Shortly after the 12 January earthquake which killed an estimated 212,000 Haitians and displaced more than one million persons, hundreds of thousands of terrified survivors took their meagre belongings and began setting up makeshift shelters all over the city.  A group of 864 persons (140 families) erected haphazard shelters with whatever piece of cloth, towel, sheet or rag they had managed to salvage and built a makeshift camp at Parc St. Claire, in the Delmas neighborhood of Port au Prince.

Islamic Relief UK, one of IOM’s partners working on emergency shelter solutions, chose Parc St. Claire as the first site where they would work to improve living conditions for its residents.

Moustafa Osman, Head of the Humanitarian Department of Islamic Relief UK, explains, "We chose this site after assessing many makeshift camps because of the deplorable conditions.  Many residents had nothing over their head."

With the site identified, the Islamic Relief UK team got to work. "We got a bulldozer and cleaned the place up; this gave us a bit more space," recalls Osman.  "It was very difficult because we had to move people to one side to clean the space, level the land and do site planning."

The site planning revealed that the initial calculations of a nine square metre plot per family would not be possible. 

"We realized that the land would allow for a seven square metre space per family.  If we were to go ahead with the initial plan of nine square metres, we would have to ask some families to move out of Parc St. Claire," recalls Osman.

So Osman and his staff decided this was a decision that could only be made by the residents.

"We formed a committee of three men and three women and told them to decide whether to allot a larger plot to each family and ask some residents to leave, or whether they would agree on a smaller space in order to include everyone living there," continues Osman.

After some tense discussions, the committee decided to include everyone even if it meant a smaller space for each family.

"So we got to work at four the next morning.  We started with a short team briefing to make sure nobody would waste a minute of their day," recounts Osman.  "Once at the site, we worked more than 13 hours that first day, but the camp was set up in two days."

Islamic Relief UK also provided medical checkups, a distribution of non-food items such as kitchen set, jerry cans and hygiene kits and installed a water bladder which will provide up to 15 litres of water per person per day.

IOM and its partner agencies working in the area of camp coordination and camp management (CCCM) have now identified 332 spontaneous settlement sites in and around the capital Port-au-Prince, hosting more than 104,000 families (543,000 individuals).  These sites range from a few dozen to several thousand families.

An estimated 460,000 individuals have left Port-au-Prince to areas less affected by the earthquake.  A further 200,000 individuals have been displaced in areas such as Jacmel and Petit Goave, where IOM and its partners continue their distribution of shelter materials and non-food relief items.

In Port-au-Prince, CCCM agencies are working on improving shelter and creating drainage and latrines, focusing on a group of 19 sites, each hosting more than 5,000 persons.

IOM and CCCM partners have also started sample profiling of displaced families to identify needs gaps.  Initial findings indicate that displaced families still have difficulties accessing basic services and commodities, including drinking water and adequate sanitation, shelter and food.  In a majority of sites, camp committees have been set up to manage and maintain existing services.

The government has taken the lead in identifying land for rubble disposal and the resettlement of people now living in congested sites.  A minimum of 450 hectares of flat, non-flood plain land is needed to settle up to 100,000 displaced people.  To date, only 19 hectares have been identified and made available.

As part of the UN Flash Appeal launched on 18 February in New York, IOM is appealing for USD 123 million for camp coordination and management; emergency shelter; cash-for-work for thousands of people in areas like rubble removal and drain clearing; water, sanitation and hygiene projects for displaced families; health projects, including mental health support for survivors and help for earthquake victims and their families returning home following hospital treatment.

For more information on Parc St. Claire and Islamic Relief UK, readers can contact:

Moustafa Osman
E-mail: moustafa.osman@irworldwide.org