US and Sweden donate US$2.6 million to Haiti camps

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (CMC) – The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) says that the United States and Sweden are donating US$2.6 million to help prevent sexual assaults in settlement camps set up in Haiti after last year's devastating earthquake. The IOM, an intergovernmental organisation that was initially established in 1951 as the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration (ICEM) to help resettle people displaced by World War II, said the money will also aid in battling child trafficking in the impoverished, French-speaking Caribbean country.
The IOM said it has received US$1.6 million from the US Department of State and the United Nations Children Education Fund (UNICEF) to fight child trafficking.
It said Sweden’s International Development Cooperation Agency has provided US$1 million for the installation of solar lights in 20 settlements in Port-au-Prince, the Haitian capital.
The money will also be used for counselling and other services for victims of sex abuse, the IOM said.
Over 300,000 people were killed and 1.5 million left homeless by the massive January 12 earthquake last year.
The IOM said while the number of Haitians living beneath tents and tarps has been cut in half, the reduction is not a sign of significant improvement. It said the number of newly-built permanent homes remains shockingly low.
Newly-installed President Michel Martelly has promised to relocate earthquake victims living in six highly-visible camps during his first 100 days in office.
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/US-and-Sweden-donate-US-2-6-million-to-Haiti-camps#ixzz1N6EbUhR3