Haiti earthquake and recovery – extended appeal


September 22, 2011

Photo: Chris Herlinger/CWS

Photo: Chris Herlinger/CWS

Appeal # 6762
Appeal Amount for Phase II – $2,171,229
Funds Remaining As of August 2011 for Phase I – $880,884
Funds Needed – $1,290,345

CWS response:

A year and a half after the devastating January 2010 earthquake in Haiti, CWS continues to support Haitians in rebuilding their country.  During the first phase of work ending in December 2011, and working through local organizations, CWS has successfully implemented programs to address the needs of some of the most vulnerable in the country, and has also developed reconstruction projects that are providing much-needed housing for hundreds of displaced families.

As part of the second reconstruction phase, and the goal of “building back better,” projects will now have a disaster-risk reduction approach, to minimize future impacts of disasters.

CWS will continue to focus on the following initiatives:

  • Reconstructing permanent housing
  • Repairing institutional centers
  • Supporting agricultural sustainability
  • Addressing the needs (education, nutrition, counseling) of vulnerable children
  • Supporting economic recovery within Haiti
  • Empowering people with disabilities
  • Implementing disaster risk reduction strategies
  • Supporting local climate change initiates
  • Advocating for a more just Haiti both inside and outside the country
  • Empowering Haitian accountability efforts

This expanded appeal summarizes CWS efforts described in earlier appeals, but is now for a period of 3 ½ years, ending in June 2013.

I. PROVIDE HOUSING REPAIR TO VULNERABLE FAMILIES

CWS has developed the only program in Haiti providing permanent housing solutions for people with disabilities.  The program has already repaired 150 houses in the Port-au-Prince area, and is co-funded by Mennonite Central Committee.

CWS will continue to repair homes for people with disabilities in Port-au-Prince.  The budget to repair 120 houses is $365,000.

II. BUILD NEW HOUSING TO SUPPORT RURAL AREAS

After the earthquake, CWS supported two camps in the rural communities of Gantier and Boen, and eventually helped the displaced return to their home sites.  Then, a CWS-funded project helped repair the homes of those who needed repair.  Now, CWS will help fund the construction of new homes in these communities.  The project, led by Christian Aid, will build 40 houses and has a budget of $400,000.

CWS contribution to the project will be $75,000.

III. REBUILD INSTITUTIONS TO STRENGTHEN THE COMMUNITY

While reconstruction efforts typically focus on individual families, grassroots organizations often lack support to rebuild their facilities.  CWS will use its existing repair project system to repair, reconstruct and improve a small group of institutions.

CWS will support:

1.   Disabled Persons Organizations.  CWS will repair the facilities of three local disabled persons organizations, very small groups that often use their space for vocational training and meetings.  This will empower people with disabilities and support local institutions that represent them.
2.  Educational Centers.  CWS will repair and renovate the buildings of five members of the grassroots Aba System Restavek, known as the ASR network, organizations that serve at-risk and “restavek” children who work as domestic servants.  This will ensure that these children have safe spaces in which to learn.

All repairs and improvements will ensure that the buildings are earthquake-resistant and can serve as hurricane shelters, as a means of disaster risk reduction.  If the organization rents space, CWS will work with the landlords to ensure that the organization will be allowed to stay in the building after the repairs, and the legal process will be followed to ensure such agreements are legally binding.

The budget to repair three disabled persons organizations institutions will be $80,000.  The budget to repair five educational centers will be $120,000.

IV. SUPPORT 13 FARMER COOPERATIVES AND THE DISPLACED

CWS will continue to support 13 agricultural cooperatives in the Northwest and l’Artibonite regions where thousands of displaced persons fled after the earthquake.  The program provides increased microcredit, training and technical assistance to the coops.  These remote areas are extremely vulnerable to natural disasters, especially hurricanes, and communities are often left alone to deal with such disasters because of their distance from the capital and major cities.

CWS will support:

1.   Increased micro-credit, training, and technical assistance to expand coop services, enabling them to better integrate displaced persons as new coop members.
2.   The construction of cooperative centers, buildings that will serve as coop offices on a regular basis, and as hurricane shelters when necessary.  Five coops already have funding for such centers, and with this new funding, the other eight will have such a center.
3.   An initiative for “documenting change” in the coops, to record the impact of the program on communities.

The budget to build eight cooperative centers is $121,000.  The budget to support the coops for one year, and documenting change, is $265,880.

