You know how email correspondence works--start with the bottom email and read up to the last one directly below.
PS - I wasn't trying to be cheeky with Mr. Bataille, but felt his comments, although relevant, were a tad late and off-topic. Besides... http://www.wfp.org/stories/wfp-hosts-key-meeting-haitis-future
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Mr. Bataille raises a very important issue and one that I should hope has already garnered the attention of the WFP.
The original purpose of my writing concerned shelter so please allow me to bring us back to that point. Veterans of Pakistan's 'winter race' will recall the extra effort and coordination required to supply shelter in NWFP and Kashmir. In many regards we face a similar challenge.
Two critical priorities expressed in today's shelter cluster should capture our immediate attention--both in regards to the coming rains.
1) The drainage canals and escarpments remain full of debris. Though isolated flooding in PaP is not new, certainly the thousands of families living under insufficient shelter within these basins is new. Ensuring the adequate drainage of PaP during the rains will become critical to the health and safety of displaced households. Heavy lift operations should be prioritized accordingly.
Cash-for-work (rubble removal) initiatives thus far are commendable, but need to be quickly scaled up. Kudos to UNDP for their leadership in this regard. On that note, the funding gap in early recovery is an absolute travesty. Cleaning and clearing PaP before the deluge of rain must become a main priority, and donors MUST be made aware of the early recovery programs in place to accomplish this.
2) Emergency & transitional shelters: we are all sympathetic to the needs for plastic tarpaulin distributions to IDPs. But, I fear this is simply delaying the inevitable once rains arrive. Care should be given by agencies distributing tarps to include efforts to model and instruct their correct usage--particularly in regards to drainage.
Joel Kaiser
Program Advisor
Emergency Response Unit
joelkaiser.haiti@gmail.com
Mobile: 3617 7105
On 12-Feb-10, at 11:54 AM, J. G. Bataille, Jr. wrote:
Ladies and Gentlemen,
In a previous email Mr. Kaiser made mention of a food distribution strategy that concerns me, our foundation, and many "thinkers" among the Haitian people. If I am not mistaken, the strategy of the WFP is not to give each family a sack of rice to live off of for a month. It is to "blanket" the market with donated rice in order to lower its market price on the streets. Please consider the following concern:
After the rain season will come Haiti's largest rice crop from the Artibonite Valley. In the last few decades, Haitian rice has already struggled against foreign rice in the local markets. Locals would normally choose Haitian rice for its quality and flavor, but it has no competition against the prices of foreign brands. A word of caution: if careful measures are not taken in this aid effort HAITI'S FOOD INDUSTRY WILL NOT SURVIVE for another year. This disaster would be greater than the first, raising a need for another wave of food aid.
We have seen this happen before (See: http://www1.american.edu/TED/haitirice.htm ). Haiti used to be able to feed itself, but now has a net import of ALL of its staple foods. Farmers, tired of running deficits, are quitting to come to Port-au-prince to beg for jobs. Men & women of the WFP/PAM, the UN, and others, Please take care that your policies DO NOT BUILD DEPENDENCE on foreign aid.
CONSIDER THIS PROPOSED SOLUTION:
I propose that the WFP, in partnership with other NGOs, buy out the ENTIRE CROP of Haitian rice from the coming season to be given in the next round of aid. To balance the cost of such a move, sell any surplus in foreign markets and label & market it as another Haitian Aid effort. This will not only save Haiti's agriculture industry, but it will provide a considerable boost to the Haitian economy so that the Haitian people can PULL THEMSELVES out of this disaster. Anything less will be a mistake. Anything less will cause another disaster.
We would be glad to discuss this policy with anyone who has the desire. Please forward this message to the proper authorities. Thank you for serving our great nation.
With sincerity and respect,
A SERVANT of the HAITIAN People.
J. Gerald Bataille, Jr.
Fondation Gérald Bataille Ministries
www.geraldbatailleministries.org
509-3786-2504 - HT Cell
513-404-4976 - US Cell
jgbataille@gmail.com
http://jgbataille.wordpress.com
On Fri, Feb 12, 2010 at 8:59 AM, Pete Manfield
I think Joel has a point.
how will we collectively ensure that if we use WFP distribution points for shelter/WASh/NFI distributions there will not be duplication against materials already distributed to some 60,000 HH? need to be careful not to cause conflict over high value items in very high demand.
Also, concerned that such a system is unlkely to meet the most vulnerable or those who do not have food tokens. is there efforts to supply help age, handicap intl and other CBOs who can also be worked into mass distribution strategy?
Also may want to consider using WFP distribution for round 2 distributions of the second plastic sheet to each HH, once universal coverage at one shet is reached..
best
pete
Pete Manfield
OCHA Haiti
manfield@un.org
Haiti cell + 509 349 083 95
RSA cell +27 82 908 1434
-----shelterhaiti2010@googlegroups.com wrote: -----
To: Shelter Cluster Haiti 2010
From: Joel Kaiser
Sent by: shelterhaiti2010@googlegroups.com
Date: 02/12/2010 02:45
Subject: possible switch to "WFP-style" blanket NFI/Shelter distributions
Colleagues,
In addition to other activities, our agency is currently
distributing shelter/nfi kits in the south-eastern area of 1ere Saint
Martin known as Siloe (P-code 112-05 spread across 1572, 1548, 1515,
etc). We are distributing tarp/hygiene/2jerrycans to approx. 500
families per day. Next week our capacity will increase to 1000
families per day. We use vouchers in a two-track system: distributions
directly to spontaneous settlements, and distributions through local
CBOs.
I arrived late to Wednesday's shelter cluster meeting but read in the
minutes that the cluster is considering switching to the same system
currently used by WFP: centralized blanket food distributions. After
talking to some colleagues in the cluster, I want to add a word of
caution regarding this idea.
It is important to remind ourselves that the intention behind WFP's
strategy involving blanket distributions is not simply to put rice
into the hands of every family in PaP. The real benefit of the blanket
distribution strategy is to dramatically lower the price of rice in
the market. This is the knock-on effect and benefit of the blanket
rice distribution: all residents in the area benefit from the
depressed price of rice.
HOWEVER-- the issue with plastic tarps for purchase in the market is
not price--it is availability. The important knock-on effect of a
depressed commodity prices would not occur because plastic is simply
not available.
If the rationale of switching to a centralized blanket distribution is
(perceived as) speed, then I would strongly question whether this
benefit is actually possible. We are one week into the WFP
distributions and the lower 3/4s of 1ere Saint martin have not even
been reached...
Of course, if I am misinformed, please disregard this email.
Regards,
Joel Kaiser
Program Advisor
Emergency Response Unit
joelkaiser.haiti@gmail.com
3617 7105
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