects attempted to rob residents of the Paloma area. When the HNP arrived on the scene, the suspects fired on them. Two of the gangsters managed to flee the scene, although one of them was shot. The third, an escaped prisoner, was lynched by the local population.

May 13

In Carrefour (Port-au-Prince), the 14-year-old boy who had been kidnapped from his domicile on Bolosse 5 was released in the area of Grand Ravine.

May 13

Also, in Plaine du Nord (North), approximately 100 people surrounded a WFP food truck that broke down in the area of the École Conservatrice de Baudin. The panic-stricken driver fled into the school for safety. UNPOL and HNP were quickly dispatched to the scene, preventing any looting of the truck.

Situation Report 2010 May 14 JOTC Word

Bangladesh sends its first all-female contingent of police officers to Haiti, a 110-strong battalion of female peacekeepers. Bangladesh, has the second-largest contribution to UN peacekeeping missions after Pakistan.
Haiti Port Authority now boasts an advanced vessel-tracking system, to aid port management in serving international relief organizations.
Increase in kidnapping of expatriots.

For my friends who may be unfamiliar with this terminology … an immigrant is what you call someone who arrives to live in a nation from someplace else. An expatriot is what that same person is called in the nation from which they left. For people in Haiti to be labelled as expatriots, means the people doing the labelling are extremely divorced from identifying with Haitians, or considering Haiti as an independent nation.

May 12
Three post-earthquake escapees from the National Prison were apprehended by national police forces.
In Croix des Bouquets (Ouest), a 9-month-old baby boy was kidnapped in the Duval area by a man who has been identified.

May 13
In Les Cayes, an undetermined number of persons organized a demonstration against the government, erecting three barricades in different areas near the airport and gas station and then burning tyres.
In Jérémie (Grande Anse), MINUSTAH Police assisted HNP officers with the arrest of a woman charged with the ill treatment of her 9-year-old daughter.
MINUSTAH Police assisted HNP officers in conducting a sweep operation in the Grand Ravine area.
Unidentified armed assailants shot and killed a 40-year-old man in the Portail Léogâne area, then fled the scene.
Politically motivated demonstrations, so far still peaceful, continued throughout the country.
The 2010 Vaccination Week of the Americas reached some 60,000 children in Haiti.
The World Food Programme (WFP) announced that it has put in place a contingency order to address needs in the case of an emergency during the rainy season. This is so NGOs can function. It has nothing to do with Haitian survival.

Situation Report 2010 May 15 JOTC Word

Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive met with over 40 Santo Domingo-based foreign diplomats, urging delivery of promised aid.
20-21 May Montreal Canada hosting conference on next 20 years of Haitian reconstruction
Haitian ‘Artists Action Citizens’ educated through the arts
Approximately 2,000 buildings per day assessed by joint engineering efforts
Government officials plan to begin decongestion of the Champs de Mars settlement next week on 17 May. The majority of families will return to Forte Nationale, their pre-earthquake neighbourhood of origin, where engineers have already conducted habitability assessments.

May 12

4.45 pm in Port-au-Prince, escaped prisoner arrested by HNP.

May 13

5 pm Port-de-Paix, another escaped prisoner arrested and presented before a judge.

May 14

9 am in Cité Soleil section of Port-au-Prince, MINUSTAH FPU and Military assisted HNP in a sweep operation dubbed ‘Bonbagaye’ that arrested and detained 20 persons.
10 am in St-Marc, a demonstration with approximately 80 participants protested the extension of the mandate of President Préval. No Incidents were reported.
In Corail IDP camp, approx 10 unidentified persons attacked some residents, damaging some tents and injuring one person with a knife. The injured person was transported to hospital while MINUSTAH Military and UNPOL conducted security operations that led to the arrest of one suspect by the HNP.
In Savane Pistache IDP camp in Port-au-Prince, one 18-year-old woman and one 14-year-old girl were raped by unidentified armed assailants. The victims were transported to the hospital for treatment. Finally, the Haitian security forces are NOT using the word “alleged” or “reportedly” when referring to women being raped. Is 18 year old considered to be an Adult in Haiti?

