Haiti: Acted deploys a Rapid Response Mechanism in Eastern Artibonite with the support of the European Union

Faced with the continuing deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Haiti, particularly in Artibonite, Acted, AVSI and IMPACT are using a Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM) to identify and respond to sudden shocks such as violence from armed groups, natural disasters or health epidemics, which are having a major impact on the country.

Acted is working in Artibonite de l’Est, in hard-to-reach areas of the communes of Ennery, Marmelade, Saint Michel de l’Attalaye, Dessalines, Petite Rivière de l’Artibonite, Verrettes and La Chapelle, and plans to support 10,000 people, or around 2,000 households, over the course of this 12-month project. The project has three main components

• Emergency food assistance (SECAL) for 1,000 households

• Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) support for 500 households

• Protection of vulnerable populations, with aid for 500 people.

This multi-sectoral approach enables Acted to provide integrated assistance, providing immediate solutions to the most urgent needs.

The RRM is integrated into the coordination system with humanitarian partners and local authorities, guaranteeing collective and coherent action. It harmonises approaches and working tools between implementing partners, from receiving alerts to monitoring the response. It also ensures that information is disseminated to humanitarian actors to ensure that the response is best adapted to the urgent needs identified. Interventions are prioritised in areas that are difficult to access, and the mechanism offers a degree of flexibility that enables actions to be adjusted quickly to take account of situations on the ground.

The RRM is based on a system of pre-positioning and monitoring by teams in the field, informers and the authorities. When an alert is received, the information is triangulated to guarantee its veracity. If it is confirmed, it is distributed to the relevant clusters. A rapid assessment and targeting of the affected population are then carried out simultaneously, enabling a coordinated response to be put in place to provide immediate assistance according to identified needs.

The deployment of the Rapid Response Mechanism marks an important step for humanitarian action in Haiti. With this pilot project, Acted confirms its commitment to providing rapid and effective assistance in hard-to-reach areas of Haiti.

For further information, please contact Delphine Agullana, Project Coordinator for the Acted mission in Haiti, at delphine.agullana@acted.org.