Haiti: It's time to strengthen homegrown solutions
A policy briefing by Asha Kurien (Crisis Context Lead), Wilson Luxen Fevrin (Global Humanitarian Manager, LAC) and Simone Di Vicenz (Head of Humanitarian Programme, Policy, Practice and Advocacy).
What's happening in Haiti?
The humanitarian, security and governance crisis in Haiti has intensified in recent weeks. Armed groups have taken over most of Port-au-Prince, the capital and are carrying out violent attacks and killings with impunity.
They had called for the prime minister Ariel Henry to resign. Henry announced on 11 March that he promises to resign when a transitional council is in place. Meanwhile, the violence and instability have not stopped. Whilst politicians and foreign leaders attempt to forge a political path out of the crisis, Haitians are experiencing a near total absence of public services, as violence spreads in the absence of an effective government.
The country needs an urgent and inclusive political solution to the myriad challenges it faces, and progress can only be achieved if home-grown solutions that are shaped by the communities that are most affected are heeded to.
Download the briefing paperHow is the civil society responding in Haiti?
Behind the worrying headlines, local communities have been working tirelessly to support each other. Civil society organisations, including those working with Christian Aid and ACT Alliance are also playing a critical role in the absence of government, security and public services.
Christian Aid/ACT and our partners have worked in Haiti since the 1980s. Our partners in Haiti are currently continuing their vital work within communities despite the security challenges.
Haïti Survie
A local organisation, that we partner with, is responding to the needs of internally displaced persons (IDPs) who have fled Port-au-Prince to camps located in government buildings in the outskirts.
They're working in collaboration with the FAES (Fond d’Assistance Economique et Sociale), a government department and with the Directorate of Civil Protection. They are also coordinating with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to provide multipurpose cash transfers through mobile money.
As a teacher, the instability and violence have greatly affected my work. One week you can go to school, but for the rest of the month, with the violence on the streets, you can’t carry on…In the past we could have two meals a day, but now, we barely manage to eat once a day which just goes to show how hard things are.
Image credits and information
Peace
- Invest urgently in an inclusive peace process and national.
- Scale up efforts to end arms being trafficked from the U.S to Haiti.
Crisis response
- Scale up and transform humanitarian funding.
- Support the leadership of local communities and civil society in the design and delivery.
- Enable humanitarian access.
Economic and environmental justice
- Reparative justice.
- Effective and fair macroeconomic policies that serve and are shaped by marginalised communities.
- Pledged climate funds should be provided in the form of grants, not loans.
