HAP in Haiti
A woman walking in a camp in Haiti after the earthquake
Following the devastating earthquake in Haiti on 12 January 2010, 12 HAP members continue to operate humanitarian programmes either directly or through implementing partners. Given the magnitude of this emergency, many needs still need to be addressed. Challenges, but also opportunities, exist to ensure both quality and accountability (Q&A) as part of the response. In collaboration with other initiatives, and as part of its New Emergencies Policy, HAP ensured that quality and accountability was given due focus in this large response operation.
For more information about the HAP response, see the Terms of Reference of the HAP deployment in Haiti (pdf, 151 Kb) or contact Maria Kiani, Senior Quality and Accountability Advisor, e-mail: mkiani@hapinternational.org.
Reports
Details of HAP's work in Haiti and its impact is available in the following reports:
The Haiti Deployment
Phase 1: Initial Quality & Accountability Support Team (February 2010)
The ACT Alliance (including HAP members DanChurchAid and Lutheran World Federation) were instrumental in initiating and supporting the deployment of a Quality and Accountability (Q&A) Support Team to Haiti for the initial three weeks mission. The team, comprised of Coleen Heemskerk (HAP) and Annie Lloyd (Sphere Resource person), supported the ACT Alliance staff in Haiti on their efforts to strengthen the humanitarian quality and accountability in their programming, to assess the current issues and support needs for a longer term deployment and contribute to the work of the other quality and accountability initiatives in Haiti.
During their time in Haiti, the Support Team:
- Conducted trainings on quality and accountability, HAP and Sphere
- Provided technical advice
- Conducted two field visits
- Met with key stakeholders in the humanitarian response, including HAP members and other NGOs, Sphere ToT trained trainers, quality and accountability initiatives, support services, the Haitian Government and UN agencies.
More details about activities, learning from the deployment and recommendations for future HAP and Sphere programming in Haiti can be found in the Summary Report - Deployment of an initial Quality and Accountability Support Team in response to the Haiti earthquake (pdf, 100 Kb).
The team was funded by ACT Alliance/DanChurchAid and the European Commission of Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO), and was hosted by the Lutheran World Federation.
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Phase 2: Six-month deployment of a HAP team (until September 2010)
The HAP team arrived in Haiti on 21 March 2010 for a six-month deployment aimed at improving understanding and strengthening practice of humanitarian accountability and quality management as part of the current humanitarian response in Haiti. To achieve this, the team worked on a combination of:
- Tailored made support for international and national agencies
- Advocacy with relevant stakeholders for quality and accountability of the wider humanitarian response
- Collaboration with other initiatives working towards improved accountability in the Haiti response
- Documenting and sharing good practice and learning.
The team was based with RedR/Bioforce and worked closely with Sphere, as part of a ‘hub’ of practical support, capacity building and technical expertise working to help maximising the accountability, quality, and effectiveness of the international relief effort. In addition, HAP has been working with People in Aid, the Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance in Humanitarian Action (ALNAP), the Collaborative Learning Projects (Listening Project and Do No Harm), Communicating with Disaster Affected Communities (CDAC), the International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA) and InterAction as part of HAP's Haiti response.
Current activities in Haiti are supported financially by the Royal Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Danida), the ACT Alliance, Tearfund, and World Vision, with an earlier grant additionally from the European Commission of Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO).
Key highlights and resources
The team conducted workshops and trainings, developed a camp committee assessment tool, piloted joint complaints and response mechanisms, and established an Accountability Learning Working Group.
Workshops, training, coaching and other tailored support for agencies
A variety of trainings have been delivered for both members and non-members, international and national NGOs. Over the last four months over 260 staff from 11 HAP members and 28 non-HAP members have participated in 15 training workshops. These have included: an introduction to HAP and accountability for practitioners and management; benchmark specific training on information sharing and participation; approaches for rapid-assessment of practice at project level with site visit.
The rapid-assessments as part of training programmes have been particularly successful in helping participants to realise existing gaps between their understanding of current practice, and the realities on the ground from the perspective of beneficiaries. The training covered the regions of Port-au-Prince, Leogane and Jacmel.
Development and testing of a camp committee assessment tool to strengthen community participation
During the early stages of the deployment, the HAP team identified that camp committees, and the responsibilities given to them by the humanitarian community, are playing a key role in agency accountability. While agencies are commonly working through these committees, they do not necessary understand how the committees were created and by whom, if the committees were well-respected and viewed as representative by the population.
Together with the 'Agence d'Aide à la Coopération Technique et au Développement' (ACTED), the HAP team developed a camp committee assessment tool, which was used in Ti Savanne camp, a camp managed by ACTED. The results proved instrumental for ACTED in their management of the camp and resulted in ACTED ensuring a better camp governance structure and ensuring that particular groups, such as women and people living with disabilities, are now participating more. Read our article outlining the role of camp committees and the findings based on the work with ACTED: Camp Committees in Haiti: Un-Accountability Mechanisms?
