poverty. To further strengthen nutrition security, a specific and detailed vulnerability analysis must be conducted on a local level.
> Though sustainable food and nutrition security were their main goals, interventions were also designed to mitigate disaster risks and to anticipate, respond to, and cope with shocks and stresses such as landslides, flooding, or earthquakes. The long time horizon and con- tinuity of the program, notably in strategies and staffing, permitted a development-oriented response to acute crises. One key to success was an in-depth analysis of local self-help capacities after each emergency and support to fill gaps in capacity. Flexible, accurately targeted emergency funding to address these gaps supported the community in pursuing long-term development goals. Given the like- lihood that natural hazards in Haiti’s North-West Department will increase further the importance of well-targeted humanitarian aid, the issue of social protection and insurance for risks must be addressed at a higher level by governmental institutions, civil soci- ety, and major donors. Otherwise, emergency interventions, if not properly conducted, risk continuing to undermine self-help capaci- ties and locking Haiti further into a humanitarian approach.
> The program fostered the emergence of local committees, such as water management committees, which can, in the medium to long term, become the nucleus of an organized rural civil society that is better equipped to collectively mitigate risks. So far, the committees remain fragile. Continuous cooperation with the government
to
ensure institutional support for these committees after the program ends is important also for the future.
> The program was aligned with national policies guiding agriculture and rural development, drinking water and hygiene, food security, environmental protection, and disaster risk reduction interventions. Through close cooperation with state structures and community administrations, their capacity for contingency planning and effec- tive action is strengthened.
This combination of factors has helped strengthen community resilience to undernutrition in the North-West of Haiti. Given Welthungerhilfe’s inten- sive and long-term engagement, opportunities to foster resilience-enhanc- ing policy change and to monitor implementation of such policies should be used to strengthen governmental accountability and leadership. This can be done in partnership with other NGOs and by supporting Haitian civil society organizations. The Welthungerhilfe conference “Haiti beyond Emergencies: Haitians as Actors for Their Own Development” in Port-au- Prince in December 2012 opened a space for dialogue between Haitian civil society and government. It was a positive step in moving Haiti toward having a greater say in its future development. It underscored the impor- tance of Haitian society as the main driver in its own sustainable devel- opment and in building a resilient environment.
Daw Hnin Aye Yangon Division, Myanmar
“We don’t need to worry about urgent household expen- ditures as before, as we can access money from the savings group on short notice and at an interest rate that we can manage to repay. In former days, we would live in constant worry that we would need to seek financial help from outside the community if our children fell sick, or if we had a bad month of work, or a bad harvest. Now we can manage ourselves and cov- er our own needs and unexpected financial expenses. Also, if we have another storm, such as Nargis, we can help each other to recover.”
Daw Kae Phyo Yangon Division, Myanmar
“In 2007, Cyclone Nargis destroyed my house as well as the harvest from a field for which I had saved up money to rent for one paddy season—to try and get out of debt. As I could not pay the landowner the final land rental fee, I was arrested and stayed in jail until I could borrow money from a local moneylender at 15 percent interest per month.”
2013 Global Hunger Index | Chapter 04 | Building Community Resilience to Undernutrition
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