[CCIH-Haiti] USAID NGO Coordination Efforts in Haiti - January 22, 2010

Fri Jan 22 14:01:50 EST 2010

For those who were not able to be on yesterday’s USAID call and who have not already signed up for updates through RebuildHaiti at usaid.gov, here is a report on the call. (To sign up for updates, send an email to RebuildHaiti at usaid.gov with the subject ‘Add me’.)

The following things were stressed in the call (find more detailed information below): 

-          UNOCHA (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) has a dedicated website to coordinate relief efforts in Haiti called OneResponse: http://www.oneresponse.info/Disasters/Haiti/Pages/default.aspx. It also has information on its own website at http://ochaonline.un.org. 

-          UN Clusters: NGOs/FBOs working on the ground are strongly urged to plug into the UN Cluster system that has been set up.  These twelve clusters are meeting on an almost daily basis to coordinate activities.  Contact information for these clusters is found at the OneResponse website and below. 

-          Coordination: It is critical for NGOs on the ground in Haiti to plug into UNOCHA's coordination mechanism. It is creating a “Who What Where” matrix to help prevent the duplication of services and ensure that vulnerable populations are being addressed.

-          Collaboration: Anyone working on the ground should make an effort to coordinate their effort with others – this may include finding space on available transport to move commodities around, collaborating on services in particular areas to maximize efforts, etc. An example was given of one organization letting the Cluster Coordinator know that they had space on a vehicle and another organization without transport being able to take advantage of this. 

-          USAID Partners with current contracts/grants: USAID is developing language to facilitate appropriate amendments of current grants and contracts with partners in Haiti in an expedited manner so that they can change their activities to focus on relief efforts.  

-          In-kind Donations:  A new website has been set up through USAID’s website (http://www.usaid.gov/haiti/) to help match generous private sector in-kind donations to the needs of NGOs working in Haiti.  NGOs can register to receive donations of goods at the bottom of this USAID page.

-          Health Professionals from the Haitian Diaspora: Creole-speaking volunteers from the Haitian diaspora are willing to help in the relief efforts in Haiti. To receive a list of potential volunteers, send a message to RebuildHaiti with “Medical” in the subject line. Note that this is a change from the information included in the original email sent announcing yesterday’s call. 

-          Communicating with RebuildHaiti: Organizations are encouraged to share information, questions, etc by sending emails to RebuildHaiti at usaid.gov using specific subject topics outlined below.  Of special interest are “innovative and sustainable solutions to build a better Haiti”.

From: RebuildHaiti [mailto:RebuildHaiti at usaid.gov] 
Sent: Friday, January 22, 2010 10:44 AM
To: RebuildHaiti
Subject: USAID NGO Coordination Efforts in Haiti - January 22, 2010

Dear NGO colleagues,

Thank you to those of you who joined our conference call yesterday afternoon.  We had a great call with good questions and a lot of constructive feedback and communication on the challenges you are experiencing.  A lot of information was covered in the hour, much of which is detailed below.  While we will not be able to answer all the specific questions raised in these regular emails, we will be answering those of general interest in the coming days.  Through yesterday’s call and the  <mailto:RebuildHaiti at usaid.gov> RebuildHaiti at usaid.gov email address, we have heard from a range of international, national, and local NGOs.

Please continue to forward this email to your contacts and send feedback, questions, and suggestions to the  <mailto:RebuildHaiti at usaid.gov> RebuildHaiti at usaid.gov email box with one of the subject lines described below (Operations; Feedback; Good News; Strategy; Innovation; Medical; or Add Me).  Your emails will be forwarded to the appropriate offices and staff within the Agency and the Haiti relief efforts for a response.

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Notes from the Call:

Response Update

During the call, we heard from Mia Beers, the Response Management Team representative working with all of the UN agencies to help support the overall coordination efforts and Andrew Kent in USAID’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance.  Mia strongly urged NGOs working on the ground to plug into the UN Cluster system that has been set up.  These twelve clusters (Food, Health, Logistics, Shelter and Non-Food Items, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, Telecommunications, Early Recovery, Agriculture, Camp Coordination/ Management, Nutrition, Protection, and Education) are meeting on an almost daily basis to coordinate activities.  Contact information for these clusters is below.

Updated UN/OCHA information is frequently 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 updated maps, situation reports, as well as Cluster meeting times and contact numbers.

