The following three articles from the Canadian Press, Toronto Star and CBC News report on the January 11, 2012 aid announcement by the Canadian government. They are followed by three items in an appendix.
* Canada will contribute $20 million to relocating 5,000 survivor camp residents from camps in the center of Port au Prince. Much of this will go to President Martelly's program to subsidize rents for one year to a maximum of $500 per family unit. An undetermined amount of the Canadian pledge will repair homes, and little appears to be earmarked for new home or neighbourhood construction. Concerning new homes, see the brief appendix at the bottom of this e-mail written by the Senior Researcher of OXFAM America. He writes that in the past two years, 100,000 temporary shleters have been constructed in Haiti and less than 5,000 new homes have been built. Of course, to the extent that Canadian aid money will safely house people, repair homes and allow for training of Haitians in home repair adn consturciton, the new program is to be welcomed.
* Differing figures are being reported in Canada on the state of aid funding, including how much has been delivered to Haitian institutions for decision and disbursement. The Toronto Star editorial below cites Michaelle Jean in saying that 'less than two per cent' of aid money "has gone into the Haitian treasury and to Haitian-run reconstruction agencies." CBC has stated throughout its earthquake anniversary reporting that "less than one per cent" of aid funds have gone to Haitian agencies. This is all muddled, which does not help to identify the needs in Haiti going forward, including the raising of additional funds, as needed. We will write on this subject in the near future. In the meantime, here are a few figures to keep in mind:
- The UN Office of the Special Envoy on Haiti is providing ongoing reporting of aid figures. According to it, some $2.4 billion in emergency aid was delivered to Haiti in the months following the earthquake. Of that, less than one per cent ($20 million) was delivered to agencies of the Haitian government or civil society.
- At the international donors conference for Haiti held in New York City in March 2010, $4.5 billion was promised to Haiti by national governments and multilateral agencies (ie UN and others) for recovery for the two years 2010/11. Of that, about half has been delivered or committed, and in turn, 12 per cent of that has or will be be managed by Haitian institutions.* An additional $655 million has been pledged to Haiti by governments and multilateral institutions outside the framework of the New York conference; the Office of the Special Envoy does not report results from those pledged amounts.
- Approximately $3 billion of private donations was raised for emergency aid and recovery for Haiti. Exact amounts and results are unknown. Of the $3 billion, the largest fundraiser was the International Red Cross and its affiliates, raising $1.14 billion. As of Sept 30, 2011, 48 percent was spent.
1. Haiti recovery progress ‘disappointing’ two years after earthquake: Ottawa
By Andy Blatchford, Canadian Press
Toronto Star, January 11, 2012
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/1113809--haiti-recovery-prog…
MONTREAL—The Canadian government is expressing disappointment over Haiti’s plodding reconstruction two years after a powerful earthquake slammed the fragile island nation. But that doesn’t mean the Caribbean country hasn’t shown signs of progress amid the debris, International Co-operation Minister Bev Oda added before she left for Haiti ahead of the second anniversary of the Jan. 12, 2010 temblor.
The 7.0-magnitude quake killed more than 200,000 people, injured 300,000 and left 1.5 million Haitians homeless.
“Generally, I think we’re all disappointed at the rate of progress, that we had expectations (that) have not been met,” Oda said in a recent interview. “(We’re) disappointed that so many situations have caused delay. Would I have liked to have seen more progress two years later? Absolutely, yes.”
Oda blamed much of Haiti’s hobbled reconstruction on hurdles that surfaced after the quake, including a paralyzing, months-long political crisis and an ongoing cholera epidemic that had struck 520,000 people and killed 7,000 by mid-December.
One example of the slower progress, she said, are the tarps and rickety shelters in numerous displacement camps that popped up in areas hit hardest by the quake, including the capital Port-au-Prince. Oda had hoped that conditions would have improved enough to enable more homeless Haitians to vacate those tent camps by now. Today, some 500,000 people still live in the squalor and dangers of the encampments — a figure that does represent some improvement. One million were living in tents last year, on the first anniversary of the earthquake.
With the help of billions of dollars in international aid, the country has taken modest strides forward over the last 24 months. About half the rubble from the disaster — a mind-boggling five million cubic metres, or enough to fill five football stadiums — has been removed. Twenty per cent of it has been recycled, according to the United Nations Development Programme.
UNDP associate administrator Rebeca Grynspan said the massive cleanup was a big part of some 300,000 temporary jobs created in Haiti, where the unemployment rate hovers around 60 per cent. She called it the “largest job-creation program in the world.” The organization is now focusing on creating longer-term employment.
