8- Mercy Corps

8/9/2019 8- Mercy Corps

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JULY 2

mercycorps

UPDATE FROM

Haiti

Tents fll every open space in Port-au-Prince: public parks, empty lots, even trafcmedians. For thousands o earthquake survivors, these crowded camps are the onlyhousing option.

More than 1,500 amilies live in a camp called Carradeux. Lie is not easy inCarradeux, but people get by any way they can, says resident Etzer Dumond, 30.Thousands o us have had to set up camp here because our homes have beendestroyed. Weve lost loved ones, jobs and its hard to know where to begin.

Every day, Mercy Corps is working at Carradeux and 27 other camps to improveconditions and oer survivors a way to begin again. In all, we have provided water,hygiene and sanitation services to 22,000 people. Weve distributed 3,450 hygiene kits,each containing a months worth o household cleaning supplies and toiletries. Wereteaching good hygiene practices like hand-washing and treating water so people canstay healthy even in crowded conditions.

For months, our priority has been to help amilies in the camps prepare or andsurvive Haitis rainy season, which began May 1. Our engineers created ood-mitigation plans to protect Carradeux and other camps. Residents continue to work

From Our Leadership

The strength o the human spiritalways inspires me. Earlier this year,I met with earthquake survivors inPort-au-Prince who, even in thetragedy o losing so many and somuch, were hopeul or a new Haiti.

I am also amazed by people like you.When the January 12 earthquake

struck, you dropped everything tohelp. You sent donations. You setup undraisers. You held vigils. Andstill, you continue to stay involvedto ensure Haiti emerges rom thisdisaster.

With your support, our Haiti teamcontinues to help amilies and setlonger-term recovery in motion.Were improving camp conditions,providing water and giving survivorstemporary jobs. Were givingteachers and parents healthy ways

to address childrens emotionalneeds and restore their sense owell-being. In the impoverishedCentral Plateau, were workingwith communities to build a viableeconomy that supports everyone,including thousands o displacedearthquake survivors.

We oer you this six-month reportas part o our commitment to keepyou updated on our work. Thanks tothe resources you have entrusted

to us, we continue to bring ourunwavering dedication, best ideasand 30 years o experience to helpHaitians rebuild their country.

Neal Keny-GuyerChie Executive Ofcer

Emergency Relief to Port-au-Prince Camps

A 6 -MONTH REPORT

(continued. . . )


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to prevent ooding by digging trenchesand building retaining walls throughMercy Corps cash-or-work program.Our cash-or-work program givessurvivors temporary jobs or our weeksto complete clean-up and inrastructure

projects.

Beore we started the cash-or-workprogram, Carradeux was covered withdebris and trash, and had not receivedmuch help since January 12, saysEtzer, who has been employed in theprogram. Weve cleaned up debris andcovered stagnant puddles that couldbreed mosquitoes. For better drainage,we cleared out existing ditches and dugnew ones. Mercy Corps has helped us

create a saer environment or everyoneliving here, and most importantly they putsome money in our pockets to help usget by.

For many amilies, cash-or-work hasbeen the frst opportunity theyve hadsince the earthquake to earn income.

Mercy Corps preers cash-or-workover traditional emergency distributionsbecause it allows amilies to make theirown decisions about what ood andsupplies they need. Also, their spendingthen directly benefts the local economy.

Useul work boosts morale in camps andalso oers amilies a reprieve rom thedaily stress o fguring out how to gettheir next meal, so they can begin to planor their uture.

Water is available to amilies living in camps, but it can take 30 minutes on ootto reach a vendor and oten they sell water that is not clean. To address thisissue, Mercy Corps has helped set up vendors to provide water to 12 camps andwere distributing vouchers that amilies can redeem there. This voucher systemis an improvement over delivering water to camps by truck because it reinorceseconomic structures already in place and, in some cases, helps orm a watermarket where there wasnt one beore.

