Almost six months after Haiti was devastated by the earthquake,
vulnerable people are still slipping through the cracks, despite a
massive humanitarian aid effort that that has grown in size and
complexity.

An estimated 1.5 million Haitians are living in shelters, some
of them in well organized camps, others in impromptu settlements.
However, not all of them have received assistance because they live
in areas which were not directly affected by the physical
destruction caused by the earthquake, and therefore may not have
been identified as in need. Even in disaster affected areas, some
residents remained in their neighbourhoods and as a result fell
through a social safety net already stretched beyond its
limits.

The IOM Non-Food Item (NFI) team helps these communities by
distributing essential items such tarps, blankets, hygiene kits,
kitchen kits and medical kits. The NFI team is often the first to
respond to the needs of the displaced and frequently serves as a
triage unit which refers individuals and communities to other
departments and agencies for further assistance. 

"Once, a charity for handicapped individuals came to us for
non-food items, which we provided. Then, they submitted a request
for a shelter to serve children with handicapped parents so we
referred them to the appropriate IOM shelter unit for help," says
Stéphane Trocher, NFI distribution programme manager.

"Many people know IOM because of our distribution among "hidden
pockets" of the population. This programme serves as an entry point
to the humanitarian system for these communities," says Trocher.
"Our teams were among the first on the ground immediately following
the January 12 quake, distributing items to affected communities
both in displaced camps and in neighbourhoods."

Since January 14, close to 2 million non-food items have been
distributed through the Organization’s logistic pipeline,
including tarpaulins, hygiene kits, mosquito nets, kitchen sets,
blankets and diapers, in cooperation with 178 NGO partners in order
to reach the broadest range possible amongst the disaster affected
population.

IOM and partner aid organizations are trying to react as
quickly  as possible to  requests from neighbourhood
communities, small associations and agencies in the city as well as
outside Port-au-Prince, in areas devastated by the quake, says
Trocher, but gaps still remain.

IOM responded to over 200,000 families’ requests during
the first two months following the disaster with distribution
channels established through partners. "The biggest challenge is
that the demands for so called ‘out’ distribution keeps
on coming, and we cannot meet all of them as quickly as we want,"
says Trocher. To date IOM has distributed NFIs to approximately
288,837 families and 1.5 million individuals.

One beneficiary organization, an orphanage named "Kay Nou" in
Port-au-Prince which cares for 161 children between the ages of 3
to 7, sent a letter of thanks for the goods received through the
NFI programme, but their situation remains precarious and they are
still in need of assistance.

"Letters like this make you realize how huge the impact of this
earthquake has been in a country where already people were faced
with difficult situations. We want to make sure that the
communities who have submitted requests understand that we have not
forgotten about them and to be patient as we are doing our best to
reach them as quickly as possible," Trocher says, while looking at
a pile of letters on his desk.

Support for the programme comes from diverse sources including,
the US Agency for International Development, the UK Department for
International Development, the Government of Japan, and the Spanish
Agency for International Development Cooperation and for
Humanitarian Assistance.

For further information, please contact:

Stéphane Trocher

IOM Port-au-Prince

Tel: 509 3701 9293

E-mail: "mailto:strocher@iom.int">strocher@iom.int