The aftermath of the devastating earthquake in Haiti in January 2010 also sparked a wave of solidarity among people in Slovakia. Many contributed to humanitarian organization collections, and the state allocated funds for humanitarian aid projects. The Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic also sent material aid to Haiti. A container with the second batch of aid arrived on the island in March 2010.The aftermath of the devastating earthquake in Haiti in January 2010 also sparked a wave of solidarity among people in Slovakia. Many contributed to humanitarian organization collections, and the state allocated funds for humanitarian aid projects. The Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic also sent material aid to Haiti. A container with the second batch of aid arrived on the island in March 2010. Yet it waited in the Port-au-Prince harbor for nearly a year to be delivered to the Haitians.

The shipment, which docked at the port on March 25, 2010, contained mainly items essential for survival during the approaching rainy season — tents, clothes, beds, raincoats. However, the Haitians will only use them this year during the rainy season. After complications between official Slovak authorities and local offices, its contents were finally taken over by the organization Magna Children in Need on March 15, 2011. In April, the aid was distributed to those in need.

A Container in the Port

The original recipient of the material humanitarian aid from Slovakia was the Office of the Prime Minister of Haiti, chosen in agreement with Haitian authorities. The container arrived at the port, but the addressee did not claim its contents. "The shipping company that delivered the aid to Haiti tried to contact the recipient, but he did not respond to repeated requests," says Juraj Tomaga from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic. The recipient did not claim the aid despite "numerous and regular urgings" from the Slovak ministry. The Slovak ambassador to Cuba, who traveled to Haiti, also addressed the situation with local authorities. "Only after pressure from the Slovak side was the container's contents cleared from customs and the recipient was changed to the Slovak non-governmental organization Magna Children in Need," adds Tomaga.

The container in the port was unsealed nearly a year later. "Despite all obstacles and thanks to the intensive cooperation of our team in Haiti and the Slovak authorities, the container was unsealed on March 15, 2011, in the presence of staff from Magna Children in Need and representatives of the Haitian civil protection office," reported Martin Bandžák, Executive Director of Magna Children in Need, in March. The contents of the shipment were in relatively good condition and usable. In April, the organization gradually distributed tents, clothing, and beds in four tent camps and an orphanage where it implements its own projects. Aid also reached patients at the local Fame Pereo health center.

As Nikola Endrychová Dudová from the operational section of Magna Children in Need Slovakia adds, the Haitians greatly welcomed this material. Tableware, tents, camping beds, sleeping bags, and blankets remain scarce commodities in Haiti. "These people have been living in conditions described as temporary for over a year. The durability of everything they own is severely tested. The material aid from Slovakia came just in time for many," says Marion Baudry, field coordinator of Magna Children in Need activities in Haiti. Nearly a thousand people benefited from the provided material.

The Problem – Customs

Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, and its inhabitants were already living in critical conditions before the earthquake. As a result of the disaster, thousands of people lost their lives, and even more were left homeless. Due to insufficient hygiene, cholera spread in the country, and incessant political struggles worsen the situation. Implementing humanitarian aid in such conditions is not easy.

The work of foreign organizations in the country is complicated by the problem of clearing delivered humanitarian material from customs. "The entire process lengthened after the immediate humanitarian crisis ended due to great bureaucracy," recalls Marek Soós, who worked on the island for four months last year on projects of the non-governmental organization ADRA. "Each organization had to submit a list of humanitarian material to the Ministry of Economy along with a distribution plan and contact details of community representatives for whom the material was intended. Subsequently, they applied for customs clearance at the Ministry of Finance and, with the permit, went to the customs office," describes Soós. "Only through lobbying can pressure from the international community be exerted to make the provision of humanitarian aid more efficient. I think this happened in Haiti; diplomatic circles compelled the local government to cooperate," he adds.

What to Do About It?

According to Juraj Tomaga of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the situation in Haiti highlighted specifics that must be taken into account when providing humanitarian aid. "A concrete step to prevent the situation from recurring is the intention to update the Mechanism for Providing Humanitarian Aid of the Slovak Republic Abroad," says Tomaga. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Interior plan to do so this year. Humanitarian workers agree that an advantage in providing humanitarian aid after disasters is having field workers on site or cooperating with a local partner organization. "Daily active and intensive communication with all stakeholders directly on site is necessary. And that was and is possible thanks to the presence of the mission and staff of Magna Children in Need in Haiti," says Nikola Endrychová Dudová. "It is also important to have a clear end recipient and a form of subsequent control over the distribution of humanitarian material," she adds.

Daniel Dräxler, Director of ADRA Slovakia, recommends minimizing container shipments, or conditioning them on a distribution plan by a local partner or directly by a Slovak entity. "If, for example, the embassy cannot provide a distribution plan, Slovak non-governmental organizations working in the country should be approached, with the Slovak government assuming full responsibility for the costs associated with distribution. And if reliable distribution cannot be secured, it is better to stop the shipment and send nothing," he adds.

Author: Magdaléna Vaculčiaková

Humanitarian Aid from the Slovak Republic in 2010

  • The Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic provided material humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, Albania, Chile, Haiti, Montenegro, Pakistan, Palestine, Saint Lucia, and Ukraine with a total value exceeding 1.6 million EUR
  • The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic funded humanitarian and post-humanitarian aid projects in 4 countries (Haiti, Pakistan, Moldova, and Hungary), implemented mainly by non-governmental organizations, with a total value of 255,277 EUR

The article was published in the bulletin Development Cooperation - Spring 2011. It is published by the Platform of Non-Governmental Development Organizations (MVRO), which is an association of legal entities — an umbrella organization of 31 (23 regular members and 8 observers) Slovak non-governmental organizations primarily involved in foreign development and humanitarian aid.