Aid distribution starts in Leogane.

Update from Patrick Solomon, Senior Vice-President, Global Support Services CARE USA,
January 19, 2010

Distribution has started in Leogane. It is working in an orderly fashion primarily because of the pre work done by CARE staff to engage the mayor and others in the community. This morning we had lengthy discussions with the community's leadership and then the logistics committee. They wanted to be very involved and came up with their own plan for distribution.

The distribution took place in the driveway of a telecom building that is now being occupied by the municipal authorities because their building was destroyed. There was great collaboration between the community (including girl and boy scouts) and CARE.

The community leaders delivered chits to the participants in camps. When ready, the people from the camps came to the building and were escorted to the truck by the scouts where the distribution took place. They gave the chits to the CARE staff working with the community team including the scouts. The chit was then marked with whatever item they received so they couldn't get duplicate items. When they received the items, they were escorted to an exit away from the entrance which helped with crowd control.

The people who received the items for their households did not appear malnourished or severely hurt but they were some people who needed extra support to walk by the scouts. The people who came were the representatives from the households. Several people who came had some type of cream around their noses to most likely prevent them from smelling the stench.

They all seemed very appreciative of the support they were receiving from CARE. This was an excellent example of CARE partnering with the community. Today we started distributing 1,500 jerry cans and 1,200 hygiene kits. We also solidified plans to install three water bladders tomorrow. We plan to continue to focus on this community and also increase our distribution of items there.

On the way to Leogane this morning, we saw dead bodies that were not there when we passed yesterday. This was a harsh reminder of the tragic outcome of the earthquake and the fact that so many people have not yet been recovered. Just before our distribution, I visited the distribution nearby by another organization. Unlike ours, they were using armed UN peacekeepers to keep order. That said, while the tensions were slightly elevated, I didn't see any problems.