One hundred and fifty sites have been registered to date, representing 125,000 families and close to 540,000 individuals (based on an average estimated family size of 4.3 individuals). Of the 150 sites registered, 51 are in the regions outside of Port-au-Prince, including 25 sites in Léogane, 15 in Grand Goâve, 5 in Petit Goâve, and 6 Jacmel.
The registration process is led by the Government of Haiti, through the Ministry of Interior, Department of Civil Protection (DPC) in partnership with IOM and the CCCM cluster and represents one of the key activities carried out under the CCCM, in support of humanitarian organizations providing services for displaced Haitian communities.
Registration data captured ranges from simple demographic information - 53% of those registered are female and 47% male with 36% under the age of 18 years, and 8% being children under 5 years old – to information regarding return/relocation intentions of the displaced. The data is logged in the CCCM Displacement Tracking Matrix which serves as a source of real-time information for humanitarian actors.
“To date registration data has been used in many capacities for a range of assistance provision including distributions of non food items, voluntary relocation movements to new camps and individual support to families. Camp Managers and other service providers can regularly access the registration data needed for their activities in the camps. Beneficiaries are cooperating with our teams in line with the slogan “Register and help restore Haiti together,” says Vlatko Avramovski who heads IOM’s registration department.
Priority sites for registration are identified by camp management agencies and the IOM Camp Management Operations (CMO) department. CMO recently expanded its operations to include camp specific mobile teams, which focus on assessment of displaced communities in Port-au-Prince’s seven communes.
The first phase of the registration process, which includes registration of all displaced populations at the larger sites in the Port-au-Prince area, is expected to be completed by the end July 2010.
Registration of the remaining smaller sites, and of displaced living with host families in the capital and the regions, is expected to be completed by November 2010. Information on registration updates can be found on the CCCM website:
http://groups.google.com/group/cccmhaiti/web/registration?_done=%2Fgroup%2Fcccmhaiti%3F .
IOM employs a range of communication tools including messaging through a MINUSTAH “soap opera,” a running comic strip, and a Community Mobilizer Team expanding to more than 60 outreach staff, to effectively engage displaced communities and disseminate information regarding displacement issues, needs and humanitarian responses.
“Our role is to communicate the best available information to displaced persons and to solicit regular feedback regarding their needs and wishes,” says Community Mobilizer Junior Aly.
Additional CCCM efforts include ongoing preparation for the hurricane season through site mitigation efforts, an outreach campaign to provide information on upgrading existing shelters, and through involvement in a Joint Task Force which will provide emergency responses to developing situations.
Meanwhile, the camp mitigation task force, which is chaired by UNOCHA and includes members of the Shelter, Wash, CCCM, early recovery Clusters and other relevant agencies, continues to identify camps most at risk and to undertake mitigation work.
According to IOM Site Assessment and Planning Department Head, Shaun Scales, “severe risk” is defined as areas where camps will be rendered uninhabitable for long periods due to flooding. This indicates that in addition to the immediate flood danger, there is a risk of chronic standing water with all of the inherent health risks.
The site assessments are currently looking at 6 camps per day (out of 130 sites currently identified in the Port-au- Prince area for assessment) with 56 sites assessed to date, comprising 121,000 people, 62,000 of whom were deemed to be at risk, and 54,000 at severe risk.
The information collected is being shared with partners to address identified needs, from small pick and shovel operations to larger site mitigation issues. Information regarding site assessments can be found on the CCCM website:
IOM is also conducting ongoing canal clearance activities in Port-au-Prince as part of its flood mitigation activities. The task force aims to eventually expand assessments to include sites in Léogane and Jacmel.
IOM has also joined MINUSTAH and UNOCHA to form the Critical Incident Response Team in preparation for the impending hurricane season and has arranged for two engineers to be on 24 hour standby as part of a rapid response team. “The Team seeks to get “eyes” on the ground in response to critical incidents,” Scales says.
The IOM Director General William Lacy Swing will take part in the Summit for the Future of Haiti, which opens tomorrow in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. The summit, called by the Government of the Dominican Republic, seeks to spearhead the beginning of the reconstruction work and to create permanent ties of solidarity between the international community and Haiti.
For further information, please contact Jared Bloch at IOM Haiti, Tel: +41 79 812 7734, Email: jbloch@iom.int
