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EU Ambassadors Visit GOAL Haiti

 

July 26, 2019 • 2 min read

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GOAL Haiti was thrilled to welcome EU ambassadors to visit resilience projects in communities in Jeremie, Grand Anse. The visit comes after GOAL Haiti won a grant through the URBAYITI program, for urban resilience and governance, from the European Union.

During the visit, EU Ambassadors witnessed, first hand, the urban resilience programmes GOAL will be undertaking having receive the funding. GOAL Haiti ensured the EU representatives were involved in significant activities demonstrating the dyer need for resilience and disaster preparedness in desperately vulnerable communities.

This URBAYITI grant ensures that GOAL Haiti can continue to build neighbourhoods devastated by Hurricane Matthew in 2016 by strengthening the communities for residents and being better prepared for future disasters.

To demonstrate the benefits of this funding, GOAL staff brought the European guests to three projects in the area. In the first community, Mackandal, GOAL is implementing 6 micro projects including the construction of drainage canals and safe recreational and leisure areas. One micro project will see 65 linear metres of drainage canals installed to vastly improve sanitation and hygiene while eliminating the potential spread of disease. These features will move contaminated water away from households and provide cleaner neighbourhoods for the people.

Ahead of hurricane season, it is imperative to prepare communities for the expected bad weather. In a bid to increase disaster preparedness, EU members helped GOAL deliver emergency equipment which was accepted, and officially signed, by the Mayor of the city of Jeremie. This delivery means life-saving equipment includes wheelbarrows, shovels, rakes, lifejackets, megaphones, stretchers, boots will be more readily available in the case of disastrous weather.

To round off the trip, the EU guests sat in on a workshop that was held in the locality of Nan-cite with female leaders from the city. The discussions in the workshops focused on how the neighbourhood could be improved by building kiosks with drinking water available to the community through the city network, creating spaces where youth and children can spend time and a recreational space for residents to meet. Also included will be a project to improve drainage in the area to improve the flow of stagnant water and prevent waterborne diseases.

The ongoing resilience work throughout Grand Anse, and other affected areas in Haiti will help over 16,000 people prepare for future disasters. GOAL’s resilience work throughout Latin America is leading the way globally and being trialled in other parts of the world in a bid to prepare communities for potential dangers.GOAL Haiti during and EU AmbassadorsGOAL Haiti improve resilience programmes having received the URBAYITI grant