May 15

10 am demonstration organized from Pedero to Marigot by a local group in the latter. About 200 people marched with placards calling for the decentralization of services and the departure of the Préval government. Some stone-throwing incidents were reported at the beginning of the demonstration, but calm was restored with no further incidents.
11 am Gressier locality of Mariani, five unidentified armed men, kill the cashier of the CAM Transfer agency and took away all the money.
UN confirmed "The waiver negotiated with the GoH for custom exemptions expired at the end of April." ie. No more special treatment for relief cargo.

https://www.cimicweb.org/cmo/haiti/Needs/Pages/default.aspx

JOTC SITREP 17 May 2010

2010-05-18T10:32:00.001-04:00

HIGHLIGHTS

Demonstrations in Miragoâne, Port-au-Prince and Les Cayes
Plans announced to reform Haitian educational system
Possible demonstration planned for tomorrow
Two bodies found in Fort National
$4 million worth of seed to be donated to Haiti

I. GENERAL SITUATION

Politically motivated demonstrations continued throughout the country. Demonstrations were reported today in Miragoâne demanding that the president step down for having purportedly violated the constitution and protesting the lack of electricity in the region. Meanwhile, in Port-au-Prince, protests targeted the extension of the state of emergency. The demonstration in Miragoâne ended peacefully when it was agreed that electricity would be provided 12 hours a day, as well as all of tomorrow’s holiday (Flag Day). Gunfire marred the demonstration in downtown Port-au-Prince, where a demonstrator received a gunshot wound in the chest and taken to hospital. The shooter was not identified. Objects were thrown at a UN vehicle, but no damage or injuries were reported. A peaceful demonstration in support of the local mayor was reported in Les Cayes.

On Saturday, President Préval gave the Inter-American Development Bank a mandate to work with national education authorities to prepare a major reform of the Haitian education system. The five-year plan, which would require around $2 billion in funding from foreign donors, will be aimed at expanding tuition-free education services in Haiti. At present, nearly 90 percent of Haitian schools are private. Prior to the earthquake, which destroyed or damaged more than 4,000 schools, over half the children of primary school age were not enrolled in any educational institution. Under the proposed reform, most Haitian schools would become publicly funded but privately run institutions, forgoing tuition charges. A central fund would be established for the government to pay salaries of all teachers and school administrators participating in the new system. The plan will finance the creation of new schools, using existing buildings suitable for educational purposes and constructing new ones in safe locations to earthquake and hurricane resistant standards. Schools would also be used to provide critical community services such as nutrition, health care and other social services.

II. SECURITY AND PUBLIC ORDER

The overall security situation in Haiti remains stable, but the security environment continues to be characterized by a low level of criminal activity.
In addition, reports have been received of possible demonstrations tomorrow on Flag Day, an emotionally charged national holiday, by political movements and parties opposed to the extension of President Préval’s mandate.

On 15 May in the Pétion-Ville suburb of Port-au-Prince, a MINUSTAH national staff member was arrested by the HNP for verbally insulting an HNP officer. An investigation was opened. The same day in the capital, the body of an unidentified male of approximately thirty years of age was found on Tremarse Avenue. The body had sustained gunshot wounds to the head. On 16 May, another two bodies were discovered in Fort National. Finally, a 46-year-old man was murdered by a 70-year-old male in the Fontamera 27 area of Port-au-Prince.
On 15 May in Jérémy locality (Grand Anse), a 13-year-old girl was raped by a 15-year-old male. The victim was transported to the hospital and an investigation was opened.

On 16 May in Arcahaie, an escaped prisoner was arrested and was detained by the HNP pending further investigation.

On 15-16 May, UNPOL and HNP conducted 717 joint patrols and 76 checkpoints throughout the country. A total of 67 arrests and one escapee arrest were reported. MINUSTAH military conducted 1,947 security operations involving 9,638 troops and 12 maritime patrols sailing 232 nautical miles.

III. HUMANITARIAN OPERATIONS

US-based Monsanto has partnered with the Haitian agriculture ministry to donate $4 million worth of seeds to Haiti. The first 60-tonne consignment of the 475-tonne donation arrived last week, consisting of maize and vegetable seeds. Subsequent shipments will include cabbage, carrot, aubergine, melon, onion, tomato, spinach and watermelon, all of which have been deemed appropriate for Haitian growing conditions and farming practices. Actual distribution is being implemented by the USAID-funded WINNER Project, as part of a larger initiative to increase farmer productivity with technical and material support. WINNER will distribute the seeds through farmer association stores, to be sold at a significantly reduced price. These stores will then use the revenue generated to reinvest in other inputs needed by their members. The goal is to reach 10,000 Haitian farmers this growing season.

