IOM's PREPEP Programme (Programme de Revitalisation et de Promotion
de l'Entente et de la Paix) and the HSI (Haiti Stabilization
Initiative) have awarded more than 1,200 grants aimed at
stabilizing volatile neighbourhoods in Port-au-Prince and five
other volatile cities outside the capital through the
rehabilitation of key infrastructure and social/cultural
activities.

With funding from the US Agency for International Development
(USAID), IOM has invested, since 2004, more than USD 27 million in
vulnerable communities all over Haiti.  IOM works with the
communities in conjunction with the national and municipal
governments to support the processes of political stabilization,
community recovery and sustained development.  As of September
2007, IOM has assisted more than 700,000 people in Port-au-Prince,
including Cité Soleil, Cap-Haitien, Gonaives, Saint-Marc,
Petit Goave, and Les Cayes.

In Cité Soleil, the densely populated shanty town in
Port-au-Prince, an IOM community stabilization project is providing
public spaces for residents to increase recreational, leisure and
social outlets.  The attractive public spaces will contribute
to easing tensions in areas that have been plagued with violence.
The parks were named as a priority by the population, so there is
much anticipation that the common spaces will be completed for
residents to celebrate the upcoming holidays.

A public health nightmare in the area of Sansiro B Prolongee,
also in Cité Soleil, is rapidly being transformed through
the improvement of drainage.  The project will improve the
living conditions in the area by eliminating a huge breeding ground
for a variety of diseases that have threatened the health of
residents for years.

The paving of Ruelle Cite Brothers II in Cité Soleil is
progressing full speed ahead.  The road has been proposed as a
priority by the community for over two years, but it was not
possible for them to demolish illegal structures that constricted
the road and made paving impractical until IOM's involvement.

All of these IOM-managed projects aim to reduce the power and
influence of gangs by revitalizing local governance and the return
of the rule of law.  By encouraging communities and state
institutions to work together to identify key basic needs, IOM's
PREPEP and HSI projects promote community cohesion and enhance
citizen confidence and participation which leads to a reduction in
community tensions.  As citizens continue to witness the
positive transformations throughout these targeted cities, they are
much more willing to take measures to facilitate community
improvement initiatives.

Other projects include the construction or rehabilitation of
schools, as well as training in conflict-resolution skills for
community leaders.  These activities also generate employment
opportunities through durable labour-intensive work.

For more information please contact:

Frislain Isidor

IOM Port-au-Prince

Tel: +509.244.1247 ext. 118

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