Oxfam surveys Haitians Ahead of Crucial New York Conference on Haiti – March 31st - Haitians say jobs key to recovery

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Paulette Bekolo.

Source: Oxfam
Date: 30 Mar 2010

Oxfam surveys Haitians Ahead of Crucial New York Conference on Haiti –
March 31st

Haitians say jobs key to recovery

New York: As Ministers, delegates and aid organizations
meet in New York this week to discuss the reconstruction
effort for Haiti following the devastating January 12th
earthquake, the people of Haiti say they want jobs to be
their path toward rebuilding. In a survey of over 1700
people carried out by an independent Haitian polling
consultant and funded by international agency Oxfam,
Haitians most pressing needs are jobs (26 per cent),
schools (22 per cent) and homes (10 per cent). Haitians
in the survey also expressed little confidence in their
government's capacity to unilaterally lead the
reconstruction plan to be agreed upon in New York this
week. Instead, they believe a combination of the central
government and Haitian civil society or a foreign
government is best placed to implement the
reconstruction plan.

These opinions are the result of an extensive one-on-one
survey of Haitians of different age groups,
socio-economic status and location, the full results of
which will be available in April. Haitians shared their
views on issues ranging from aid effectiveness,
leadership of the reconstruction effort and what should
be prioritized for the New York conference. The
consultant undertook the study between March 9-12 in
various neighborhoods in Leogane and the capital
Port-au-Prince, including Pétion-Ville, Delmas and
Carrefour.

"Haitians are telling us loud and clear that they want
to get back on their feet and start working for the
reconstruction of their country. Ensuring that the
people of Haiti can return to work must be at the top of
the list for the New York conference and beyond.
Haitians are not expecting charity; they want to get
jobs, to educate their kids and to make sure they have a
roof over their heads at night. As a community, we
should be able to do this," said Marcel Stoessel, Chief
of Mission of Oxfam International in Haiti.

Haitians also expressed their opinions on the relief
effort following the January 12th quake and the overall
performance of agencies on the ground. Despite recent
criticism on the effectiveness of their overall
response, over 60 per cent of people surveyed thought
the quality and efficiency of aid distribution by
international NGOs was positive. Over 70 per cent
praised the actions of foreign governments during the
post-earthquake relief period. Many people did not give
an opinion on the effectiveness of aid distribution,
showing the gaps and misunderstandings about such a
massive aid operation.

"It's understandable that people feel anxious about
their own government response. The international
community should do everything it can to help the
Haitian government back on its feet. There can be no
durable reconstruction without the government," said
Philippe Mathieu, a native of Haiti and Country Director
of Oxfam-Quebec.

In a separate report published last week, Oxfam
recommended that the Haitian government and its people
be central to the reconstruction effort. Oxfam says the
strengthening of the central government will be
essential so that all levels of Haitian society, ranging
from media to local charities to farmers associations,
can participate openly in the decision-making and
implementation process.

In its report "Haiti: A Once-in-a-Century Chance for
Change", Oxfam calls on governments and international
lenders to urgently prioritize sanitation and shelter
needs.

With heavy rains arriving next month and with over one
million people still living in extremely precarious
conditions, Oxfam gives a sobering assessment of the
immense challenge that awaits the country in the weeks
ahead. In the report, the aid agency notes that a full
registration of displaced people has yet been done.
Also, neither the government nor the international
community has yet truly engaged and consulted with local
groups - in displaced camps or within city neighborhoods
- that have shown tremendous leadership following the
January 12th quake.

Oxfam says the overall coordination and leadership of
all agencies, including NGOs, on the ground must
improve, including between the central government and
the United Nations. It calls on the New York Conference
to give all stakeholders involved a clear direction for
the future of Haiti.

"The funding mechanism that will be decided cannot
hamper efforts to get Haitians back on their feet. We
want a system guarantying that the reconstruction and
recovery processes are on track effectively," said
Stoessel.







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