The Papay Peasant Movement, which brings together peasant farmers, has pledged to burn the Monsanto-donated seeds and called for a march to protest the corporation’s presence in Haiti to be held on 4 June, World Environment Day. Their reasons for this opposition include the dangers posed by chemical pesticides used to treat the seeds, as well as a perceived threat to local seed production. While special concerns have also been expressed about the importation of genetically modified organisms, Monsanto representatives have assured the agriculture ministry during the approval process that the seeds being donated are not genetically modified.
In addition to its cash-for-work and food-for-work schemes, WFP is expanding its school-feeding programme from its current level of around a half-million children aged six to fourteen years to reach a target of 800,000 across Haiti. The dual objective of the programme is to improve the nutritional status of the children and encourage school attendance. In order to mitigate the possibility of competing with local agricultural production, the UN food agency has made a commitment to purchase part of the commodities for the programme from Haitian farmers.

On 15 May, WFP distributed humanitarian aid for 2,502 families in Caracolie locality. MINUSTAH Police and military personnel assisted HNP officers in conducting security operations during the distribution.

IV. JOTC

The Joint Operations and Tasking Centre (JOTC) continued to respond to requests for assistance from humanitarian partners, as well as to provide administrative support to the Coordination Support Committee (CSC) Planning Task Force and the PMCC. To date, 737 requests for support have been received and 472 completed. Most of the requests pertain to the provision of security and engineering support.

Haiti Security, Military Police etc. May 17

2010-05-18T10:26:00.002-04:00

Latest news on the situation in Haiti. Latest Relevant Info:

Situation Report 2010 May 14 JOTC Word
Bangladesh sends its first all-female contingent of police officers to Haiti, a 110-strong battalion of female peacekeepers.
Haiti Port Authority now boasts an advanced vessel-tracking system, to aid port management in serving international relief organizations.
Increase in kidnapping of expatriots.
May 12
Three post-earthquake escapees from the National Prison were apprehended by national police forces.
In Croix des Bouquets (Ouest), a 9-month-old baby boy was kidnapped in the Duval area by a man who has been identified.
May 13
In Les Cayes, an undetermined number of persons organized a demonstration against the government, erecting three barricades in different areas near the airport and gas station and then burning tyres.
In Jérémie (Grande Anse), MINUSTAH Police assisted HNP officers with the arrest of a woman charged with the ill treatment of her 9-year-old daughter.
MINUSTAH Police assisted HNP officers in conducting a sweep operation in the Grand Ravine area.
Unidentified armed assailants shot and killed a 40-year-old man in the Portail Léogâne area, then fled the scene.
Politically motivated demonstrations, so far still peaceful, continued throughout the country.
The 2010 Vaccination Week of the Americas reached some 60,000 children in Haiti.
The World Food Programme (WFP) announced that it has put in place a contingency order to address needs in the case of an emergency during the rainy season. This is so NGOs can function. It has nothing to do with Haitian survival.
Situation Report 2010 May 15 JOTC Word
Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive met with over 40 Santo Domingo-based foreign diplomats, urging delivery of promised aid.
20-21 May Montreal Canada hosting conference on next 20 years of Haitian reconstruction
Haitian ‘Artists Action Citizens’ educated through the arts
Approximately 2,000 buildings per day assessed by joint engineering efforts
Government officials plan to begin decongestion of the Champs de Mars settlement next week on 17 May. The majority of families will return to Forte Nationale, their pre-earthquake neighbourhood of origin, where engineers have already conducted habitability assessments.
May 12
4.45 pm in Port-au-Prince, escaped prisoner arrested by HNP.
May 13
5 pm Port-de-Paix, another escaped prisoner arrested and presented before a judge.
May 14
9 am in Cité Soleil section of Port-au-Prince, MINUSTAH FPU and Military assisted HNP in a sweep operation dubbed ‘Bonbagaye’ that arrested and detained 20 persons.
10 am in St-Marc, a demonstration with approximately 80 participants protested the extension of the mandate of President Préval. No Incidents were reported.
In Corail IDP camp, approx 10 unidentified persons attacked some residents, damaging some tents and injuring one person with a knife. The injured person was transported to hospital while MINUSTAH Military and UNPOL conducted security operations that led to the arrest of one suspect by the HNP.
In Savane Pistache IDP camp in Port-au-Prince, one 18-year-old woman and one 14-year-old girl were raped by unidentified armed assailants. The victims were transported to the hospital for treatment. Finally, the Haitian security forces are NOT using the word “alleged” or “reportedly” when referring to women being raped. Is 18 year old considered to be an Adult in Haiti?
May 15
10 am demonstration organized from Pedero to Marigot by a local group in the latter. About 200 people marched with placards calling for the decentralization of services and the departure of the Préval government. Some stone-throwing incidents were reported at the beginning of the demonstration, but calm was restored with no further incidents.
11 am Gressier locality of Mariani, five unidentified armed men, kill the cashier of the CAM Transfer agency and took away all the money.
Situation Report 2010 May 17 JOTC Word
Demonstrations in Miragoâne, Port-au-Prince and Les Cayes
The demonstrations protest actions of the President, the lack of Electricity, the state of emergency.
Gunfire marred the demonstration in downtown Port-au-Prince, where a demonstrator received a gunshot wound in the chest and taken to hospital. The shooter was not identified. Objects were thrown at a UN vehicle, but no damage or injuries were reported.
Plans announced to reform Haitian educational system
I had reported on this when I first saw the news May 16

