Voice Out Loud Issue 12: Haiti: The NGO Perspective

2010 will be remembered for the enormous natural disasters that struck Haiti and Pakistan. On January 12, a large earthquake hit Haiti, killing over 200,000 people. In July, persistent rains led to the flooding of one third of Pakistan. Both disasters are characterised by challenges in terms of logistics, coordination, access, security and timely funding. While media attention to Haiti has diminished, it is clear that the needs are still great. Ten months after the quake this newsletter looks back on the Haiti experience to date. Many humanitarian NGOs, including many VOICE members, were already working in Haiti; a challenging environment even before the disaster took place. Such NGOs, with teams and partners in place and knowledge of the Haiti context, were amongst the first actors to respond. Today, they continue to be in the frontline of response to this crisis. Several contributors to this newsletter share good practices on how to engage disaster-affected people in the response to emergencies. The drive to constantly seek improved quality and accountability also emerges as a key theme.