Canada has committed more than $1 billion to Haiti through its regular foreign development initiatives, one-third of which had already been promised before the earthquake. The final total includes Ottawa’s $220-million pledge to match the private donations from ordinary Canadians after the disaster. Only Afghanistan ($214 million) received more Canadian International Development Agency funding than Haiti ($209 million) for long-term development and reconstruction during the 2010-2011 fiscal period.
“I think that we have to recognize that there has been progress and some key progress has been made,” Oda said.
But a Canadian official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Ottawa should use more of its clout to combat endemic corruption within Haiti’s political system. “I think that Canada could, in concert with the U.S. and other donors, take a harder stance and tougher wake-up call positions to the government of Haiti,” the influential official said. “I think that we pander to them a little bit more than we have to.”
Instead of creating sustainability and economic development in Haiti, the source said the international community continues to foster dependency. The official credited Canada for undertaking projects in good faith, such as building a new hospital, improving road infrastructure, training police and providing hundreds of thousands of meals to kids every day. “The problem is just the Haitian context makes it extremely challenging to see progress in a really tangible way or very quickly,” said the official, who believes Canadian donations are still making a difference. “For that, I think people just need to be patient.”
But one area where CIDA should reassess efforts is within its “capacity-building” programs, designed to strengthen Haiti’s government departments, he said. The weak Haitian state remains just too corrupt, the key official added. “There are some good people right at the top, but once you skim the surface of the Haitian public service there is no one below it, there’s no direction, there’s no capacity to build,” said the source, who suggested that more funding be redirected to address basic human needs.
The official asked how, with hundreds of millions of dollars pouring in from around the world, most Haitians still don’t have easy access to clean drinking water or dehydration salts, for those suffering from cholera.
For her part, Oda said shoring up Haiti’s government ministries, by introducing tools like budget procedures, will help address corruption concerns. CIDA, she said, already has one of the most rigorous processes of any similar development agency to ensure money is actually being spent where it’s supposed to be. It has also managed to get more money out the door, more quickly, than some of its peers, Oda said. To date, the UNDP says $3.5 billion of $5 billion in international pledges has been disbursed.
Oda said Canada has already transferred around 90 per cent of its pledged funds, giving it one of the best disbursement rates of any donor. By comparison, the U.S. had only disbursed around 58 per cent of its pledge by December, according to the UN.
During her visit to Haiti this week, Oda has planned a series of meetings with President Michel Martelly, Prime Minister Garry Conille and ministers of Haiti’s new government. She is scheduled to hold a joint news conference Wednesday with Martelly, a popular musician known as “Sweet Micky” who came to power in May following months of political chaos created by election fraud.
Conille took office last fall following five months of political deadlock in the Senate, after lawmakers rejected Martelly’s two previous nominees for prime minister. The absence of a fully functioning government had hindered Martelly’s ability to govern — a delay that also slowed post-quake reconstruction. “We now have to look forward on a going-forward basis and say, ‘We have a new president, new prime minister, new government and the Haitian government has indicated that they want to take on more of the responsibility of reconstruction themselves,’” Oda said.
2. Haitian government should handle more aid money
Editorial, Toronto Star, January 13, 2012
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/article/1115286--haitian-government-should-handle-more-aid-money
Haitians cheered Canada’s pledge of $20 million to restore the once-lovely Champ de Mars park in Port-au-Prince that faces their ruined parliament buildings. It was a fitting way to mark the second anniversary of the earthquake that shattered the country. Some 5,000 families who have been camped out in the park will get permanent homes. And it will help buck up local pride.
Equally important, this aid will create 2,000 construction jobs removing debris and repairing houses, International Co-operation Minister Bev Oda reports. It will save 500 small businesses run mostly by women. And it will train workers in building skills. Ask Haitians what their three top priorities are, and many would answer: “Jobs, jobs, jobs.” This project dovetails with their most urgent need.
That’s something former governor general Michaëlle Jean was eager to reinforce on her visit to Haiti this week. She bemoaned the country’s “corrosive” dependency on aid, and invited foreign donors and investors alike to “bet on the dynamism” of Haiti’s workforce. She also pointed out that the time has come for Canada and other donors to channel far more aid through local hands.
President Michel Martelly’s new government is only just finding its feet, and donors are right to be wary of corruption and waste. But as Jean noted, barely 2 per cent of the roughly $3 billion in aid that Canada and other donors have delivered so far (about half what was pledged) has gone into the Haitian treasury and to Haitian-run reconstruction agencies. As Canada and other donors roll out the other half of their pledges, they should bankroll more genuinely Haitian-run projects, provided it can be done transparently.
