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Haiti

Haiti: Rehabilitation projects contribute to stabilization of volatile neighbourhoods

IOM's PREPEP Programme (Programme de Revitalisation et de Promotion de l'Entente et de la Paix) and the HSI (Haiti Stabilization Initiative) have awarded more than 1,200 grants aimed at stabilizing volatile neighbourhoods in Port-au-Prince and five other volatile cities outside the capital through the rehabilitation of key infrastructure and social/cultural activities.

With funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), IOM has invested, since 2004, more than US$27 million in vulnerable communities all over Haiti. IOM works with the communities in conjunction with the national and municipal governments to support the processes of political stabilization, community recovery and sustained development. As of September 2007, IOM has assisted more than 700,000 people in Port-au-Prince, including Cité Soleil, Cap-Haitien, Gonaives, Saint-Marc, Petit Goave, and Les Cayes.

In Cité Soleil, the densely populated shanty town in Port au Prince, an IOM community stabilization project is providing public spaces for residents to increase recreational, leisure and social outlets. The attractive public spaces will contribute to easing tensions in areas that have been plagued with violence. The parks were named as a priority by the population, so there is much anticipation that the common spaces will be completed for residents to celebrate the upcoming holidays.

A public health nightmare in the area of Sansiro B Prolongee, also in Cité Soleil, is rapidly being transformed through the improvement of drainage. The project will improve the living conditions in the area by eliminating a huge breeding ground for a variety of diseases that have threatened the health of residents for years.

The paving of Ruelle Cite Brothers II in Cité Soleil is progressing full speed ahead. The road has been proposed as a priority by the community for over two years, but it was not possible for them to demolish illegal structures that constricted the road and made paving impractical until IOM's involvement.

All of these IOM-managed projects aim to reduce the power and influence of gangs by revitalizing local governance and the return of the rule of law. By encouraging communities and state institutions to work together to identify key basic needs, IOM's PREPEP and HSI projects promote community cohesion and enhance citizen confidence and participation which leads to a reduction in community tensions. As citizens continue to witness the positive transformations throughout these targeted cities, they are much more willing to take measures to facilitate community improvement initiatives.

Other projects include the construction or rehabilitation of schools, as well as training in conflict-resolution skills for community leaders. These activities also generate employment opportunities through durable labour-intensive work.

For more information please contact: Frislain Isidor, IOM Port-au-Prince, Tel: +509.244.1247 ext. 118, E-mail: fisidor@iom.int