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USAID/OTI Haiti Field Report
October 2004
Program Description
In response to the recent political turmoil in Haiti, in May 2004 OTI initiated the $5 million Haiti Transition Initiative (HTI) with implementing partner, the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The program emphasizes stability-building measures in key crisis areas through the implementation of quick, visible small projects aimed at:
- restoring citizen confidence in the process of political development and positive change;
- empowering citizens and the government to address priority needs in communities; and,
- building cooperative frameworks between government activities and citizens as examples of positive change and progressive political development.
Country Situation
This month was marked by a surge in violence and growing chaos in Haiti that left at least 62 people dead. Most of the trouble centered on areas loyal to former president Aristide. Residents in one such area recently claimed to have seen police summarily kill 13 people. Aristide supporters accuse the police of deliberately targeting them. Haiti's interim Prime Minister, Gerard Latortue, has accused Aristide of orchestrating the violence from afar and announced new measures, including more active policing, to crack down on gangs loyal to him. Many Haitians feel U.N. peacekeepers are doing little to halt the violence and want the interim government to formally reinstate the army Aristide disbanded ten years ago.
With armed insurgents and gangs still in control of many parts of the country, the situation has become an increasingly difficult challenge for the interim government. In Gonaïves, the leader of the gang now known as the Front for National Reconstruction (who also controls the local Port Authority), warned the interim government that it will potentially face a revolt like the one that led to Aristide’s ouster if it fails to quickly rebuild the storm-devastated city. He presented a long list of demands to the government, including the construction of up to 200,000 homes, rebuilding roads, rehabilitating clogged canals, and paying for school fees and uniforms.
In the face of mounting criticism of the slow pace of relief efforts, the U.N. continued to rush hundreds of peacekeepers to Gonaïves in response to the growing violence there. However, the number of police and U.N. peacekeepers remain too low to restore or maintain order and violent attackers armed with guns and machetes have held up several trucks carrying relief supplies on the outskirts of the city. The international effort to provide food and medical aid to survivors has also been set back by the unrest in the capital, where tons of aid has been delayed at the port.
USAID/OTI Highlights
A. Narrative Summary
OTI/Haiti continues to implement activities throughout Port-au-Prince, Saint-Marc, and Petit Goâve. HTI team members meet on a daily basis to discuss individual projects with municipal, community, and ministerial representatives. The program continues to build strong relationships with the various municipalities and develop cooperative agreements with key ministries and national agencies. During the latter half of the month, activities were completed in various communities, including four water kiosks and two electrical installations in Petit Goâve and the rehabilitation of the Simon Bolivar School and main street in the Martissant 1 neighborhood of Port-au-Prince.
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| A water truck repaired with HTI support races to Gonaïves. |
Because of the deteriorating security situation in Port-au-Prince, programmatic emphasis has been on strengthening relationships with government partners. Two projects in Cité Soleil are nearing completion, but HTI staff members have not been able to enter the area to confirm their status. Unfortunately, many local partners have been forced to flee the area, also impeding the program’s ability to monitor activities. HTI engineers, however, continue to receive telephone updates indicating that community members have been able to continue working.
HTI’s presence in Gonaïves is now firmly established, with several projects approved. Tentatively, it will share space and resources with several U.N. entities and serve as a communication hub for both central government representatives and other agencies. A recent success in Gonaïves was achieved through an innovative plan to immediately repair the main water pump. Working with the national water authority (SNEP) and a local NGO, Action Contra La Faim (ACF), HTI supported efforts to move existing, functional equipment to the main pump, while removing and repairing broken equipment. Additional activities are under consideration, including the clean-up of urban drainage canals and schools, income generation through reconstruction activities, and continued repairs to the Gonaïves water system.
