Professional Documents
Culture Documents
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access to potable water, to the spreading of infections of empty land for camp residents under threat of forced
such as typhoid, tetanus, and malaria, to poor drainage displacement.
in many camps, to too little food and water distribution • Women must be fully integrated into all camp leadership
and assaults on women, the elderly, children and the committees.
disabled during aid delivery. Helping the people in
the camps survive the rainy season has become an • The International community and the Haitian
additional challenge for our humanitarian team. government must immediately address drainage, sanitation,
and security needs for vulnerable populations.
Recommendations for Action
• Camp management and aid delivery structures should
“Haitian civil society is still weak. But we have a lot always include consultation and cooperation with the
to offer, we understand our country and the situation displaced people who are swiftly forming their own
on the ground. We can be a support to strengthened organizations to advocate for their own particular needs.
Haitian government, and help to hold our leaders More attention must be placed on supporting the food and
accountable to the people of Haiti. The Haitian people relief needs for IDP recipient communities and people
must be tapped as the real resource for reforming not living in camps so that moving to a camp is not the
our nation.” Fr. Kawas Francois, S.J., president only way for people to receive minimal food, water, and
of the Jesuit Interprovincial Committee for the livelihood assistance.
Reconstruction of Haiti
• To avert future disasters, cities and towns outside of
• There must be better coordination of food aid, the capital must be armed with the resources to build the
sanitation, water so that all camps are receiving infrastructure necessary to sustain their current populations
appropriate aid on a regular basis. and allow for natural growth. A governance plan based
• The Cash for Food and Cash for Work programs on decentralization of emergency assistance, services and
need to be strengthened and expanded. These address resources, strengthening the capacities of local governments
important psychosocial needs to reduce idleness and and the establishment of mechanisms to ensure the direct
the sense of dependency, as well as meeting food participation of civil society actors outside of the capital
needs. must be ensured.
• Unofficial camps should not be neglected, nor • Despite an established need for continued foreign
disconnected from aid efforts until appropriate living support, the long–term development of the country must be
alternatives have been offered for camp residents. led and carried on by Haitians for Haitians.
The Haitian Government should be asked to use its
eminent domain authority to claim appropriate tracks
For more information – including many more photos and several
videos – please visit http://www.jrsusa.org/voice/haiti2010
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