IOM is rolling out a large-scale programme to place information
kiosks in as many camps and communities as possible to bridge the
information gap with beneficiaries.

These 'no logo' covered wooden units are designed to encourage
two-way information flows among shattered communities and to help
them separate fact from common misperception and rumour.  One
side of the kiosk will have a camp map and a space where the
Government of Haiti and humanitarian agencies can place key
messages on health, security and education. The other has a notice
board for the community and a blackboard to share messages.

In a society where newspaper circulation is limited, the kiosks
will play the role of a community newspaper, meeting point and
signpost amid the chaos of camp life. Ten of these 'info kiosks'
were in the process of being distributed on 5 July and local
carpenters were busy hammering and sawing with another 100 under
construction.

"A community without means of communication is a frustrated
one," said Pascale Verly, a member of the Haitian Diaspora who
moved from her home in Seattle, USA to spearhead IOM's drive to
help the displaced find a way home. "This is a traumatized society
where many have already lost hope and feel powerless to act. The
info kiosks are an attempt to help connect them to one another and
figure out a way to improve their lives."

The United Missions Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) is
also ramping up efforts with the Government of Haiti to get
information out to the displaced population about plans to get
communities out of camps and into more adequate shelter.

In Corail Cesselesse, a camp of 7,000 on a desolate hillside,
recent demonstrations and threats of violence revealed how
disillusionment can fuel resentment among the displaced. Corail is
one of the first sites selected by IOM for a community information
kiosk. 

"Like a summer brushfire, rumours can sweep through sites, which
shelter thousands of desperately poor and helpless people, whose
hopes have been dashed with the harsh realities of loss and
displacement," says IOM's Pascale Verly.

For further information, please contact:

Leonard Doyle

Media and Communication Officer

IOM Haiti

Tel: + 509 3702 5066

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