http://haitirewired.wired.com/profiles/blogs/freer-education-for-haiti

Possible demonstration planned for May 18 Flag Day. I started threads on Haiti Rewired, and LI HEDR, on Haiti Election News.
$4 million worth of seed to be donated to Haiti.
There’s a huge HR discussion about this

http://haitirewired.wired.com/profiles/blogs/a-new-earthquake-hits-haiti

In addition to its cash-for-work and food-for-work schemes, WFP is expanding its school-feeding programme from its current level of around a half-million children aged six to fourteen years to reach a target of 800,000 across Haiti.
May 15
In Pétion-Ville suburb of Port-au-Prince, a MINUSTAH national staff member was arrested by HNP for verbally insulting an HNP officer.
The body of an unidentified male of approximately thirty years of age was found on Tremarse Avenue in Port-au-Prince. The body had sustained gunshot wounds to the head.
In Jérémy locality (Grand Anse), a 13-year-old girl was raped by a 15-year-old male. The victim was transported to the hospital and an investigation was opened.

May 16
Two bodies were discovered in Fort National.
A 46-year-old man was murdered by a 70-year-old male in the Fontamera 27 area of Port-au-Prince.
In Arcahaie, an escaped prisoner was arrested and was detained by the HNP pending further investigation.

When comparing Situation Reports, note
(a) #s of population served by each cluster ... for example 2 million get food but 1 million get emergency shelter
(b) appearance of progress from one report to the next ... is the relief treading water, getting to more people, less? Have any problems been permanently solved?

Other organizations are cross-posting Situation Reports, think of them as alternative sources.

https://www.cimicweb.org/cmo/haiti/Needs/Pages/default.aspx

Situation Reports … also see under the various thematic topics of the content of these overviews

Haiti Agriculture News (overall not good)

2010-05-14T19:16:00.003-04:00

Returning Trees, Jobs to Haiti's Eroded Hills. FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf today expressed alarm at the lack of support for Haiti's immediate agricultural needs.The relief effort in Haiti is encouraging youth to work on restoring hillside vegetation, with mixed results.

http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/VVOS-84RLGG?OpenDocument

The UN told the world how much money needed to recover various areas of Haiti.
Funding for agriculture support at EIGHT percent of the appeal

http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/40026/icode/

Some foresee an international food crisis ahead.

http://www.hindu.com/op/2010/04/18/stories/2010041850051200.htm

There is still a failure to restructure aid to rural communities ... 3/4 million people fled Pap to rural areas, nothing to eat, eat seed corn for next farm season, FAO replenishes it, rural refugees still lacking serious aid. Pap gets most aid, compared to SW epicenter more heavily damaged, in proportion.

http://www.fao.org/haiti-earthquake/en/

http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/40177/icode/

More info on Haiti Agriculture cluster
http://oneresponse.info/Disasters/Haiti/Agriculture/Pages/default.aspx

Food
http://oneresponse.info/Disasters/Haiti/Food/Pages/default.aspx

Nutrition
http://oneresponse.info/Disasters/Haiti/Nutrition/Pages/default.aspx

Sexual abuse and exploitation by the UN

2010-05-14T17:55:00.001-04:00

The first reports of sexual exploitation and abuse by UN peacekeepers surfaced in early 2004. Since then, the UN has been active in addressing these issues for the past decade, but the problem still persists. Jocelyne Sambira reports. UN Peacekeepers implicated in corruption
According to a report by the International Peace Research Institute in Oslo, the involvement of peacekeepers in sexual exploitation and abuse has tarnished the image of the UN and undermined the trust of the countries hosting the peacekeeping missions.

http://reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/EGUA-84WRFV?OpenDocument&rc=2

During the last three years from 2007 to 2009, 450 cases of abuse have been reported, and would you believe? Only 29 have been acted upon.

