ACT Alliance

By Greg Jackson in Haiti

“Haiti’s homeless deserve better than this,” ACT Alliance General Secretary John Nduna exclaimed as he visited Haiti’s camps of homeless people.

“From a professional view the cramped and chaotic conditions in many of the camps is a danger for all, especially women and children.”

What concerned him deeply in a society just fluttering back to life was the lack of structure, physical and civil to protect the vulnerable. He acknowledged that in the ruins of Port-au-Prince and elsewhere it was understandable that institutions were finding it hard to coordinate their efforts. There was a proliferation of key political players, plus “too many” well meaning, but ineffectual NGOs that made mustering the will for action difficult.

Haitian solutions
Along with this was the real need to let Haitians develop solutions for their situation.

“It is complicated, cumbersome and tragic, but the reality for the powerless is that many of them can’t wait any longer for shelter, security and stability.”

He had been awestruck at the ability of the Haitian grassroots community to organize themselves. It was a story that was not getting told but needed to be.

In the camps and settlements all over Haiti he had visited, it had been very clear that the effective camps were those where residents had organised themselves.

Wherever possible, ACT Alliance members were working in partnership with these groups to manage the distribution of emergency help and to develop more long term rebuilding plans.

A life in camps
Mr Nduna said that it was part of his life story that he had spent many years living and working in refugee and resettlement camps around the world. Some had been the result of war, others of natural disaster. “I have become an unwilling connoisseur of refugee camps over the years and what I have seen this week saddens me deeply.

“The Haitian people have a big lesson for those of us who support them in showing unbelievable strength and solidarity together in the face of such an epic disaster. Their efforts must be recognized by all of us,’’ he said.

He openly pleaded with all the decision makers involved in Haiti to come together to come up with urgent solutions to the problems of the homeless and the vulnerable.

“At the same time I also must applaud the grace, the courage and the unbroken spirit of Haiti.”

He said that while short, medium and long term security was needed for both the vulnerable such as women and children, he was also “oddly confident” about Haiti’s ultimate destiny.

“People with this power of spirit always prevail in the end,’’ he said.

The land issue

One of the most complex problems looking ahead was going to be that of land for rebuilding homes and lives. Where and how this could be done was another “complex and compelling problem”.

Having visited a number of urban and rural camps during his visit to Haiti, he had gained a rapid education in some basic Haitian housing issues.

These ranged from firstly just the lack of housing, then distrust of former housing systems and finally the reluctance of deeply traumatized people to live in homes that were otherwise intact.

In the country, he had seen more traditional extended family settlements in temporary shelter settings, while in urban settings he had realized that property tenure was sometimes legally tenuous.

However for the vast majority faced with the impending rainy season and then the hurricane season these considerations were academic.

“Shelter is one of the United Nation’s human rights we must all work on to make sure the Haitian people can again call somewhere safe their home,’’ he said.