Konbit Pou Ayiti

Community Assessments: The post-earthquake work in Jacmel has followed the same basic process as in Port-au-Prince. Joe Duplan, Guypson Catalis and Agronomist Cheler Pierre have formed a core animation team and have met with community leaders to perform assessments of community needs in a dozen tent communities and temporary settlements. Volunteers Jeff Rogers and Michael Adams have also helped.

The areas covered by the KONPAY team include:
•    Rue St. Anne, Jacmel
•    Oban, between Cyvadier and Raymond les Bains
•    Anba Zoranje
•    Zoranje
•    Cap Lamandou
•    Magloire Ambroise
•    Cap Rouge

The KONPAY team will be visiting the community of Baie d’Orange later this week to perform a community assessment. We have done food distributions and worked with local leaders to plant a community garden in response to the famine that gripped the area after the storms of 2008. We are deeply concerned for the welfare of this remote region now.

Food distributions: So far KONPAY has distributed food for 885 families and the distributions are going strong. Michael Adams brought in three tons of food purchased in Santo Domingo, and Amber Munger sent one load of food from Port-au-Prince. In addition, we have sent several tons of food and medical equipment along with medical teams directly to the Jacmel port through cooperation with the Dominican Republic Navy. Nestor Sanchez of the Nature Conservancy facilitated this relationship, and we’ve also been working with Cristina Thomen, the Dominican Republic Red Cross, and the DR Rotary Club to get supplies delivered to Jacmel.

We have also bought the bulk of the food we are distributing from local farmers and in the local markets. We are deeply committed to national production and enhancing food security, and we are wary of the effects of prolonged food aid from abroad. However, we recognize the need to buy some food items in the DR to supplement what is available in the local markets, especially while there are decreased amount of certain staples available, such as rice and cooking oil. At the same time that we are distributing food, we are training farmers, collecting and distributing seeds, and creating jobs that have long-term positive impacts on the community.

Job creation: In addition to hiring local members of the Cyvadier community for the water system repair and enhancement, KONPAY is thinking about ways we can offer employment in Jacmel and Cyvadier that will lead to better systems and infrastructure for the communities in the future.

• We have increased our production of fuel-efficient “rocket” stoves that are built from local materials, including soil with a high clay content. Our partners from AMURT and Trees, Water, People taught us how to build these fantastic stoves that reduce the need for fuel down to twigs you can find without cutting down trees, and also work well when coupled with alternative charcoal briquettes.
• We want to begin building dry toilets. Our partners from SOIL taught us how to build these long-term composting latrines and can provide trainers to do a two-day sanitation and health seminar. These toilets are highly superior to the popular “pit latrines” because of their durability but also the rich compost they produce. We are meeting with local authorities now to find out which new tent communities are most in need of latrines, and we’re seeking funding to build several. The IDP camp at the school in Cap Rouge has an urgent need for a dry toilet.
• We are building a Food and Fuel Alternatives Center with a chicken aviary and a production center for rocket stoves and alternative charcoal briquettes in Cyvadier. We are acquiring chickens to produce eggs in May. We had originally projected doing this in February, but the aviary we were going to buy from was badly damaged in the earthquake and May chickens are the first available in Haiti.
• In addition, we hope to house a factory to produce Potters for Peace water filters at the. We’d like to integrate water filters into the improved Cyvadier water system and make them available throughout the region.
• As the rainy season is rapidly approaching we are organizing planting days. People are being hired to dig holes for tree planting and we hope to plant thousands of food tress – moringa, fruit trees and more – in the Cyvadier community this weekend.

TEMPORARY SHELTERS VS. HOUSING

One major question we are grappling with in Jacmel is how will the debris be moved away so people can rebuild their homes? As the rainy season begins the need for shelter is urgent, and we are doing everything we can to bring tarps in for temporary shelter. But as we expend funds for these makeshift arrangements, we really want to find a way to begin clearing the rubble and investing in long-term rebuilding.

The primary question is who is responsible for clearing the debris? We think there are three possible levels:

1. The local authorities – whether they have a plan already is not clear, but they must play a leading and coordinating role.
2. The UN/OCHA clusters – this is the national coordination, do they have a plan for Jacmel? For the most part they are focused on PAP and hardly even mention Jacmel, but what about in the Jacmel local clusters?
3. KONPAY – we can play a role by targeting specific places/communities and mobilizing volunteer teams to come and help.