Young girls between the ages of 13 and 18 are often identified as the most common victims of Sexual Exploitation by UN police, military and civilian personnel, the Oslo research paper states..

Transitional Rebuilding

2010-05-14T17:50:00.002-04:00

Building Transitional Shelters from the Ruins of Port-au-Prince. As many as 80 shelters made from plywood, corrugated iron and concrete foundations may eventually be built to house the community of Mangeoire, a poor area of the capital's Pacot district.

http://reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/LSGZ-84WC8E?OpenDocument&rc=2

The structures were designed by IOM architects and engineers to last between 3 and 5 years, and to resist the storms and winds of Haiti's rainy season.

The principle here is to rebuild for people close to their work and traditional neighborhoods.
Cash for work is used for some of the effort.

Potential land tenure issues were sidestepped by a written agreement between the beneficiaries and the local community.

Of course we have already seen that concept violated. One camp had a written agreement that they could stay there for 2 years, then the land owners changed their mind & had the camp evicted, with the police refusing to look at the written agreement.

TWIG Leogane T Shelter - Draft guidelines

2010-05-14T17:48:00.001-04:00

Draft recommendations from Leogane's TWIG on Shelter Construction Cash for Work guidelines. Dear all,
Many thanks to everyone for your participation and contribution to this TWIG.
I tried to come up with basic guidelines reflecting the approach described by the majority of participants in the meeting.
Please feel free to comment and propose changes. I am hopping that we can agree on a final version within beginning of next week and circulate this at the national cluster level to receive their input.

These guidelines aim at harmonizing salary grids for workers, and harmonizing approaches in order not to generate frustration within the beneficiary population.
Note that these guidelines are aimed for shelter construction on individual sites, not for the construction of large camps, where beneficiary participation might be harder to achieve.

1) The preparation of T shelter material, precutting and potential preassembling is done by paid workers or contractors
2) The land preparation is done by the family when possible. If the rubble removal or land preparation requires large manpower or equipment, the NGO may provide assistance through the provision of toolkit, CFW or the intervention of mechanical equipments.
3) The construction / assembling of the shelter is done by a team constituted of one or several paid qualified workers (carpenters, masons), and several non-paid labours from the beneficiary family or community

Other points issues raised :
- Organizations should cover their daily workers or CFW beneficiaries with appropriate insurance
- The Cash for Work scheme is usually restricted to works of public interest. Organization should pay attention to the implications of having CFW beneficiaries working on private housing site clearing or construction

Recommended salaries:
These are the recommended net daily rates in Haitian Gourdes, for 8h work daily:
- Recommended for Labourer = 200 to 250 G
- Recommended for Skilled Carpenter = 600 to 650 G
These shall be subject to periodic revision.

Best regards,

Latest News: March Food Prices April 28, 2010

2010-05-03T17:25:00.003-04:00

Food security deteriorates in areas affected by January earthquake and official figures point at 3 million of malnourished people.

The FAO (UN Food and Agricultural Organization) just came out with a GIWES country report on Haiti, dated April 7, on Food Security

official figures point at 3 million of malnourished people
32% of national population now
25% were in this problem before the quake

The report includes major crop seasons

There's not as much data here as we been seeing from FEWS, but there's stuff here not in FEWS, such as what's happening with the farmers.

Summary
http://reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/SNAA-84Y4QE?OpenDocument&rc=2

Donor's Conference Pledges are getting implemented at perhaps the rate of one a week.

http://www.refondation.ht/index.jsp?sid=1&id=190&pid=126

Malaria is now officially recognized as a major problem in Haiti.
Even with the increased police protection, rape is still epidemic in the camps.
The flooding that I reported as coming west from Dominican Republic. It is now in Cuba.
Soufrière Hills volcano near Haiti is still doing its thing, not as newsworthy as the ash cloud from Iceland.