Haiti has long been thought of as an “aid agency republic.” But Canada, a major donor giving more than $1 billion in assistance, promised to help Haitians “build back, better.” Honouring that pledge includes giving more Haitians the chance to step up and take the future in their own hands.
Poor security in camps leads to risks of violence, sexual assault
By Laura Payton, CBC News, Jan 11, 2012
Canada is going to help about 20,000 Haitians find rental housing or repair homes damaged in a 2010 earthquake, International Co-operation Minister Bev Oda says.
The $19.9 million project to resettle families still living in Champs de Mars, a park across from Haiti's parliament building in Port-au-Prince, will exhaust the $220 million Haiti Emergency Relief Fund set up after the quake, Oda said Wednesday. Oda made the announcement the day before the two-year anniversary of a 7.0 magnitude earthquake that devastated the country, displacing 1.5 million people and destroying 250,000 homes.
Mamoune Destin, 33, and her husband have been living in a tent for two years at a camp for people displaced by the 2010 earthquake in Petionville, Haiti. Mamoune Destin, 33, and her husband have been living in a tent for two years at a camp for people displaced by the 2010 earthquake in Petionville, Haiti. Dieu Nalio Chery/Associated Press The money is expected to be disbursed by March 2012, and is expected to help move 500 informal camp businesses, train 50 entrepreneurs and rehabilitate community services in the two neighbourhoods where residents are resettled. It should also create 2,000 local construction jobs to remove rubble, rebuild and repair damaged houses. In the process, certified construction training will be provided to 240 Haitian workers, a news release from the Canadian International Development Agency says.
"Canada’s commitment to the people who have been suffering for 24 months is that they will be resettled into neighbourhoods, and local small businesses, mostly owned by women, will be registered and re-established in neighbourhoods as well," Oda said in a conference call from Port-au-Prince.
Haitian President Michel Martelly said the Champs de Mars reconstruction sends a signal to Haitians and to the world know that life is getting back to normal, but admitted overall reconstruction has been slow. A five-month delay in parliament approving the prime minister left no government to lead rebuilding, Oxfam said in a report this week.
The country is also still dealing with problems stemming from corruption. Martelly said it will take time to change things, but that he is leading by example.
"We are a new leadership and we understand that one of the reasons why Haiti has been going backwards is because of corruption, [which] has been legalized in the past. One of the fights that we want to have is against corruption. And that’s partly why we have decided to tour the world and talk to the people and reassure them, let them know that things are going to be different. We are a government who is going to be transparent," he said.
"Things are changing. There is a new way of doing business." Gender-based violence in camps underreported
Earlier this week, Oxfam reported that shortfalls in donor country funding for Haiti are endangering half a million people still living in camps following the 2010 earthquake. The report, one of several released by aid agencies around the two-year anniversary of the Jan.12 disaster, raises the issue of violence against women in the camps. Figures released in the report show the UN got only 60 per cent of the money it needed for protection in 2010, and 51 per cent in 2011. That lack of protection funding “has hampered prevention of acts of gender-based violence that up to four per cent of women IDPs [internally displaced persons] have reported.”
There are around 520,000 people living in tents and shelters, down from 1.5 million just after the earthquake.
Even before the earthquake, nearly 80 per cent of Haitians lived below the poverty line, and violence against women was rampant. But security is inadequate in the 758 camps that remain around the country, and rape is one of the problems that comes with that lack of security. Aid groups say they are doing what they can to prevent sexual assaults. Save the Children has trained hundreds of child protection committees to serve as a neighbourhood watch in the camps, the organization’s Haiti country director said. The committees also try to make simple changes to protect the children in camps, such as having them sleep in groups with a couple of parents in the same tent, keeping children away from the tent door, sending them to the bathroom at night in groups and installing better lighting for latrines, he said.
“It continues to be an issue, another reason to try to get people out of these camps and closer to neighbourhoods,” Gary Shaye said. “The camps are probably the most risky situation.” Assaults underreported It's not the same as living in a community, he said, because there's less accountability with strangers who were thrown together in temporary living situations.
Reporting assaults is another problem. The aid community recognizes that incidents are underreported, he said, "because if you report an incident, you also put your family at risk,” and there isn’t always a good place to report rapes and assaults. “You report something, and you could have a gang leader on your doorstep threatening you the next day.”