V. PROTECT VULNERABLE CHILDREN AND YOUTH

CWS supports organizations that serve at-risk children, including “restavek” children.  These organizations provide essential protection by offering these children educational opportunities and teaching the community about the rights of children.  The ASR network includes 18 of these organizations and provides services for hundreds of children.

CWS will support: local partner FOPJ, the Ecumenical Foundation for Peace and Justice, which provides basic education, vocational training, life skills and emotional support to restaveks and other at-risk children.  CWS will also support the ASR network, which is united for advocacy, training and capacity building activities.  CWS will support the network to provide protection training, conduct a baseline nutritional study of involved children and implement nutrition efforts based on recommendations and exchanges with other children’s networks in the region.

The budget to support FOPJ’s educational programs is $30,000.  The budget to support ASR is $105,940.

VI. EMPOWER PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

Since the earthquake, CWS has supported people with disabilities through cash assistance, livelihoods support, psycho-social activities, counseling and grassroots advocacy in religious communities.  The program will continue, with emphasis on livelihoods, including scholarships for people with disabilities to attend vocational schools.  Psycho-social aspects and outreach to religious communities will also continue.  The program will be based in Port-au-Prince but will also expand to four new areas, including Léogâne, the epicenter of the earthquake.

CWS will support:

1.   Livelihoods support, in the form of capital to start a small business, business management training and scholarships for attending vocational schools
2.   Psychosocial support, including counseling and empowerment activities
3.   Outreach to churches and religious communities to encourage integration of people with disabilities

The budget for this program is $530,880.

VII. SUPPORT DISASTER RISK REDUCTION EFFORTS

In addition to repairing institutions as a means of disaster risk reduction, or DRR, CWS will provide training to partner agencies in DRR to strengthen communities capacity to minimize the impact of future disasters.  The budget for DRR trainings will be $20,000.

VIII. ADDRESS CLIMATE CHANGE AND ENVIRONMENT

CWS will support a joint project developed by the ACT Haiti Forum to address climate change and the environment.  The project will fund local initiatives to reduce the impact of climate change and improve the environment in Haiti.  Outreach and training will also be done to strengthen the local communities ability to confront climate change and environmental issues.  The total budget of the ACT project will be over $500,000, with ACT members contributing toward the budget.  The budget for CWS’s contribution to this initiative will be $30,000.

IX. ADVOCATE INTERNATIONALLY

CWS, in collaboration with Christian Aid, is focusing on Haiti advocacy efforts in Washington, D.C. and within other international contexts.  CWS will continue these advocacy efforts while developing new approaches to address changing realities in Haiti.  Specifically, advocacy efforts will be expanded beyond Washington, D.C. to begin advocacy with South American governments.  While these governments have significant interests in Haiti, both as part of United Nations Stabilization Unit in Haiti, known as MINUSTAH, and as economic partners, such Haiti advocacy is virtually non-existent in the region and can create alternative leverage in advocating for a just international policy toward Haiti.  The budget for this program is $100,000.

X. STRENGTHEN LOCAL ACCOUNTABILITY

While the amount of aid coming through government and non-government institutions in Haiti is enormous, accountability and transparency has not been strong.  CWS will support one or more local organizations that are effectively addressing issues of transparency and accountability of both government and non-governmental organizations.

The budget for this initiative will be $40,000.

XI. BUILD AND PRESERVE LOCAL CAPACITY

CWS will continue to support the capacity of local organizations, to help them build on their earthquake response efforts, to improve financial management systems, support staff care and enhance training.  The budget for this capacity-building initiative will be $37,884.

XII. UNFORSEEN AND CONTINGENCY FUNDING

In order to ensure that CWS is able to adapt to the changing country situation and emerging needs in Haiti, a contingency fund will be set aside.  This will be used to supplement successful projects and/or address new issues.  The budget for this contingency funding will be $11,445.

XIII. CWS STAFF COSTS

CWS staff in Haiti develop projects, manage programs, conduct monitoring, and ensure financial accountability and proper reporting.  An additional 18 months of CWS staff and office operations is needed.  The budget for staff costs and operations for 18 months is $238,200.

Budget:

$2,171,229 total for all projects.  Funds remaining from Phase I – $880,884; total funds needed – $1,290,345.

HOW TO HELP: Contributions to support CWS emergency response efforts may be made online, sent to your denomination, or to Church World Service, Haiti Earthquake, Appeal Number #6762, P.O. Box 968, Elkhart, IN 46515.

Church World Service is a member of the ACT Alliance, a global coalition of churches and agencies engaged in development, humanitarian assistance and advocacy.