An Imat Med team member said: If other relief workers have Verizon cell phone carrier, call customer service (611) and tell them they served with a relief organization in Haiti. Verizon will waive the call charges while there. Call before April 30, 2009. I did it this morning, and I can verify that this is NOT a... myth!! They are actually taking the charges off of my bill :)

http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/relief-and-reconstruction-watch/using-food-aid-to-support-not-harm-haitian-agriculture/

Argues that NGOs should be purchasing 100% of Haiti agricultural output, so as to stimulate that economy, instead of food aid undermining it, build it up to be able to feed Haiti, and maybe export some.

http://www.southernstudies.org/2010/03/southern-rice-and-haitian-hunger.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/20/with-cheap-food-imports-h_n_507228.html

http://dailybabel.com/2010/01/15/daily-babel-exclusive-bill-clinton-responsible-haitis-destruction/

Many people have argued that food aid has made it impossible for Haiti agriculture to function, that Haiti has become dependent on food aid, and unable to get out of that reality.

Bill Clinton has acknowledged that under his administration, he pushed for policies that helped American farmers at the expense of Haitian.

Haitian President René Préval -- an agronomist by training -- has said he wants agricultural investment in his country prioritized over food aid.

One of the interest groups on Linked In, which has spread to other places I hang out, is the concept of how to fix the ecology, such as via Biochar. This morning I posted the following to my Facebook page:

Improving our planet is doable in Haiti.
1. Learn about solutions such as Biochar.
2. Promote them such as here
http://www.newcarboneconomy.info/page5.php

3. Use or Implement in person as practical.
Learning about them is a very important first step.

I have been closely monitoring new stuff posted to RELIEF WEB and some relevant topics:

impact of food aid on food prices
what the quake did to Haiti agriculture
its dependence on humanitarian assistance
the quality of that aid

The overall picture is pretty bad.

Is the Red Cross Doing A Good Job?

2010-04-30T14:10:00.007-04:00

There are a number of accusations about the Red Cross' lack of transparency when it comes to the relief effort in Haiti.

I think the Haitian people have spoken clearly through the PDNA process, which included town meetings all over Haiti.
They want THEIR government to be consulted in the spending of money on their nation, and they want their government to be accountable to the voter people of Haiti.
However, this process needs to continue. The actual #s of Haitians, who got to participate in the meetings, were a microscopic fraction of the whole.

I believe the Red Cross, and many other NGOs, are between a rock and a hard place here.
While an astronomical amount of money was pledged, donated, and actually delivered, it is not enough money to

buy the land, that is safe from flooding etc. to relocate the people to;
build there enough for all victims that is safe from hurricanes and quakes;
provide them with basics for survival ... water food medical sanitation etc.
fix up their environment, so they no longer at such risk of landslides, and their farming become productive

rebuild their economy so that the massive unemployment (90%?) can be turned around, and the nation begin to stand on its own feet and participate in the community of nations

Donor Nations, via the UN, pledged in excess of $ 11 billion to rebuild Haiti, but not one penny of that has been delivered yet, and none of it is for protecting the people of Haiti from the next Hurricane Season, or more immediate needs.

I believe what is needed includes:

Vastly superior communication with the people of Haiti, because the current misinformation and lack of information is breeding ground for civil unrest;
Vastly superior communication of funding needs, with flexibility so that for example, if funding is needed to pay Haitians to clear drainage canals, or to renew a contract for trucks to deliver water, we don't have to wait 3 months to see it materialize because the money is available, but has been budgeted for something less urgent.
Gov of Haiti enact some rulings about human rights for the displaced, and an appeal process for people who are asked to pay what they think are bribes to be able to bring in humanitarian aid.

http://www.redcross.org/www-files/Documents/pdf/international/Haiti/HaitiEarthquake_ThreeMonthReport.pdf

BIM_LOD_Owner_Relationships_Tiny.ppt

INTOSI_Audit_Workplan_1946211.pdf

Haiti is on a collision course with additional crises. There are many challenges with lots of talk but little or no action yet, reported by the mainstream media. I think the info in the UN NGO clusters is a great window into what's happening on the ground in Haiti, that is failing to be communicated to the people of Haiti, and thus providing fuel for Civil Unrest.

Hurricane Shelters in time for Hurricane Season
Numerous relief operations halting because funds ran out

Transition from Aid Dependency to Productive Economy where GoH is calling for the people to get there via Cold Turkey (stop distribution of basic necessities to homeless jobless individuals)

Mass Vaccinations are under way, concurrent with a steady rise in various diseases associated with sanitation not yet fully repaired, combined with rainy season flooding camps etc.

