The Ministry of the Environment, through its Living Environment and Sanitation Directorate (DCVA) and the Environmental Inspection and Surveillance Directorate (DISE), has launched a major campaign in several displaced persons camps in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area, focusing on awareness-raising, fumigation, and solid waste recovery.

This program, implemented with funding from Japan and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), has a dual objective: to improve living conditions in these precarious areas while strengthening the anchoring of environmental action in community dynamics. It is intended as a direct response to the living conditions in these areas, where the lack of environmental infrastructure increasingly compromises the health and dignity of these citizens. Through a participatory approach, the Ministry's teams work alongside the committees, enabling displaced persons in the camps to get involved in cleaning up and transforming their living environments, while also offering them an income opportunity through dignified temporary employment.

It is in this context that cleanup and waste sorting operations are being conducted within the camps. Awareness sessions on good hygiene and sanitation practices are also being held to promote behaviors that protect public health. In collaboration with organizations active in the field of waste management, plastic and organic waste recycling initiatives are being encouraged, including practical sessions to transfer technical knowledge. Finally, fumigation campaigns are being conducted to combat mosquitoes and other disease vectors, significantly reducing epidemic risks.

"Through this program, we aim to build a close relationship with the communities living in the camps. It's not just about cleaning up the space, but also about creating a climate of trust and dignity," says engineer Vladimir Chery, Director of the DCVA.

By simultaneously addressing educational, health, economic, and ecological issues, the Ministry demonstrates that environmental protection can be a lever for resilience, social inclusion, and sustainable transformation.

IH/ iciHaiti