Heres how it works: Mercy Corps identifes a water vendor near the camp andensures that the vendor can sell enough clean water to meet the camps needs. Insome cases where there isnt already a vendor, we fnd a nearby household that

has access to water and is interested in starting their own business.

Mercy Corps gives every amily in the camp vouchers to exchange or 10 gallonso water a day. Vouchers are distributed weekly. At the end o the week,Mercy Corps pays the vendor or all the vouchers redeemed.

The voucher programs strength is in its sustainability were creating a market-based system to distribute water. And its a system that will stay in place aterMercy Corps leaves.

A New Way to Deliver Water

Mercy Corps has helped

us create a safer environment

for everyone living here, and

most importantly they put

some money in our pockets

to help us get by.

camp resident

Etzer Dumond

Etzer Dumond (above) is one o 1,500people employed by Mercy Corps cash-or-work program at Carradeux camp.

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Elianne Lazard supervises hercash-or-work team at theCarradeux camp as they clear adrainage ditch under a glaringsun. Like many other survivors,she is grateul to have work todo together. We help each otherthrough the day, says Elianne, 34.

Everyone here is struggling tostart over. Beore January 12, wewerent rich, but we were doingokay, Elianne says o her amily.Lie is very dierent now. Ive lostmy home and my husband. Myfve children have lost their ather.Sometimes I eel like gettingangry, but all we can do is accept

the challenges lie brings andmove orward. Were still here we have to be thankul or that.

Beore the quake, Elianne soldoods like canned milk and riceto support her amily. Today, hercash-or-work wages will go frsttoward eeding her children. Then,she says, The number-one thingI plan to do is to start my smallbusiness again. I have to think

ahead and somehow make thismoney grow. Its the frst lielineIve been blessed with since thattragic day. Thank you to everyonewho supported Mercy Corps tomake this happen.

Mercy Corps has partnered with Fonkoze, Haitis largest microfnance institution, tohelp build a stronger economy in Haiti. To date, Mercy Corps has provided:

500 Fonkoze clients with catastrophic insurance, retroactive to January 12,granting them $128 to use or emergency needs and clearing the balance ontheir loans. With this assistance, 335 clients have already applied or a new loan

Start-up unding to Zan (zaen.org), an online microfnance program thatconnects lenders with small- and medium-sized enterprises in Haiti. Already,200 entrepreneurs have lined up loans or their business ventures.

Providing a Lifeline

Micronance Partner Fonkoze

EMERGENCY RELIEF DISTRIBUTIONS(AS OF JUNE 20, 2010)

WATER

862,500 gallons o clean water,approximately a one-month supplyor 7,255 people (ongoing).

FOOD

One-month ood supply to 5,500amilies. In all, 315 tons o ood,benefting 33,000 individuals.

Two-week rations o rice or5,000 amilies, benefting 25,000individuals.

One-month supply o ood or1,000 patients and personnel atPort-au-Prince General Hospital.

68,000 packages o high-energy

biscuits.SHELTER

Tarps to 1,535 amilies to improvecamp shelters.

EMERGENCY INCOME

Income to 5,960 amilies throughcash-or-work. Our goal bySeptember is to employ

12,000 amilies.HEALTH/SANITATION

Hygiene kits to 3,450 amilies,including a one-month supplyo laundry detergent, soap andother toiletries.

114 temporary latrines in 25camps (ongoing).

TOOLS

9,660 tools such aswheelbarrows, shovels, and

sledgehammers to camps orsite improvements (ongoing).

mercycorps.org


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Harnessing the energy o youngpeople is instrumental inrebuilding a stronger Haiti. Our youthprograms put that belie into actionby addressing young peoples uniquepsychosocial needs and investing in their

development.

Comfort for Kids

Immediately ater the earthquake,Mercy Corps began Comort orKids trainings or parents, teachers,pediatricians, psychologists, socialworkers and other childcareproessionals. These workshops oerpractical ways to help kids heal rom thepsychological trauma they experienced,so they can go on to lead healthy lives.