As we have seen in news stories I posted to HEDR-CA (and they fall off into LI "archives"), corruption is not exclusively the province of the GoH, or other nations where there is humanitarian effort. It is found across the spectrum, also including UN military, UN personnel, NGO personnel, Church groups, land owners, private corporations, foreign government actors, the very structure of how the aid is delivered. Solutions are at risk of perpetuating corruption, if they are designed by people who think all the corruption is in leaders of a government, or employees of a government, in denial that it is a weakness of human character which can occur anywhere.

In the current structure, NGO's can only deliver aid some place with the permission of:

GoH border personnel (can demand bribes before cargo enter nation)

GoH national government (weak, just tell them what you plan)

GoH local government (can prohibit certain types of aid to certain types of people)

UN military which has declared some zones "red" (don't help anyone there)
Gangs in opposition to GoH & the UN forces (relief workers get security escort)

Private owners of the land on which the victims are to be served (may need bribes before relief is delivered)

Here is map, from Red Cross report on WHERE in Haiti the money was spent, as of reports to date.

http://www.redcross.org/haiti

Symbols on the map show the type of aid given where.
The UN has been pushing identification of camps with a system of SSID (Camp id assigned by UN) P-code (like a zip code in Haiti), but this is a recent change. Previously different efforts promoted GPS coordinates and Longitude Latitude (occasionally included Elevation), so because of transition in what the UN calls for, and quality of communicating the latest requirements, different map systems have inconsistent ways to correlate the data.

Your grievance is shared by many people, but the information is out there. I suspect part of the problem is news media stories that fail to give good links to information provided by the Red Cross, failure of the Red Cross to have good links on their own pages to information people are looking for, and the explosion of different kinds of software needed to access all the relevant data.

The people of Haiti need to have decent news media that can reach them where 1st world infrastructure like cell phones and Internet wi fi has not yet been brought up. The Red Cross is the largest of 10,000 NGOs serving Haiti, where over 90% of them choose not to share good info on what they are doing, with UN, Haiti, or the world in general. The Red Cross is in fact sharing info in periodic reports available from their web sites, and also posted to Relief Web

http://reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/doc106?OpenForm&view=rwlusppublished&po=72&rc=2&offset=0&hits=50&sortby=rwpubdate&sortdirection=descending

to share with the entire humanitarian community.

The UN NGO relief effort is organized into industry clusters.
http://oneresponse.info/Disasters/Haiti/Pages/Clusters.aspx

People who drill down into them can find what NGOs are reporting their activity where in Haiti, such as the Red Cross. They are all over the place.

RFA: American Red Cross Haiti Transitional Shelter Programming

2010-04-30T13:55:00.005-04:00

RFA: American Red Cross Haiti Transitional Shelter Programming
The American Red Cross is launching a Request for Applications (RFA) to fund up to $30 million dollars in programming for transitional shelters in Haiti. This RFA focuses on the transitional and host family support shelter component of ARC’s assistance program. Please refer to the attached RFA for a more detailed explanation of the goal, scope and expected outcomes.

Due Date: Due to the pending rains and hurricane season, the need to expedite transitional shelter programming is urgent. Applications to this RFA are due on May 7, 2010 10pm EST.

Delivery: Completed applications should be sent to HaitiShelter@usa.redcross.org. Confirmation of receipt will be sent to all applicants.

Questions/Comments: Programmatic questions or comments regarding the RFA should be submitted to HaitiShelter@usa.redcross.org no later than April 30, 2010 5pm EST. A consolidated response will be provided to all applicants.
We request that you distribute this RFA to the participants in the shelter cluster and post it on the cluster website.

American Red Cross Haiti Transitional Shelter RFA 2010.pdf

Annex 1 ARC Haiti Cluster Shelter Technical Guidance.pdf

Annex 2 ARC Haiti Partner Proposal Guidelines.pdf

Annex 3 ARC Haiti Budget template.xls

Annex 4 ARC Haiti Partner Grant Agreement.pdf

Thank you very much,
The American Red Cross, International Services Department
Haiti Assistance Program

Vector Borne Disease Group Minutes - 4-23-2010

2010-04-30T13:14:00.003-04:00

• a reported outbreak of malaria in Grand Goave. .
• National Sentinel Sites still be reporting on suspected cases only, and not confirmed cases.
• CDC/MSPP Quality Assurance study completed data collection. Results in a couple of weeks.

