USAID/OTI Haiti Field Report
December 2005
Program Description
OTI began the Haiti Transition Initiative (HTI) in May 2004 with implementing partner International Organization for Migration in response to growing political turmoil in Haiti. The program emphasizes stability-building measures in key crisis spots through the implementation of quick, visible small projects and activities that promote peace with the following objectives: enhance citizen confidence and participation in peaceful political transition with specific focus on disaffected communities; promote peaceful interaction among conflicted populations; and constructively engage groups that threaten the peaceful political transition.
Country Situation
Delays plague elections - Doubts abounded in December regarding the feasibility of a Jan. 8 start date for presidential elections. Problems in distributing voter cards, recruiting and training poll workers, and locating polling stations continued, and discussions of yet another delay ultimately resulted in a new date of Feb. 7 for the first round.
Kidnappings skyrocket – Two Organization of American States employees working on elections were abducted while driving near the international airport in Port-au-Prince. Earlier in December, several Provisional Electoral Council employees were abducted, as were 14 children from a school bus. Based on police reports, 30 kidnappings were reported in Haiti in November and another 30 during the first week of December alone. The actual number is probably much higher because many families prefer to negotiate with kidnappers rather than notify police. The result is a very difficult work environment.
USAID/OTI Highlights
A. Narrative Summary
The Office of Transition Initiatives works in Port-au-Prince neighborhoods (Cite Soleil, Bel Air, Delmas and Martissant), and elsewhere in Haiti (Petit Goâve, St. Marc, Cap Haïtien and Les Cayes). Haiti Transition Initiative (HTI) team members meet daily with community, municipal and ministerial representatives to discuss priorities and individual projects, and they continue to forge formal cooperation agreements with key ministries and national agencies.
Because elections have been officially rescheduled for Feb. 7, HTI will continue to pursue its pre-election strategy of mixing labor-intensive infrastructure projects with youth activities in Port-au-Prince's conflictive neighborhoods. HTI's focus in cities outside the capital will remain on neighborhoods that are believed to be crucial to continued stability. The objective is to achieve a calming effect by maintaining a critical mass of activity. In Port-au-Prince, the priority will shift slightly as some areas re-ignite, while others have become much more peaceful. Petit Place Cazeau and most sections in the Bel Air neighborhood, which HTI has targeted, have stabilized significantly in recent months. Unfortunately, security in Martissant and the Grand Ravine area has declined as gangs ejected from Bel Air have relocated to those sections. Cite Soleil continues to be a primary HTI neighborhood concern.
Mapping continues to be critical to providing a basic understanding of impact in the neighborhoods. HTI, in support of Urban Peace Building Initiative efforts, and working with the U.S. Embassy and MINUSTAH (the U.N. peacekeeping force), is starting to map project sites in Port-au-Prince neighborhoods. The objectives are to provide a good picture of where work is and is not being done; to demonstrate the type of work being done, and to improve project targeting. HTI has decided to upgrade the mapping software necessary to depict what is happening in neighborhoods.
The Office of Transition Initiatives will also increase the use of media to magnify the positive momentum generated through earlier activities. As part of the strategy adopted in mid-2005, the program will work to improve the image of neglected neighborhoods in the eyes of the broader Haitian public. In this spirit, calendars depicting HTI projects in neglected communities will be distributed to government offices, U.N. agencies, embassies, nongovernmental organizations, and private-sector entities. The calendars' overall message is that good things are happening in these areas through support for initiatives undertaken by the population.
B. Grants Activity Summary
The holiday season was celebrated with activities throughout HTI target communities. HTI supported the annual Christmas concert in Petit Goâve, a singing competition for youths that was broadcast throughout the province. In addition to two successful "Play for Peace" tournaments in Les Cayes approved in November, eight additional holiday Play for Peace activities were held in December. Sports camps took place in the politically opposed La Scierie and Portail Montrouis neighborhoods in St. Marc. In Port-au-Prince, the neighborhoods of Martissant, Cite Soleil, La Saline, Bel Air and Petit Place Cazeau all enjoyed holiday sports tournaments, which culminated in a televised final event held in the Sylvio Cator national stadium. Tournaments lasted up to 16 days and also included dance and musical performances, DJs and traditional Rara bands. Worth noting was the "Play for Reconciliation" title of the tournaments in Martissant and Bel Air. As one Bel Air activist said: "We have achieved peace; we're ready for the next step."