The workshops have immediate impact,says Mercy Corps psychologist MurielleVolcy. Parents tell us, I didnt knowthis inormation. I didnt know why mychild always had a stomachache or baddreams. Now I know it is stress rom theearthquake and that I can help them withtheir eelings.

Mercy Corps will train a total o 3,150parents and proessionals in Comort or

Kids. They, in turn, will help some 63,000children. Next, Mercy Corps is launchingMoving Forward, a program that willtrain 50 youth workers and coaches at25 organizations to use sports and playwith 1,500 kids to restore their sel-confdence and sense o normalcy.

Mercy Corps has used Comort or Kidsand Moving Forward to help childrenrecover rom many other disasters,including September 11 (2001),

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita (2005),as well as earthquakes in Peru (2007),China (2008) and Chile (2010).

Re-imagining Haiti

Even beore January 12, Haiti struggledwith a weak economy, limited educationalopportunities and severe environmentaldegradation. The destruction caused

by the earthquake only added to thosechallenges. But many Haitians agreethat i there were ever a time to startover, its now.

Mercy Corps is working with Haitianyouth to become active participants in

what many are calling the re-imaginingo Haiti. This all, our youth programplans to bring together 100 Haitianartists and educators to oer artsworkshops to 1,500 youth and culturalevents to more than 5,000 young peopleThrough photography and storytelling,these youth will learn to communicatetheir personal vision or change. Theirartistic sel-expression is a powerulfrst step to taking ownership o the

challenges their communities ace.Mercy Corps is also bringing CinemaUnder the Stars (Sinema Anba Zetwalin Creole) to communities across Haiti.Cinema Under the Stars is a series omultimedia street events that use shortflms, skits and music to share positive,educational messages including thosein our Comort or Kids program withthe public. These interactive events willreach 100,000 people over two months,building morale and strengthening theircommunity bonds.

A Youthful Vision for a New Haiti

1,230 caregivers trainedthrough Comort or Kids tooer psychosocial support to24,600 children. In all, well train3,150 adults, assisting some63,000 children.

3,000 Comort Kits delivered(containing a blanket, toys,and toiletries).

Upcoming Distributions:

5,000 copies o the Comort orKids acilitators guide WhatHappened to Our World tohospitals, schools and otherorganizations.

10,000 copies o the My

Earthquake Story childrensworkbook to local organizations.

1,000 Sesame Street DVDsto local organizations inpartnership with SesameWorkshop, eaturing originalcontent that addresses theneeds o Haitian children.

Youth Program

Accomplishments

to Date:

Parents in a Comort or Kids workshoplearn how to best respond to theirchildrens post-earthquake emotionaland physical needs.

Fleurismus Valine, 10, who attends the arttherapy program Childrens Place, is justone o the many children weve helpedthrough Comort or Kids.


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An estimated 90,000 earthquakesurvivors ed Port-au-Prince toHaitis Central Plateau. Even beore thequake, this was one o the countryspoorest regions. Its agricultural economyhas suered rom environmentaldegradation and poor inrastructure.Many amilies lack access to a latrineand walk great distances or water.

Yet, ollowing the earthquake, thesehouseholds opened their doors tohomeless riends and amily romPort-au-Prince even, in some cases,to strangers. At times, there is nothingthey can oer except a blanket and aspot on the oor.

To ease the hardships in the CentralPlateau, Mercy Corps is providing

immediate fnancial assistance throughcash-or-work programs or both thedisplaced earthquake survivors and theamilies who took them in.

The strategy behind all our activities inthe Central Plateau, however, is long-term: To revitalize the rural economy sopeople can make a living. I there arejobs, people can choose to stay, rather

than returning to the crowded conditionsin Port-au-Prince.

Mercy Corps is now hiring the frsto 20,000 amilies or cash-or-workprojects in Central Plateau. Theseprojects give a member o eachhousehold 30 days o employment on a

community-selected project geared atimproving inrastructure or agriculturalproduction, such as rehabilitating roads,armland or irrigation. We are also givingcash grants o $128 to 7,000 hostamilies to take care o their urgentneeds or ood and household supplies.

