HAITI Emergency: Staff Support & Operational Issues
NGOs are working together to share information and resources as they support their staff and those they serve in Haiti. InsideNGO will post these recommended resources as they are shared.
You will find the following resources below:
- Logistics Resources
- Working Groups & Listservs
- Staff Care Resources & Consultants
- USAID & OCHA Information
- Program Related Resources & Announcements
Logistics Resources
MSH Announces: They have made arrangements with Kraft and Nestle’s food distributor in Haiti, who is fully stocked and open for business. They kindly set up a wholesale account for us for the next few months so we can ensure that our staff will have the basic supplies that they need. Steven Miller, VP of Operations for Agro Products & Services, is my contact in Aventura, Florida. You can reach him at 305-792-4650.
Salvation Army: We are shipping almost daily MIA-PAP, or MIA-SDQ----truck----PAP with 757-200F (28tons) aircraft on behalf of the Salvation Army. If you have Relief Supplies or personnel that you would like to include in these shipments, please contact
Ken Cavallero, SAWSO, Haiti Field Operations, The Salvation Army
e-mail: ken.cavallero@usw.salvationarmy.org
Working Groups & Listservs
RedR & BioForce – Disaster Response Support Service
Starting Feb 2nd, Bioforce and RedR are launching their Disaster Response Support Service in Haiti with a joint 2 week assessment to determine priority learning and capacity building needs in the worst affected areas. Immediately after this assessment, it is hoped a programme of ‘on the job’ learning/training activities will be set up for the benefit of the actors of the emergency response. We will be linking in with the newly formed Interaction/ICVA coordination cell, Cluster Co-ordinators and any other co-ordination mechanisms on the ground. Contact Cheryl.McDonald@redr.org.uk
Haiti Staff Care Working Group- Phone Meetings
Lynne Cripe from CARE will facilitate a call on Tuesday, February 2nd, at 2:00pm EST. International SOS’s Dr. Robert Quigley, Regional Medical Director of the Americas and Alex Puig, Security Specialist will present. In addition, continued discussions on staff care and other operational issues. Click here for Haiti Earthquake Comprehensive Staff Care Framework guide sheet.
To join, please call 1-800-882-3610 or +1 (412) 380-2000 and use passcode 1127940. To be added to the mail list for meeting announcements and minutes email Lynne at: lcripe@care.org.
Haiti HR & Staff Care Listserv
Over 60 individuals have joined the Listserv created by FHI, for InsideNGO members and NGOs to share information and resources. If you have staff in Haiti and want to participate in the list serve send a blank email to: subscribe-haiti@listserv.fhi.org
HR Operational Issues- Working Group
A Working Group of NGOs formed to discuss managing operational issues during the emergency: payroll, loans, financial support of Haitian staff, evacuation etc. If interested in being part of these discussions contact Swati Patel at MSH: spatel@msh.org.
Staff Care On-line Resources & Consultants
On-line Resources
Antares Foundation free online staff care resources and consulting services www.antaresfoundation.org
Headington Institute – consulting services and free online staff care resources www.headington-institute.org. See below – Resource Links.
Helper’s Fire – online staff care resources http://helpersfire.org/
Haiti Relief Toolkit. To help assist the thousands of aid workers responding to the Haiti earthquake, Knowledge for Health (K4Health) has organized the Haiti Relief Toolkit (at www.k4health.org/toolkits/haiti_relief). K4Health will upload toolkit to flash drives and ship to Haiti. Use the toolkit’s discussion board (at www.k4health.org/forum/4704) to discuss issues, suggest additional
InterHealth: Has posted information on Travel Health for Staff and volunteers traveling to Haiti. www.interhealth.org.uk
Psychosocial. A website that focuses on the dissemination of practical information and research about psychosocial issues. www.idealist.org/en/psychosocial/about.html
People in Aid have posted HR resources on their website www.peopleinaid.org/haiti including Managing People In Emergencies website www.managing.peopleinaid.org. which includes a checklist on Induction, briefing and handover. The website is Available in French and English and is FREE.