A spokeswoman for CARE Haiti said they do similar work with community committees, as well as assisting in getting victims to the police and supporting them through the legal process. Mildrede Beliard said the committees are volunteers, but can track the changes they’re making in the camps. They ensure the violence is no longer hidden, she said. “Since we have these committees working in camps with people … we have less cases of rape and violence in communities, in camps,” Beliard said. Related
Appendix (three items)
a. Canada to resettle Haitians from Champ de Mars
Announcement by the Canadian International Development Agency, January 11, 2012
Ottawa, Ontario--Today, on the occasion of the second anniversary of the earthquake in Haiti, the Honourable Beverley J. Oda, Minister of International Cooperation, announced that Canada has committed to resettle 5,000 families (approximately 20,000 individuals) displaced by the 2010 earthquake and restore the Champ de Mars, a major public park in Port-au-Prince, for all Haitians to enjoy once again.
"Canada is proud to be a part of the international efforts to help Haiti as it recovers from the earthquake over the past two years. We are fulfilling our commitment to the Haitian people so they can move forward to building their communities and their country," said Minister Oda. "The Champ de Mars project is a comprehensive Canadian initiative that focuses on the future of Haitian families and businesses as well as restoring a national landmark and place of pride for all Haitians as a public park for all to enjoy."
The project will contribute to the creation of revenue-generating activities and the rehabilitation of two neighbourhoods damaged by the earthquake, by improving basic infrastructure and providing access to essential services such as water and sanitation.
The Government of Canada is providing $19.9 million over two years to finance the resettlement of camp residents.
This project responds to the priority of the Government of Canada and CIDA to support Haiti's post-earthquake reconstruction. Working with the Government of Haiti and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the project will rehabilitate the infrastructure and local economies of earthquake-affected neighbourhoods.
The project will help re-establish and register 500 informal camp businesses (most owned by women), train 50 entrepreneurs, create 2,000 local construction jobs (e.g. for debris removal, rebuilding and repair of damaged houses) in the neighbourhoods where residents will resettle, as well as rehabilitate community services. In the process, certified construction training will be provided to 240 Haitian workers.
On the eve of the second anniversary of Haiti's earthquake, Minister Oda visited Haiti and saw first-hand many results achieved through Canada's commitment to the Haitian people. She also discussed with Haitian government officials long-term development opportunities and challenges facing Haiti. While great needs remain, Canadians should be proud of their contribution which every day, helps improve the living conditions of the people of Haiti. The Government of Haiti recognizes the generosity of all Canadians and Canada's support in many areas, particularly in the immediate response following the earthquake.
For more information, media should contact:
Justin Broekema Press Secretary to the Minister of International Cooperation Telephone: 819-953-6238 Email: justin.broekema@acdi-cida.gc.ca
Media Relations Office Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) Telephone: 819-953-6534 Email: media@acdi-cida.gc.ca
The Housing Action Project in the Champ de Mars responds to a critical need expressed by the Government of Haiti: the resettlement of persons displaced by the 2010 earthquake through the offering of sustainable housing solutions. Facing the destroyed Haitian Parliament building, the Champ de Mars, an important public park, is now one of the four largest camps for internally displaced persons (IDP) in Haiti and provides temporary shelter to 5,000 families (approx. 20,000 individuals).
The Champ de Mars camp is divided into ten zones. The first four zones (1,831 families) are expected to be resettled in the first months of 2012. Six remaining zones (3,169 families) will be resettled over the course of 2012-2013. The resettlement of IDP camp residents currently living in the Champ de Mars will be done according to the relevant human rights norms and standards maintained by the International Organization for Migration.
Through this initiative, registered camp residents will be matched with case workers who will assist them in finding suitable rental accommodation or repairing their houses via the provision of one-year subsidies. Case workers will ensure that every family is fully informed about the housing subsidy support they are entitled to and the timelines for making their decisions. A project information office will be established near the camp to answer questions and follow up on any issues or complaints raised by camp residents.
As Canada's lead implementing partner for this initiative, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will coordinate, with other multilateral organizations, the following activities:
Camp residents' registration, evaluation of individual families' housing needs, provision of rental subsidies to families, and final closure of the Champ de Mars camp; Debris removal in targeted neighbourhoods, demolition of non-reparable houses and reparation of damaged but reparable houses; Training and certification of construction tradespersons, delivery of business support and training for camp entrepreneurs, and provision of relocation subsidies to camp businesses; and Provision of financial support to receiving communities to rebuild essential community infrastructure and services.
While great needs remain, Canadian initiatives are making a difference in the lives of Haitians. Canada is on track to disburse more than $1 billion in Haiti (2006-2012) to implement long-term development and to meet immediate humanitarian and reconstruction needs, which includes Canada's $400-million post-earthquake commitment over two years. Canada has fully earmarked both the $400-million commitment and the $220-million Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund, set up to match eligible donations by Canadians to registered Canadian charities. Canada is delivering on its commitment to Haiti.