HTI and the Pan American Development Foundation have teamed up to work in Cite Soleil. To date, HTI has approved 40 small-grant activities in Cite Soleil alone. HTI recently reached agreement with nine sub-neighborhood community groups to begin constructing outdoor stages for public performances. The locations are Linthau 1, Linthau 2, Boston, Brooklyn, Cite Simon, Cite Pele, Wharf, Bois Neuf, and Premier Cite. The Ministry of Culture and the secretary of state for youth and sport have endorsed these projects and are interested in engaging the communities to stage public events after the venues are completed. The development foundation also has 33 teams composed of 13 workers each cleaning up streets and garbage piles.
The final project in Gonaives, cleaning the salt basins of Raboteau, moved into its final phase in December. The pilot stage of 20 basins is completed. The basins are expected to produce marketable salt by June. While the remaining 80 are cleaned, the municipality and a local community group are organizing a media tour of the basins to culminate in a press conference. The same community group is also interested in holding a conflict-resolution training course at one of the salt houses that would be similar to the training that took place during canal clean-up projects in the same area.
Thefts have plagued two projects in St. Marc, delaying progress. A theft at the Lycee Stenio Vincent prompted the community to relocate its storage depot and find a way to deal with the missing materials. Another theft at a supplier workshop caused a minor delay to the Portail Guepes basketball Terrain d'Entente (Common Ground), though it is still anticipated to be finished on schedule. In each case, the community was given the responsibility to find solutions. This approach has resulted in numerous meetings that gathered participants from all sectors, thereby promoting community ownership of the projects. The ultimate objective is to encourage processes in community groups that will facilitate solving problems unrelated to HTI projects.
Several projects in Cap Haïtien have suffered from delays caused by heavy rains. Also, electrification projects were hampered due to a lack of capacity by the national electrical utility, EDH, to respond. Under the terms of the projects, the utility is responsible for installing all purchased materials and assists communities in developing a local management system. However, installations are not being made in a timely fashion due to the lack of resources in the local EDH branch. HTI is coordinating closely with EDH to complete the work.
| Grants |
Amount ($) |
Grants |
Amount ($) |
| Cap Haitien |
2 |
$64,810 |
31 |
$ 664,523 |
| Gonaives |
|
|
11 |
$ 484,259 |
| Les Cayes |
5 |
$ 96,420 |
16 |
$ 360,485 |
| Port-au-Prince |
27 |
$446,266 |
160 |
$3,994,437 |
| Petit Goâve |
4 |
$ 76,955 |
55 |
$ 1,151,122 |
| St. Marc |
4 |
$ 67,770 |
47 |
$ 923,294 |
| Total |
42 |
$752,221 |
320 |
$7,548,120 |
Employment Summary
Expressed in Person-Days
C. Indicators of Success
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| The opening ceremony at the Play for Peace Winter Tournament in the city of St. Marc. |
After the success of the Play for Peace Summer Youth Activities in St. Marc, organizers of the winter camp decided to take the project one step farther. Viewing the camp as an opportunity to unite two neighborhoods, La Scierie and Portail Guepes, the youths of both areas initiated a new plan for sports tournaments. The plan was derailed when the leader of a local organization, also a candidate for public office, ordered the young people to stop activities in his "territory." As in many cases in Haiti, a spoiler threatened to ruin a positive activity for an entire community.
HTI facilitated a dialogue among the youths, the municipality, the secretary of state for youth and sport, and the opposing local organization. After much discussion, all parties became more committed to realizing the project, as did other groups that stumbled on these discussions. At one meeting in the City Hall, the director of the water authority (SNEP) and a member of the Portail Montrouis community spontaneously joined the discussion, and subsequently the SNEP director volunteered to facilitate the next day's meetings.
The obvious solution would have been to hold the sports events in Portail Guepes, an area that has benefited from significant HTI support. However, Portail Guepes lacks appropriate infrastructure for a sports tournament. Nevertheless, the youths from La Scierie and Portail Guepes were determined to hold their camp despite considerable opposing pressure and found a solution at the national school in the Florenceau neighborhood. Florenceau residents welcomed the project, which was broadened to include their neighborhood youths, and the camp proceeded peacefully. In addition to providing constructive activities during the school holidays, this experience also demonstrated to the youths involved that peaceful dialogue and perseverance are important to overcoming those who would try to use their power to defeat good deeds.
NEXT STEPS/IMMEDIATE PRIORITIES
In the next month, USAID/OTI Haiti will:
- Continue its pre-election strategy of working to help calm volatile neighborhoods in Port-au-Prince as an enabling activity to help hold elections.
- Focus activities in areas that have seen continued or increased instability and collaborate with partners under the Urban Peace Building Initiative on community projects.
- Work with USAID/Haiti to consider linkages with longer-term programs and possible program transition.
- Plan for post-election program adjustments.
For further information, please contact:
Katherine Donohue, OTI Haiti Program Manager, 202-712-0498, kdonohue@usaid.gov
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