In the next 12 months, Mercy Corps alsoplans to provide materials to 10,000displaced and host amilies to improvetheir homes and temporary shelters

in the cities o Mirebalais, Hinche andSaint-Marc. Families will receive avoucher they can redeem rom localvendors or tools, building supplies,mattresses, or additional cookware.During that time, we also plan to givevouchers to another 5,000 amilies orsupplies that will help them begin anew trade or business, such as sewingmachines or beehives.

Bringing Help to Haitis Rural Economy

CENTRAL PLATEAURESPONSE

By December 2010

Cash-or-work or 20,000households o displacedearthquake survivors and hosamilies.

Cash grants o $128 to7,000 host amilies to meetthe urgent needs o theirexpanded households.

mercycorps.org


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Mercy Corps helps people in theworlds toughest places turn thecrises o natural disaster, povertyand conict into opportunitiesor progress. Ater meeting themost urgent needs, we beginworking to help amilies recoverand gain long-term stability andprosperity. Driven by local needs,our programs provide communitieswith the tools and support theyneed to transorm their own lives.Our worldwide team o 3,700proessionals is improving the liveso 16.7 million people in more than40 countries. For more inormation,visit mercycorps.org.

>To learn more about

Mercy Corps work

in Haiti please visitmercycorps.org/Haiti

One o the frst groups that Mercy Corps assisted in the CentralPlateau was displaced students who let Port-au-Prince aterheir universities collapsed. We gave them temporary cash-or-

work employment surveying local amilies to fnd out how manyisplaced people they were hosting and what their needs were.

With the wages they earned, the students bought ood andother necessities. Some sent a portion to amily members livingelsewhere. The students valued the work as well as what theylearned about their country and neighbors in the process.

Voices of Hope & Resolve

Mose Mackendy, 23Everyone is suering. When a hostreceives a displaced person, both live witha little more difculty. But at the sametime, the hosts are doing it wholeheartedly.Some are selling possessions or livestockto help these people. And they do it witha smile. Beore the earthquake I wasdisappointed with how things were goingin Haiti, but now I understand I must take aposition and be one o the people who will

make Haiti dierent.

Cassandra Augustin Georges, 22

One woman I spoke to said that she lostall three o her kids on January 12. Nogoodbyes. These kids had been taking careo her by sending money rom the city. Sonow she has nothing, no way to get by. Igave her some o my own money, I was sotouched by her situation. The experiencechanged me. I understand the necessity

to do good to others. I I have somethingmore, I must share it.

Buldrine Pierre, 24

I came upon several poor armers whohad received a lot o amily rom Port-au-Prince, but really did not have any meansto eed them. The drought is hard. Theycant plant. They cant fnd water. It saddensme when I see that people dont have anyway to make a living. Beore January 12, Istudied agronomy in Port-au-Prince. I hopeto help put this land to productive use soit eeds people. I want to be a leader ordevelopment in Haiti.

CRISIS TO OPPORTUNITY

45 SW Ankeny StreetPortland, OR 97204

888.842.0842mercycorps.org

Update from Haiti 2010 Mercy Corps All rights reserved.

Writer/Editor: Lisa Hoashi

Production: Jennifer Dillan

Design: Geena Min

Mercy Corps is a tax-exempt agency, IRS Code 501(c)3.

Photo Credits

Cover: Miguel Samper for Mercy Corps

Page 2: Fabiola Coupet/Mercy Corps, Miguel Samper forMercy Corps, Nancy Farese for Mercy Corps

Page 3: Fabiola Coupet/Mercy Corps, Cassandra Nelson/

Mercy Corps

Page 4: Nancy Farese for Mercy Corps

Page 5: Fabiola Coupet/Mercy Corps

Back cover: Fabiola Coupet/Mercy Corps

8- Mercy Corps

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