30 organisations benefiting from IHP facilities in Haiti

Published: 20 December 2016

The IHP facilities have been operational in Jérèmie, Haiti, from the 27th October, and have hosted over 700 guest nights in support of a large number of humanitarian organisations.

The IHP mission to Haiti has now ended and the light base camp facility and the equipment have been handed over to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). The IHP facilities have hosted over 700 guest nights in support of 30 different humanitarian organisations. At its peak, the light base camp simulaneously accommodated 39 guests and around 20 WFP staff working from the office during the day time. Furthermore, 14 NGO:s ran their entire Jérèmie operations from the IHP base camp facility. Internet service(provided by the Emergency Telecommunications Cluster - ETC) and office facilities were provided to enable reliable and effective communication and a functional office environment.

A few weeks into the emergency, the IHP in collaboration with the WFP constructed a joint UN office compound. The compound will enable an improved long term working environment for WFP, UNICEF and IOM staff members. 13 prefabricated units from the WFP were installed. The electrical system was upgraded and an office and meeting space was constructed. This will ensure that the services constructed at the base camp will be utilized long after the temporary facilities have been closed. The expected staff presence at the UN Compound is around 35 staff.

“Overall, It has been a succesful deployment and we have managed to complete all our tasks and provided valuable support to the humanitarian efforts in Jérèmie”. – Says the IHP Operational Lead Focal Point, Jens Bjerg Sand (Head of Section, International Division, DEMA).

Additional works were made available to humanitarian actors. This enabled a more efficient supply chain through an enhanced warehouse capacity. Thiw was made possible through the repair of a main warehouse facility that was damaged in the hurricane and construction support was provided to the WFP logistics hub. Communication and information sharing was strengthened through the set-up of two humanitarian Internet points for the ETC. Furthermore, equipment was also donated to OCHA to support its information management capacity. Last but not least, the IHP repaired the neighbouring university’s infrastructure, for example in regards of power and water supply systems.

“The IHP support has facilitated humanitarian access in a part of the country which was severely affected by the hurricane. This operational support has proved valuable for the emergency response as it has made it possible for humanitarian organization to live and work in the area, and initiate and expand life-saving relief operations”. – Jens Bjerg Sand continues.

The IHP will conduct an After Action Review, hosted by the IHP operational Lead  organisation DEMA, in Denmark 09-10th of January 2017.