There are no greater experts on Haiti’s disaster recovery efforts than local communities, which have recently weathered an earthquake, several hurricanes and all the aftermath. Working with those communities will now be key as humanitarian and development professionals respond to Hurricane Matthew’s devastation, experts told Devex.
Take the small rural community of Jeanette on the southern peninsula of Haiti, where some residents told aid groups they don’t want tents but rather nails, hammers and tin so they could rebuild, according to Cathy Perrell, a consultant to organizations working in Haiti.
“In this disaster response, we’re committed to changing our mindsets,” she told Devex at Opportunity Collaboration, an annual anti-poverty conference in Cancun, Mexico.
About the author
Catherine Cheneycatherinecheney
Catherine Cheney is the Senior Editor for Special Coverage at Devex. She leads the editorial vision of Devex’s news events and editorial coverage of key moments on the global development calendar. Catherine joined Devex as a reporter, focusing on technology and innovation in making progress on the Sustainable Development Goals. Prior to joining Devex, Catherine earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Yale University, and worked as a web producer for POLITICO, a reporter for World Politics Review, and special projects editor at NationSwell. She has reported domestically and internationally for outlets including The Atlantic and the Washington Post. Catherine also works for the Solutions Journalism Network, a non profit organization that supports journalists and news organizations to report on responses to problems.
