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.