Two-years on in Haiti and what’s changed?

Sharon Reader - Beneficiary Communications Delegate, IFRC This has been the question of most journalists visiting Haiti this week, coupled with ‘what has been done?’ While there is still undeniable need in Haiti - ½ million people saw in the 2nd anniversary of the devastating earthquake still living in a makeshift tent – it’s important to take the time to reflect on the significant progress that has been made here. Progress made not just by the Red Cross, NGOs, UN and government, but most importantly by the Haitian people themselves. The resilience and strength the Haitian people have shown is impressive and inspiring. Change is clearly visible in Haiti. The piles of rubble blocking roads and covering the landscape has rapidly diminished, new small businesses and shops now line the streets of Port au Prince and in some of the most prominent camps a few empty tents are the only reminder of the hundreds of thousands of people who once lived there. From a Red Cross perspective, technology and innovation have played an important role in supporting this change. The Red Cross’ flexible approach to getting people out of camps and into safe accommodation by providing financial grants to support people to pay their rent or move out of Port au Prince and back to the Provinces has meant thousands of families have been able to move out of informal makeshift camps and into safer housing and neighbourhoods. Overall, the Red Cross has provided over 25,000 families with a safer shelter. An important factor in supporting these 100,000 people has been the role of good beneficiary communications, which used SMS, leaflets and a questions and complaints line to make sure Haitians were aware of their shelter options, could ask questions and could register easily for support – the phone line handled 1500 calls about shelter alone in 2011. Haiti and Haitians have reinforced our belief that information and communication matters. That good communication between aid agencies and communities builds trust and aids recovery. An evaluation of the Red Cross’ beneficiary communications programme carried out in 2011, had some very interesting results. Haitians clearly prioritised and actively sought out information on avoiding diseases and weather alerts. They want practical, useful information they can use in their everyday lives. For the Red Cross the results were positive; 74% of people said they had received information from the Red Cross; 96% of people said Red Cross information was useful to them; 83% reported taking action as a result of information received from the Red Cross and 73% shared that information with others. Read the full report here. Looking forward to 2012, technology and innovation will continue to play a key role in recovery efforts in Haiti. The Humanitarian Innovation Funded Interactive Voice (IVR) Response phone line will make sure that people have even better access to information on Red Cross services and advice on staying safe and healthy – as well as the chance to feedback on all aspects of Red Cross work and their lives through touch tone surveys. As we pass the two year anniversary mark, which has seen hundreds of media crews report from Port au Prince, it’s encouraging to note that the role of innovation and communication in aiding recovery has not been missed. A crew from Euronews visited Haiti mid-December to report on this issue and you can watch their 5-minute report here: http://www.euronews.net/2012/01/10/haiti-coping-with-catastrophe/ and the use of SMS by the Red Cross was praised by technology website Techradar here: http://www.techradar.com/news/world-of-tech/two-years-on-haiti-s-tech-le...