B. Grant Activity Summary
| Communes of Port-au-Prince |
21 |
$623,690 |
| Petit Goâve |
11 |
$165,496 |
| St. Marc (includes Gonaïves) |
13 |
$207,332 |
| Total |
45 |
$996,518 |
HTI is often one of just a few programs operating in Port-au-Prince’s most conflict-prone areas, making its presence in these communities critical. This month it collaborated with Aid to Artisans (ATA) to address the chronic problem of trash collection in Cite Soleil and other sensitive neighborhoods. Working in conjunction with four similar grants, an HTI grant was approved to open a small trash collection point in Cite Soleil. In addition to building a partnership between community members and the municipality, the project will create an infant industry in the neighborhood through the sale of recyclables to private enterprises. ATA will also train workers in resource identification and market creation and help assure that the materials are sold.
HTI also initiated a project in Grand Goâve, where a great deal of infrastructure was damaged or looted under the former government and during the recent upheaval. Tensions have been high because several community members protested the nomination of the interim mayor. In an effort to reduce these tensions and improve the profile of the government, this project will provide the government with the means to address citizens’ needs, as identified through a series of meetings with community members and protesters. The grant will support the creation of a community tool bank, including wheelbarrows, shovels, pickaxes, and boots, and community involvement in the implementation of a clean-up system for the town.
Also exemplary of OTI/Haiti efforts to reduce conflict is the repair of a water kiosk in La Hatte, a violent and neglected area of Petit Goâve characterized by great disparity between a small number of rich absentee landlords and the majority of severely impoverished people. Currently, La Hatte is supplied with drinking water twice a week. Those who have storage capacity stock their weekly provision, while poorer families are obliged to get their water from outside the area. A gang has taken root in the community, capitalizing on the population’s feelings of frustration and causing increased insecurity. Working with SNEP, this project will cover the cost of pipe installation for a kiosk, thereby providing a tangible sign of equity and progress. SNEP will provide technical supervision, while the community will contribute labor.
C. Indicators of Success
OTI/Haiti remains focused on working with national and municipal government bodies and vulnerable communities to help rehabilitate key infrastructure and support the processes of political stabilization and community recovery. A sign of the positive impact the program is having surfaced in Petit Goâve where the government has been working with HTI to refurbish kiosks across the city. To many people in Petit Goâve, the debilitated water system has been a symbol of government neglect and ignoring their basic needs. With new taps and improved structures, the city has been able to stop the leaks in the system, ensuring that more water actually reaches the population in a more reliable and sanitary way. The project, moreover, is not only bringing water to the people, it has brought the central government to the people. SNEP representatives worked closely with community members to complete the work, as well as devise a plan for maintenance and sustainability. These fruitful relationships have restored faith in the government which, in turn, has lead to more exciting ideas for improving the city, such as restoring the public market where one of the refurbished water kiosks is located.
Given the persistent insecurity in Haiti, it was inevitable that the HTI program would experience some difficulties. For example, there have been a few security incidents. The first was an attack and robbery of a contracted driver who was delivering materials to a project site in Cité Soleil. More recently, electrical equipment was stolen from a project site storeroom. However, each one of these stories has a happy ending that speaks to the success of the program. The mugged driver was recognized by one of his attackers, who knew of his association with the program. The young man could not stop the attack, but he was able to recover the stolen items and returned them to the driver. The community further responded, independently developing a system of escorts to prevent any similar attacks. In the case of the stolen electrical equipment, the thief struck right after a rainstorm, providing community members with a clear trail in the mud from the storeroom to his house. The equipment was returned to the storeroom and the community devised a plan to secure it. Each “bump in the road,” in short, has been met by a coordinated community/municipality response, with the two working together as they had not done before, and project implementation has moved ahead.
NEXT STEPS/IMMEDIATE PRIORITIES
In the next month, USAID/OTI Haiti will:
- orient and train its new country representative, Merrie Archer;
- informally evaluate the progress and direction of the HTI program; and,
- determine ways to strengthen the program and further integrate it into USAID/Haiti’s existing programs.
For further information, please contact:
Katherine Donohue, OTI Haiti Program Manager, 202-712-0498, kdonohue@usaid.gov
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