• MENTOR, and previous employees/volunteers recommended by PNCP, are implementing a larval surveillance exercise and are identifying productive containers for aedes larvae.
• WASH reporting format will include larviciding of latrines and small bodies of water as well as environmental management.
• it was confirmed that zones of high transmission (Petit Goave, Grand Goave, Leogane) should be priority for LLINs not already allocated for a specific camp.

• PNCP was at a regional conference for DR and Haiti last week and discussed several plans and strategies:
o May 2010-2012 move towards harmonizing national strategies
o Chloroquine studies to take place
o Evaluate the effectiveness of non-microscopic confirmation (including RDT)
o Continued discussion on the role of primaquine in the treatment of malaria
o G6PD deficiency studies to take place
o Apply policies related to the studies above
o Improve electronic surveillance
o Epidemiological and Entomological study of LLINs

Vector Borne Disease Group Minutes - 23 AVril 2010
Case Management and Epidemic Surveillance:
• Surveillance: there was a reported outbreak of malaria in Grand Goave. The MSPP and Cubans responded with fogging, larviciding and entomological investigation. There may also be increased cases in Petit Goave. Note: surveillance meetings are open for attendance and held at LNSP Mondays and Thursdays at 9:30am.
• NGOs delivering health services that would like to report on increased cases should report to:
• The National Sentinel Sites appear to still be reporting on suspected cases only, and not confirmed cases. Could Aaron from the CDC see if this can be changed?
• Diagnostics: a 1-week training will be organized by LNSP to assist NGOs in developing their microscopic capacity. MENTOR will try to recruit technicians from NGOs to attend and the LNSP will train the technicians at the National Lab. If an NGO has not hired a technician, the LNSP has names of individuals that could be hired by NGOs.
• CDC/MSPP Quality Assurance study completed in terms of data collection
Vector control:
• There is still no confirmation from PAHO on whether or not there is BTi available or whether or not it will be made available for larviciding large bodies of water. The Cubans appear to be using BTi, but its origin was unknown by the group.
• MENTOR and previous employees/volunteers recommended by PNCP are implementing a larval surveillance exercise and are identifying productive containers for aedes larvae.
• It was recommended that Dr. Pierre-Louis of the DPSPE and WASH cluster partners should be in contact regarding fly control.
• Noted that the reporting format for WASH cluster partners will include larviciding of latrines and small bodies of water as well as environmental management.
Prevention:
• LLIN sub-working group met and drafted some guidelines soon to be made available for NGOs to utilize when implementing distribution campaigns. Note that UNICEF’s 400,000 LLINs are expected 20 June. MENTOR’s 30,000 LLINs are expected in the first week of May. Again it was confirmed that zones of high transmission (Petit Goave, Grand Goave, Leogane) should be priority for LLINs not already allocated for a specific camp.
• A meeting is planned in the upcoming week for Pauline from the Hygiene Sub-Cluster and Dr. Pierre-Louis to meet to confirm a package of IEC/BCC materials that can be used by all partners. This meeting is open to all partners interested in attending however the date is not yet confirmed.
Announcements:
• The National Pest Management Association of the USA was invited by the Ministry of Environment to assess this situation in Haiti. They are interested in assisting where they can and will be in-country in the first week of May.
• MENTOR provided information on Vestergaard products, including the ZeroFly, Insecticide treated plastic sheeting, for those interested.
• The PNCP was at a regional conference for DR and Haiti last week and discussed several plans and strategies:
o May 2010-2012 move towards harmonizing national strategies
o Chloroquine studies to take place
o Evaluate the effectiveness of non-microscopic confirmation (including RDT)
o Continued discussion on the role of primaquine in the treatment of malaria
o G6PD deficiency studies to take place
o Apply policies related to the studies above
o Improve electronic surveillance
o Epidemiological and Entomological study of LLINs
• Next VBD meeting will be held in two weeks time on 7 May 2010.

4-22-2010 UN launches website to track Haiti aid use

2010-04-30T11:18:00.004-04:00

The site, a joint project between the UN Development Programme and the Haitian government, will promote efficient spending while "ensuring transparency and accountability of the use of their funds," a UN statement said.

http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/article.php?news_id=22757

"The system tracks the money from pledge to impact," the statement added.

UN Resident Coordinator Nigel Fisher said the project would serve two key constituencies.

"We believe it addresses all the concerns of the international community as to how the funds will be spent, by whom and for what," he said.

"It also provides a portal through which the people of Haiti can monitor use of the funds and hold their elected representatives accountable for how those funds are spent."

This is money pledged by the individual nations. It does not apparently yet include money to non-profits, and by private corporations.