- 30 -
b. Housing in post-earthquake Haiti
From an e-mail message on January 15, 2012 to the Corbett mail list by Marc Cohen, Senior Researcher, Humanitarian Policy, Oxfam America:
Only a few units of new housing have been built so far (less than 5,000, while some 250,000 units were damaged or destroyed).* Also, the government has so far not really engaged the capacity of its own public housing agency (the Entreprise Publique de Promotion des Logements Sociaux, or EPPLS) in building affordable housing. Involving EPPLS in a comprehensive shelter strategy would be helpful in generating the types of ideas Lois is looking for.
While around 100,000 transitional shelters have been built, these are not permanent housing. Although they ARE an improvement over tarps and tents, these mainly wooden structures will only be able to withstand a few seasons of Haiti's severe weather.
* CHIP website editor's note: According to the engineering survey of buildings in the earthquake zone conducted by Miyamoto International in the several months following January 12, 2010, app 80,000 buildings were destroyed or damaged beyond repair (20 % of all buildings) while app 110,000 require major structural repair before they can be safe to re-inhabit (26%). Figures from Miyamoto are taken from the 2011 BARR Study.
c. Excerpt from 'Haiti's Slow Road to Reconstruction,' OXFAM International report January 2012
The Haitian government has not moved swiftly and decisively on IDP resettlement. In particular, it remains reluctant to expropriate land for new housing.
The Martelly administration has focused on moving 5,239 IDP fami-lies (30,000 people) out of six camps in public spaces. Most came from 16 poor neighbourhoods in metropolitan Port-au-Prince. Another 28,000 families living in damaged houses in these communities will also benefit from this ‘16/6’ initiative, which gives beneficiaries $500 to rent existing homes and property owners up to $3,500 to repair homes and provide them rent-free to returnees for two to five years. The government will assess the safety of repaired houses. So far, the government has secured only $30m of 16/6’s $78m budget, and overall, donors have disbursed less than half of the $97m pledged for 2010–11 housing reconstruction.
Haiti needs a comprehensive resettlement and housing policy, with a clear timeline for camp exit. 16/6 is but one piece of such a policy. Moreover, it does not make sense to build transitional shelters without a phase-out plan. Otherwise they will become permanent housing. Martelly administration officials concede that, similarly, some camps will likely become permanent.
The government has so far resisted incorporating public housing into its shelter strategy, but this approach could engage the expertise of Haiti’s public housing agency (Entreprise Publique de Promotion des Logements Sociaux, or EPPLS) in building affordable housing. Though lacking in budgetary resources, EPPLS has experience designing structures able to withstand Haiti’s severe weather.
d. Encampments dot Haiti’s landscape
By TRENTON DANIEL, The Associated Press, January 15, 2012 (excerpt)
Martelly’s new administration has begun building two housing projects: 400 homes by the bay and another 3,000 at the foot of a deforested mountain. And Lamothe, the foreign affairs minister, says $40 million in Venezuelan aid will be used to develop the coastal town of Jacmel in hopes of decongesting the capital.
The government’s overall strategy now is to move quake survivors back into their old neighbourhoods even if many of those were slums before the quake. That skirts the land title issue, makes infrastructure cheaper and puts people closer to old friends who might help them find work.
This comes in the form of a housing project in Port-au-Prince called "6/16." The government and aid groups are moving residents of six camps into 16 neighbourhoods to be redeveloped. Several thousand people have already left three settlements, one in a stadium parking lot, the others in middle-class town squares ringed by restaurants, a church and a hotel.
The program seeks to house only five per cent of the displaced population but government officials say it’s a pilot project that they hope to replicate elsewhere.
Residents can pay the landlord a subsidized annual rent of $500, or accept money to build or rebuild their own homes. They are also getting $150 in moving costs.
"Staying in a tent is not an option any more, two years after the earthquake," said Nicole Widdersheim of the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Although it’s more modest than the old ambition of dispersing population to new areas, "6/16" is getting some $125 million in aid, mostly from the World Bank and the World Bank-run Haiti Reconstruction Fund.
Many former camp dwellers have moved into old, boxy apartments in the vast mountainside shantytown called Jalousie. Here young people hum Rihanna hits and fist-bump each other, saying, "respect — Jalousie," a sign that a sense of neighbourhood is taking hold.
Marise Nelson, 26, a pregnant mother of one who received $500 from aid groups to pay a year’s rent, doesn’t miss the camp in the town square which she left after two years. "You couldn’t find food. You couldn’t find water. You couldn’t find a community," said Nelson.