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USAID/OTI Haiti Field Report
August 2004
Program Description
In response to the recent political turmoil in Haiti, OTI initiated the $5 million Haiti Transition Initiative (HTI) in May 2004 with implementing partner, the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The program emphasizes building stability in key crisis areas through the implementation of quick, visible small projects designed to:
- Help restore citizen confidence and hope in the process of political development and positive change;
- Empower citizens and government to address priority needs in communities; and,
- Build cooperative frameworks between government activities and citizens as examples of positive change and progressive political development.
Country Situation
In the five months since President Aristide was driven from power, the situation in Haiti remains tense. In June, the U.S. handed over to U.N. peacekeepers (MINUSTAH) responsibility for maintaining peace. Despite the U.N. peacekeeping force of 2,300 soldiers spread across the country and the surface quiet in major public places, any number of groups – old guard police, rebels, Aristide supporters, and freelance thugs – are vying for control of the streets. Sixty percent of the 6,000-member U.N. peacekeeping force is expected to be deployed throughout the country within a matter of weeks to deter violence and crime.
In July, international organizations and governments pledged $1.085 billion over the next two years to support the Government's Interim Co-operation Framework (ICF), which outlines Haiti's priority needs and programs for the same two-year timeframe. Additionally, on July 16 Congress passed the Haiti Economic Recovery Act, which will potentially provide a significant boost to economic activity. While both of these developments offer some promise in terms of jobs and economic development, prospective benefits under the Economic Recovery Act are contingent on Haiti showing progress on human rights.
In August, Brazil played a friendly soccer game with Haiti, which it won, not surprisingly, by a score of 6-0. However, perhaps the most significant outcome was that the violence anticipated from the excitement of this special event never materialized. Originally, distribution of tickets to the game was to be linked to a surrender-ing of weapons, but the idea was abandoned after concerned officials concluded it would probably stimulate trafficking in guns and enrage Haitians by giving preferential treatment to armed gang members.
In late August, Haiti experienced a setback in its efforts to promote the rule of law and pursuit of justice when Louis-Jodel Chamblain was acquitted of organizing the 1993 assassination of pro-Aristide business leader, An-toine Izméry. Chamblain, one of Haiti’s most notorious political gangsters and leader of the paramilitary forces that helped force President Aristide from office in February, had been convicted in absentia of this crime and a death squad massacre of residents of a slum on the outskirts of Gonaïves, after he fled the country in 1994. Under Haitian law, Mr. Chamblain is entitled to new trials after his return from exile. The case was tried in an overnight proceeding and the prosecution produced just one witness, who claimed to know nothing about the matter. Chamblain remains in custody awaiting trial on the death squad massacre.
USAID/OTI Highlights
A. Narrative Summary
During the past two months HTI has made significant strides in establishing working groups in at-risk, conflict-prone communities of Port-au-Prince, St. Marc, and Petit Goave. The groups are comprised of national and lo-cal government representatives and community members, who are charged with prioritizing and developing small infrastructure projects. The first such project was a grant to rehabilitate the St. Anne soccer field in Cite Soleil, enabling the municipal government to assume a primary role in the life of two communities by building a partnership among the municipality, parents, and a local organization, Hands Together. Cite Soleil is a shanty-town that has been continuously neglected by local and national government authorities and has become a hot-bed of gang activity. The field’s rehabilitation will provide much-needed employment opportunities targeted specifically at gang members and once completed will be open to the larger community. Strongly supported by the new mayor, the soccer field rehabilitation is the first step in a larger program that seeks to generate employment, renew dialogue between the communities, municipality, and gang members, and decrease the level of violence in the area.
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| Electricité d’Haïti technicians remove old lines that will be replaced by new ones and public lighting as part of Public Street Lighting on National Road 2, Cupidon. |
In Port-au-Prince, HTI grants signed in August will rehabilitate roads in the districts of Codada and Martissant to alleviate congestion and allow police to improve security in the area. Two other grants involve the installation of public lighting and electricity in Wharf Jeremy and Village Democratie to increase security in the communities. The final project will rehabilitate the Saint Bernadette soccer field and school to provide an outlet for local area youth, improve the educational facilities, and ease the growing tensions in the neighborhood. These five projects will bring job opportunities, safer roads, and access to recreational activities for local youth, while also facilitating dialogue between the government and communities that can serve as a basis for collaboration on future activities.
