Giving Haitian public servants the tools they need to serve their fellow citizens

"When we got our new offices, life began again," says Jean Thomas Ferdinand, manager, agronomy engineering. "My colleagues and I really enjoy our new work environment and that is helping to kick-start agricultural production, which also improves food security."

The public service is the cornerstone of a country's administration. If the public service collapses, an entire government may find itself paralyzed. That was one of the major concerns in Haiti after the earthquake of January 2010, which devastated the public service.

There was good reason to be alarmed. No fewer than 17 percent of Haiti's public servants died. Most government buildings in Port-au-Prince crumbled or were seriously damaged. About 30 hospitals and more than 3,900  schools were also completely or partially destroyed.

Given the magnitude of the disaster, rebuilding promised to be a Herculean task. Time was of the essence. It was necessary to mobilize public servants qualified to perform their duties and to give them the tools they needed to quickly meet the population's urgent needs.

In the weeks following the earthquake, shaken but courageous public servants reported for work. They set up shop under trees, but they had no equipment―not even the least little pencil―to do their job. The Government of Haiti turned to Canada for help so that temporary work centres could be set up as soon as possible, thus enabling the Government to coordinate its response to the earthquake.

Through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), Canada called on ATCO, a Canadian company renowned for its construction and installation capacity and quick turnaround. This Calgary-based company set up three facilities made of solid, hurricane-resistant fabric. At three separate locations in the heart of Port-au-Prince, each shelter is 30 metres long and accommodates up to 300 people.

By June 2010, just a few months after the earthquake, ATCO had not only established this temporary administrative base, but had also fully equipped it with furniture, computers, electrical systems, water supply and sanitation facilities.

By June 2010, just a few months after the earthquake, ATCO had not only established this temporary administrative base but had also fully equipped it with furniture, computers, electrical systems, water supply, and sanitation facilities.

The base houses employees from two key ministries, Public Health and Agriculture. The base also provides offices for the various teams of the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission (IHRC), created to coordinate recovery and reconstruction.

"When we got our new offices, life began again. My colleagues and I really enjoy our new work environment. We are getting to know other colleagues, and this is helping us to make it through the crisis," explains Jean Thomas Ferdinand, manager, agronomy and rural engineering. "It's friendlier. We can work together, and that is helping to kick-start agricultural production, which also improves food security."

In Haiti, agriculture is crucial and closely interconnected with food security. It was therefore important to provide work areas and tools for Ministry of Agriculture officials and to do so quickly.

In the aftermath of the earthquake, it was imperative to ensure the resumption of services to Haitian farmers. Thanks to the fast-acting teams that were put in place, it was possible to save the planting season after the earthquake. Producers were able to get back to work in time for the farming season.

Being a public servant in Haiti under the present conditions is not just a job, but an act of citizenship. Thanks to the temporary administrative base, the various teams of the Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development and the Ministry of Public Health and Population, and the IHRC have what they need to do their jobs. They are more effective and more motivated to serve their fellow citizens.

Project profile for Haiti Earthquake - Government Administrative Base

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