Resource Links recommended by Headington Institute and others
- Psychological First Aid: Field Operations Guide
- The American Psychological Association (APA) – Tips for recovering from disasters and other traumatic events
- The APA Disaster Resources for First Responders site
- Understanding and Coping with Traumatic stress – (written specifically for humanitarian staff)
- The CARD directory – CARD is an international online directory of professional counselors interested in providing services for humanitarian relief and development workers.
- Taking Care of Yourself after Trauma
- Trauma Critical Incident Care for Humanitarian Workers (English version, French verison)
- Helping Children Cope with Stress & Trauma
- Taking Care of Your Staff after Trauma
- Resources for Staff in Haiti
- NIMH Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Self Monitoring Questionnaire from Greenleaf Integrated Strategies
- Aid Worker Pocket Card (French)
- Coping with Disaster – CARE Haiti (French)
- Coping with Disaster – CARE Haiti (Haitian Creole)
- Coping with Disaster – CARE Haiti (English)
Link to field operations guide: www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/manuals/manual-pdf/pfa/PFA_2ndEditionwithappendices.pdf
Staff Care Consultants
Amber Gray, Director at Restorative Resources Training & Consulting/Trauma Resources International. Digicell #: 38555847; email amber@ecentral.com
Antares Foundation free online staff care resources and consulting services www.antaresfoundation.org
French Speaking Trauma Counselors
Greenleaf Integrative Strategies – trauma recovery expertise,counseling, tools and resources. www.greenleaf-is.com or contact Dr. Shah at: drshah@greenleaf-is.com
Headington Institute – consulting services and free online staff care resources www.headington-institute.org.
KonTerra Group, providing stress management and staff care support resources www.konterragroup.net
USAID & OCHA
USAID – General Information
To receive updates from USAID, send email to RebuildHaiti@usaid.gov with the subject Add me.
Cluster Leads Contact information
USAID – Upcoming Conference Calls
February 1: Persons with Disabilities: Recovery and Response Efforts
February 3: NGO Perspective
February 5: 24 Day Review
All calls will take place at 4 pm EST for 30 minutes. The conference call ID number changes each time – register at RebuildHaiti@usaid.gov for conference call details.
USAID – Re: Goods Available to NGOs
If your organization is interested in learning more about these offers, please send an email indicating your interest to RebuildHaiti@usaid.gov. In the subject line of the email, please type “Matched Interest.” In the content of the email, please provide specifics on your needs for the items of interest and a point of contact for additional follow-up. Click here for more information.
OCHA
UNOCHA (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) has a dedicated website to coordinate relief efforts in Haiti called OneResponse: www.oneresponse.info/Disasters/Haiti/Pages. It also has information on its own website at http://ochaonline.un.org. Critical for NGOs on the ground to connect with OCHA who is creating a Who What Where matrix to help prevent the duplication of services and ensure that vulnerable populations are being addressed.
Program Related Resources & Announcements
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization, and the World Food Program have released an important joint statement calling for support for appropriate infant and young child feeding during the Haiti emergency to prevent malnutrition, morbidity, and mortality among children.
The message emphasizes the following points:
- Breastfeeding is the safest feeding option for infants during an emergency. Every effort should be made to support mothers to breastfeed and avoid the use of breast milk substitutes, which should be a last resort only after fully exploring safer options.
- Relactation should be prioritized for infants under six months of age who are no longer breastfed. When this is not possible (e.g., for orphans), or when skilled personnel identify a need for artificial feeding, breast milk substitutes must be accompanied by training for caregivers on hygienic preparation and use. Liquid ready-to-use breast milk substitutes are preferred over powder mixes.
- In an emergency, the use of breast milk substitutes can endanger children’s lives and, in accordance with international guidelines, they should not be donated. UNICEF is the coordinating agency in Haiti for the appropriate use of breast milk substitutes and can provide guidance to organizations.
- Children older than six months of age require nutritious, age-appropriate, and safe complementary foods in addition to breast milk. Priority should be given to providing local, culturally-acceptable foods. When cooking facilities are unavailable, ready-to-use fortified foods are an option. However, once cooking facilities have been set up, fortified blended food is recommended.
Download the statement at www.iycn.org/resources-alphabetical.php#Haiti.