The CECI team in Haiti has been tirelessly dealing with the emergency situation since January 13, supported in Canada by our employees and a team of volunteers. Present in Haiti for nearly 40 years, CECI was not only able to meet their contractual commitments to institutional donors, but also provide a rapid and effective response to the January 12, 2010 disaster in a complete and integrated way. CECI succeeded because of its decentralized structure, strong program in Haiti, strong presence across the country, partner networks and the employees’ expertise both at headquarters and in Haiti. All this in close collaboration with the Direction of civil protection, town halls and local citizen committees from the districts.
HAITI, TWO-YEAR REVIEW
Canadians have shown immense generosity: more than $21 million was collected (cash and goods) from people and businesses. This, in addition to the CECI’s 2009-2010 $18 million investment in Haiti as part of its regular program, with contributions from our funding partners: the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the Ministère des Relations Internationales du gouvernement du Québec (MRI) Central Fund Management Agency (CIDA decentralized), the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the International Organization of la Francophonie (OIF), the Union of Quebec Municipalities (UMQ).
- To date, approximately 750,000 people have benefited from our humanitarian actions.
- Overall, through our development projects, we work with almost 4 million people.
From January to April 2010, the goal was to save lives:
- Health services in seven hospitals located outside of Port-au-Prince were improved
- More than 100 volunteer health professionals, a majority from the Haitian community in Canada, were deployed in the field
- More than 1.3 million dollars in medical supplies anddevices were distributed
- 18,000 hygiene and survival kits were distributed
- 150,000 food and drinking water packages were distributed. Finally, local purchases accounted for about 80% of food was distributed ($1.2 million)
- 50,000 people have benefited from the 600 tons of food distributed
- 576 tents, 2186 tarps, about 10,000 blankets were distributed for the construction of temporary shelters
From May 2010, the goal was to rebuild:
- 15,000 temporary jobs were created to rebuild the agricultural infrastructure
- 20 small irrigated areas were rehabilitated in 11 municipalities for the renewal of agricultural infrastructure
- 6,613 women who lost their livelihood received funds to start up their economic activities again
- 362 permanent 24 square meter houses were built
Actions carried out – Prospects for the future
The challenges in Haiti are immense, and our teams continue to work diligently. In the field, more than 185 employees and volunteers, mainly Haitians, together with local authorities and all civil society actors, are actively carrying out all current projects.
Our actions cover half of the Haitian territory. Emergency responses must aim for a faster transition to normality. The goal is to assist local stakeholders better prepare for future relief efforts to victims and efficient sustainable development. Some disasters are unavoidable, but with appropriate measures their effects may be limited. This is what CECI does, in addition to continuing its reconstruction and sustainable development work.