Following this collaboration, and building on the interest it generated, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and HAP have been working together to further test and refine the tool in three camps. The tool will then be shared widely within Haiti, so that agencies working in camps (either providing services or as the camp manager) can map and analyse the existing committees, in order to make a more informed decision about how they want to work with these committees and the wider camp population.
The tool can be downloaded in English or French:
English:
PDF: Camp Committee Assessment Tool in English
Zipped file: Camp Committee Assessment Tool in English
French:
PDF: Camp Committee Assessment Tool in French
Zipped file: Camp Committee Assessment Tool in French
Complaints and Response Mechanism (JCRM)
Working with the Lutheran World Foundation (LWF), Save the Children and World Vision, the HAP team has been supporting the development of a joint complaints and response mechanism (JCRM) to be piloted by these three agencies in St. Therese camp. This has included facilitating a series of meetings, providing technical expertise, offering feedback on tools, and supporting with the drafting of complaints handling procedures.
Find out more about how agencies can establish joint complaints mechanisms: Establishing Joint Complaints and Response Mechanism (zip file, 498 Kb).
Accountability Learning Working Group (ALWG)
With interested agencies, an Accountability Learning Working Group (ALWG) was established to provide a forum for international and national agencies to share examples of good practice, tools and learning on accountability. The ALWG sessions have included discussions on:
- Conducting a camp committee assessment to strengthen community participation (presentation by ACTED)
- Setting up a complaint and response mechanism for beneficiary complaints (presentation by Concern)
- Developing a committee of grass roots organisations to ensure stronger accountability (presentation by Oxfam GB).
The initial success of the ALWG in Port-au-Prince has sparked interest among participating agencies in launching a similar group in Leogane.
Participation in UN and NGO Steer Committee on Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA)
The HAP team supported the Haiti PSEA coordinator engaged by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), and participated in the Steering Committee on PSEA. HAP facilitated a session of a training for agencies' focal points on PSEA.
Training resource
Developed in Haiti, this new training resource is aimed at introducing the role of stronger accountability in reducing the risks of corruption and sexual exploitation and abuse. The role play, and cartoon, was developed specifically for a post-emergency context, and is based around a series of well know proverbs.
The handouts and facilitator notes are available in:
English
a) PSEA role play and facilitator notes
b) PSEA training resource cartoon (English)
French
a) PSEA role play and facilitator notes (French)
b) PSEA training resource cartoon (French)
Creole
a) PSEA role play and facilitator notes (Creole)
b) PSEA training resource cartoon (Creole)
Successful secondment of staff to work with HAP in Haiti
The first three months of the HAP deployment was led by Elie Gasagara, who was seconded to HAP from World Vision. As the Accountability and Protection Advisor for World Vision’s Food Programme Management Group, Elie brought with him pertinent expertise, and found the secondment offered good opportunity for him to understand what other agencies are doing in the area of accountability and to access extensive resources available at HAP.
To support the team, and help build capacity over the long term, the national NGO Reseau National de Droits Humaines (RNDDH) has seconded a member of staff to HAP. This staff member continues to deliver trainings on accountability and remains the call for accountability in the emergency and relief efforts in Haiti.
Documenting through photos
The HAP team worked with a photographer and video documentarist, Robin Moore, to capture the life of camp residents in Ti Savanne, where HAP had conducted its first camp committee assessment. The work resulted in a photo series, which can be viewed at: http://robinmoore.photoshelter.com
Quality and Accountability resources for Haiti
The following resources are available in English, French, and Creole:
Also see HAP’s collection of Case Studies and Tools documenting good practice aimed at strengthening accountability. These have been collected from HAP members during emergencies all over the world. For case studies and tools in French and Creole, including a number developed for Haiti, see Etudes de cas et outils en Français et Créole.
External portal
The ALNAP Haiti Learning and Accountability Portal aims at providing a structured strategic overview of ongoing and planned learning and accountability efforts by agencies operating in Haiti. The site aims to encourage complementarity amongst agencies undertaking such work, through sharing of approaches, contacts, key resources and evaluation plans.
Key HAP meeting minutes and Haiti reports
NEP HAP members telecon. On 2 February 2010 a telecon was held with 23 staff from 17 organisations to share some of the challenges and issues related to Q&A faced by HAP members, agency approaches to date to strengthening accountability, and possible types of support needed. Download the summary of points about the Haiti earthquake (pdf, 98 Kb).
Photos
For photos about the HAP deployment in Haiti, go to the HAP Flickr photostream.
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Updated June 2011