In Petit Goave new HTI grants include a $33,000 project to erect street lighting in Cupidon, an impoverished, crime-prone district. This initiative will bring electricity to 2,143 homes along the road and in Cupidon, many of which either maintained illegal connections to the over-taxed grid or lacked electricity altogether. Identified by a committee of local stakeholders as a priority activity, the project was developed in coordination with the Ministry of Public Works, Electricité d’Haïti, deputy prefect of Petit Goave, church authorities, and Cupidon community leaders. The HTI office also signed a $15,000 grant to bring lighting to an important Petit Goave thoroughfare. This activity is similar in scope to that in Cupidon, and has been coordinated through a parallel project committee.
HTI’s St. Marc office signed a $61,000 grant to help the local government and national government agency (SNEP) address the immediate problems of the St. Marc municipal water system. This will include repairing, replacing, and unplugging waterlines and valves, installing a new chlorination system, and evaluating the system to determine the need for additional assistance. The project is expected to generate 1,800 man-days of employment.
During the first week of August, program activities in Cite Soleil were temporarily suspended following an at-tack on a private transporter contracted by HTI. While the driver suffered minor injuries, the incident had a positive outcome. The driver reported that one of the gang members recognized him as working with HTI and tried to stop the attack, illustrating the positive image of HTI activities in the community. Activities in Cite Soleil resumed within two working days of the incident, after a new security protocol was developed by the municipality and the community. Community members will now escort all vehicles from the entrance of Cite Soleil to project sites.
B. Grant Activity Summary – USAID/OTI Burundi
| Communes of Port-au-Prince |
11 |
$404,274 |
| Petit Goave |
4 |
$131,232 |
| St. Marc |
2 |
$ 81,000 |
| Total |
17 |
$616,506 |
C. Indicators of Success
HTI is supporting collaboration and shared responsibility between communities and the local and national governments. Each project selected by a representative committee is an opportunity for building a common vision and promoting participatory decision-making. Illustrative of this is HTI’s work in Petit Goâve to improve public lighting. With a burgeoning population, aging infrastructure, and an epidemic of illegal connections, the national electricity company, Electricité d’Haïti (EDH), cannot meet the needs of current subscribers, much less make the investment necessary to reach new customers. Certain parts of Petit Goâve are literally in the dark, as public lighting is not available. HTI is working with EDH and various communities to address this problem. EDH will replace outdated lines and bring electricity to previously unserved families, while residents and law enforcement authorities will enjoy the additional security afforded by well-lit sidewalks and bus stops on the national road. Efforts are also being made to build relationships that will support continued maintenance of the electrical system. For example, EDH and the community will work to prevent illegal connections that overload and damage equipment.
This work to improve public lighting is also important in another sense. It comes at a time – August 15 is an important religious holiday – during which members of the Haitian Diaspora return to Petit Goâve. This year, these returning Haitians can see important changes: community members and electrical technicians working together on vital improvements to the city’s infrastructure; and energy and enthusiasm as people work in partnership with government to build a better Petit Goâve. It is hoped that the progress demonstrated by this project will encourage Diaspora Haitians to invest in their country and hometowns in support of such efforts.
NEXT STEPS/IMMEDIATE PRIORITIES
In the next month, USAID/OTI Haiti will:
- Ensure continued relevance of OTI’s country strategy by working with implementing partner IOM to adapt the approach and geographic and demographic focus as needed;
- Focus on timely implementation of approved grants and finalize new grants; and,
- Continue working with the Embassy to determine options for job creation activities and/or a reintegration program.
For further information, please contact:
Katherine Donohue, OTI Haiti Program Manager, 202-712-0498, kdonohue@usaid.gov
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