Thousands in Haiti benefiting from access to information, says IFRC report
The Haiti Beneficiary Communications Review 2012, which launches today, focuses on work to develop two-way communication with communities recovering from the earthquake, which struck the country in January 2010.
The report finds there has been considerable success in sharing potentially life-saving information – including the setting up of an information line, which received more than 1 million calls in its first ten months, and the delivery of tens of millions of SMS messages on health and disaster preparedness.
Mr Alexandre Claudon, the IFRC’s head of delegation, said: “We are rightly proud of our successes in Haiti, including helping more than 40,000 families move into safer places to live, and reaching more than 2.5 million people with health and first-aid programmes.
“As a Movement, we are committed to putting those we strive to help at the centre of everything we do. New communication technologies mean we not only have the opportunity, but also the responsibility, to do that more completely than ever before.
“Today’s report is an important step in identifying how we can move forward and include genuine two-way communication with communities in the way we work, something we know makes programmes more effective, more efficient, and better suited to meeting the needs of those we help.”
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) beneficiary communications programme in Haiti was established in response to the devastating earthquake that struck the country on 12 January 2010. The aim of the programme has been to use mass media communications tools to establish dialogue with communities, provide useful humanitarian information, and support operational projects implemented by the Red Cross Red Crescent.
The beneficiary communications programme has also developed campaigns to share vital health, hygiene and disaster preparedness messages; it has provided communities with information about Red Cross Red Crescent operations; and it has worked to collect feedback and input from communities to inform the development of operational programmes.
The review found that 87.5 per cent of people reported receiving information from the Red Cross Red Crescent, with 88.5 per cent of these saying the information they received from the Red Cross Red Crescent was useful, 79 per cent said the information received was simple and easy to understand and 82 per cent said they shared information received with family and friends. Some 7,596 calls were received by the Red Cross Red Crescent Noula questions and complaints line in 2012, a 350 per cent increase in calls since 2011.
The review states that clearly the information being provided by the Red Cross Red Crescent is achieving good coverage, with a large majority of people reporting receiving information, finding this information useful, and sharing it with others in their community.
At the same time, we are also seeing growing numbers of people choosing to proactively access information from the Red Cross Red Crescent themselves, as shown by the large numbers calling the Telefon Kwa Wouj system, the Noula help line, and the Radyo Kwa Wouj broadcasts.