[CCIH-Haiti] FW: USAID NGO Coordination Efforts in Haiti

Wed Jan 20 23:49:14 EST 2010

Dear CCIH Haiti Listserv Members,

Please see the following message from USAID regarding an effort to share information and solicit feedback between the USG and international and local NGOs as they respond to the emergency in Haiti resulting from the January 12 earthquake. We are very pleased that the US Government is recognizing and supporting the valuable role that non-governmental agencies can and will play in the international effort in Haiti.  

CCIH has had a lot of contact with the USAID Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, which is part of this effort. We strongly encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to be a part of a cooperative effort to help meet the immediate needs in Haiti as well as the country’s long-term recovery. 

Please take special notice of a conference call scheduled for Thursday January 21 at 3pm EST.

Please let CCIH know (ccih at ccih.org) if your contact with USAID and RebuildHaiti has been helpful to you or not. 

From: RebuildHaiti [mailto:RebuildHaiti at usaid.gov] 
Sent: Wednesday, January 20, 2010 9:17 PM
To: RebuildHaiti
Subject: USAID NGO Coordination Efforts in Haiti

Dear NGO colleagues,

As you know, USAID is leading a whole-of-government response to assist the Government of Haiti in the wake of last week’s devastating earthquake. The US Government is conducting operations in support of the Haitian Government, in coordination with and in support of the United Nations and the international community.  We are leading efforts to provide immediate, lifesaving and life sustaining relief and to build a foundation for a more stable, resilient and prosperous Haiti. 

International and local NGOs are critical to the success of this immediate response and to Haiti’s long-term development.  In order to strengthen coordination and communication with the NGO community, USAID has created this communications channel to share information and solicit feedback. This will be the first of many updates in the days and weeks ahead.

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Conference Call

The USAID team working to coordinate NGO activities in Haiti will be holding a conference call tomorrow, Thursday, January 21, 2010, at 3 pm EST.  Please call in a few minutes early to allow time to be connected to the call.

International #: (816) 650-7866

Domestic #: (866) 306-0035

Conference ID:  52612162

FAQs 

We have received several questions about on-the-ground coordination and delivery of goods.  We hope the following information is helpful to you.  Additional questions and feedback can be submitted using our new email address  <mailto:RebuildHaiti at usaid.gov> RebuildHaiti at usaid.gov as described below. 

Response Update

USAID and the inter-agency task force are working to establish secure transport, reliable communications infrastructure and delivery channels. You can stay updated on this progress by reading the daily response update posted at 5pm at:  <http://www.whitehouse.gov/haitiearthquake> http://www.whitehouse.gov/haitiearthquake

Mia Beers ( <mailto:mbeers at usaid.gov> mbeers at usaid.gov) is the Response Management Team representative working with all of the UN agencies to help support the overall coordination mechanisms.  She can also be a resource for NGOs trying to plug into the system.   

Angela Sherbenou ( <mailto:asherbenou at ofda.gov> asherbenou at ofda.gov) is the civilian-military relations Point of Contact for NGOs.  

For folks on the ground, both Mia and Angela are based at the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) tents in Port au Prince.  

Updated UN/OCHA information is also being posted at   <http://www.oneresponse.info/Disasters/Haiti/Pages/default.aspx> http://www.oneresponse.info/Disasters/Haiti/Pages/default.aspx‪

‪OneResponse is a collaborative inter-agency website designed to enhance humanitarian coordination within the cluster approach, and support the predictable exchange of information in emergencies at the country level‪.

The site is rich with updates maps, situation reports, as well as Cluster meeting times and contact numbers.

Prioritizing supplies into Haiti

The best way for NGOs to get cargo flights prioritized for time slots into Port au Prince is to communicate the information and requirements to the UN's Logistics Cluster, which is led by the World Food Program (WFP).  The Logistics Cluster is working with the US Joint Task Force to prioritize and coordinate civilian and military air shipments into Haiti.  The first step is to contact one of the three individuals listed below in order to get the information into the humanitarian queue.  They also can help prioritize medical personnel and equipment into Port-au-Prince.

*	Andrew Stanhope, Cluster Coordinator -  <mailto:tanho.stanhope at wfp.org> tanho.stanhope at wfp.org  +50378615152
*	Baptiste Burgaud, Logistics Officer -  <mailto:Baptiste.burgaud at wfp.org> Baptiste.burgaud at wfp.org  +393490507280
*	Edmondo Perrone, Logistics Officer -  <mailto:Edmondo.perrone at wfp.org> Edmondo.perrone at wfp.org  +50937012341

Contract amendments for USAID partners 

The Office of Acquisition and Assistance (OAA) is in the process of reviewing grants and contracts to enable existing USAID partners in Haiti to re-program their efforts and funds to Haiti relief and development. You should receive a notification of this amendment in the coming 2 days. 

Identifying new supplies 

USAID has received several offers of goods and services that may be best deployed through our NGO partners. We are evaluating how best to connect donations with your needs. We will keep you updated as we know more. 

Health Professionals from Haitian Diaspora

There has been an outpouring of volunteers from the Haitian diaspora willing to help in the relief efforts in Haiti. Specifically, we have over 10,000 names of registered nurses and doctors specializing in (a) orthopedic surgery; (b) general practice; (c) nutrition; (d) pediatrics; and (5) infectious diseases that are coming primarily from New York and Florida. 

If you are in need of Creole speaking health professionals, please email Heather MacLean at  <mailto:hmaclean at usaid.gov> hmaclean at usaid.gov and we will share a list of names, addresses, and specialties. Please note: by sharing these names the US Government is not taking responsibility for the transportation, housing, or ongoing care for the volunteers. However, medical liability for volunteers is waived through a bi-lateral agreement we have with the Government of Haiti. 

Sharing Feedback with USAID

USAID wants to keep open lines of communication with the NGO community to ensure we hear your concerns and solicit your ideas. You can send emails to USAID related to the work in Haiti by emailing  <mailto:RebuildHaiti at usaid.gov> RebuildHaiti at usaid.gov.  Please choose one of the following five words for your subject line in order for us to process your email most efficiently:

*	Operations (logistics and technical)

*	Feedback (eyes and ears on the ground)

*	Good News (share your success stories, metrics, anecdotes)

*	Strategy (ideas for improved NGO coordination)

*	Innovation (ideas for rebuilding Haiti – See below)

We are especially interested in innovative and sustainable solutions to build a better Haiti.  From mobile banking to LPG stoves, USAID knows that the long-term development of Haiti will depend upon your creative ideas.  Please email  <mailto:RebuildHaiti at usaid.gov> RebuildHaiti at usaid.gov with subject line: INNOVATION to share your ideas with the Administrator.

We hope this communication channel will help strengthen communication and keep every one informed.  Please forward this email to others in your network and have them email  <mailto:RebuildHaiti at usaid.gov> RebuildHaiti at usaid.gov with Add Me in the subject line if they would like to receive the updates.  We look forward to hearing from you and speaking with you in the days and weeks ahead.

Thanks for all that you are doing.

Sincerely,

Ari Alexander, Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives

Benjamin Hubbard, Office of the Administrator

Karen Turner, Office of Development Partners

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