Haiti - Social : The relocation of families of the Champ de Mars began
According to OCHA (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) the first 610 of the families who settled on the Champ de Mars in the aftermath of January 12 have been able to go back to their neighbourhood of origin. With a US$ 20 million grant from the Canadian Development Agency (CIDA), the relocation project will allow all 4,600 families living in tents on the main square of the capital city to leave by next August. The project is implemented by IOM, UNDP, UNOPS and ILO.
These families have been relocated in houses of their own choosing. They received an allocation of 20,000 gourdes (US$500) to pay the rent for one year, and 1,000 gourdes (US$25) for their travel expenses. Agencies involved in the project inspected the selected homes to make sure they were not located in areas at risk of flooding or landslide.
During this first wave of relocation, priority was given to the most vulnerable families, such as pregnant women, mothers with children under 5 years old, elderly, single parents, disabled people and patients with tuberculosis or HIV.