*	To find contact information for staff working on these clusters, click here:   <http://www.oneresponse.info/Disasters/Haiti/Pages/default.aspx> http://www.oneresponse.info/Disasters/Haiti/Pages/default.aspx.  Immediately under the box entitled “Highlights/Key Priorities” is a column titled “Clusters.”  Click on the cluster name relevant to your work or challenge to find staff contact information, meeting announcements, maps, and news.  Some clusters have more information than others.  Also on the site are maps, situation reports, and other key coordination documents.  

*	On the coordination page  <http://oneresponse.info/Disasters/Haiti/Coordination/Pages/default.aspx> http://oneresponse.info/Disasters/Haiti/Coordination/Pages/default.aspx, there is a master schedule of UNOCHA meetings through January 24, 2010 with meeting contact information.  Within the next few days, staff from InterAction will be joining UNOCHA to assist with its NGO coordination work of all responding NGOs.  

*	It is critical for NGOs on the ground in Haiti to plug into OCHA's coordination mechanism, including sharing information on their activities so that OCHA can create their Who What Where matrix. This matrix will help prevent the duplication of services and ensure that vulnerable populations are being addressed.  

UN OCHA Cluster Contact Information

Cluster

Role

Contact

Details

Emergency Shelter 

Cluster Coordinator

Nuno Nunes

nnunes at iom.int

shelterhaiti2010 at iom.int

Food Aid

Cluster Coordinator

Raoul Balletto

raoul.balletto at wfp.org

Logistics / UNHAS

Cluster Coordinator

Andrew Stanhope

andrew.stanhope at wfp.org

Tel: + 503 7861 5152

haiti.logs at logcluster.org

Logistics

Logistics Officer

Baptiste Burgaud

baptiste.burgaud at wfp.org

+393490507280 (Mobile)

Emergency

Telecommunications

Senior Emergency

Manager

Dane Novarlic

Sat: +881641438466

+19173673202 ext 3748

dane.novarlic at wfp.org

Health

Cluster Coordinator

Dana van Alphen

+507 6677 6401 (BB)

Sat: 14807682500 then

881621436689

vanalphd at pan.ops-oms.org

vanalphen at paho.org

WASH

Cluster Coordinator

Souleymane Sow

+33611854876

ssow at unicef.org

WASH

Deputy Cluster

Coordinator

Silvia Gaya

sgaya at unicef.org

+88164138587

Nutrition

Cluster Coordinator

Mija Ververs

mijaververs at hotmail.com

Protection

Cluster Coordinator

Sonia Bakar

aker at un.org

Child Protection

Julie Bergeron

jbergeron at unicef.org

Education

Nieves Alvarez

nalvarez at unicef.org

Agriculture

Emergency Coordinator

Ari Toubo IBRAHIM

AriToubo.Ibrahim at fao.org

+50934020611

+50938621461

Early Recovery

Cluster Coordinator and

Deputy Director UNDP

Haiti

Marc-Andre Franche

marc-andre.franche at undp.org

+881 651 438 503

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

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.  

Contract and grant amendments for USAID partners 

Karen Turner, the Director of the Office of Development Partners, noted on the call that Office of Acquisition and Assistance (OAA) is developing language to facilitate appropriate amendments of current grants and contracts with our partners in Haiti in an expedited manner so that they can change their activities to focus on relief efforts.  USAID/Haiti is prepared to receive requests from our partners related to modification of their programs to fit more closely with the current needs in Haiti.  To the extent that an organization expects to undertake efforts in Haiti which differ from what was contemplated under their existing programs, you will need prior authorization from USAID.  Please contact your contracts or grants officer in order to obtain this authorization.  USAID may also initiate discussions with partners related to modification of existing programs.

NEW Website Matching Private Sector Donations and NGO Needs 

While cash donations continue to be the strongly preferred way to help the relief effort, Anthony Buller of FEMA described a new website ( <http://www.usaid.gov/haiti/> http://www.usaid.gov/haiti/) that has been set up to help match generous private sector in-kind donations to the needs of NGOs working in Haiti.  The new website is intended to increase the visibility of the offers of private sector donations that have been received so that NGOs can identify useful items for their work.  At the bottom of  <http://www.usaid.gov/Haiti> www.usaid.gov/Haiti, NGOs can register to receive donations of goods.  This does not replace the need to affiliate with the UN Clusters on the ground.  In addition, this tool does not address transportation challenges for the NGO once the donation reaches Haiti.

Health Professionals from Haitian Diaspora

There has been an outpouring of Creole-speaking volunteers from the Haitian diaspora willing to help in the relief efforts in Haiti. Specifically, we have thousands of 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  <mailto:RebuildHaiti at usaid.gov> RebuildHaiti at usaid.gov with “Medical” in the subject field 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

Karen Turner, Office of Development Partners

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