JEN & DINEPA, soon 3 years of close collaboration!

Arrived in Haiti only a few days after the January 2010 earthquake, JEN started its activities with distribution of emergency shelter kits for 4000 household in the rural areas of Leogane district before concentrating its activities in WASH sector (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene).
Created in 2009, just before the earthquake, DINEPA (National Directorate for Potable Water and Sanitation) was back then Wash Cluster Lead, helping INGOs understanding the Haitian context and specificities.

JEN first program in Wash sector was about renovating existing water pumps (105 in total), drilling 10 new boreholes in order to create new water access and promoting hygiene in all the communities concerned by the programme. (Following UNICEF guidelines, training and material)
Introduction to the concept of water management committee (WMC) following DINEPA was also a very important part of the programme as it did prepare today’s activities and Haiti’s future!

Actually since these first steps in 2010, JEN had realized all its activities in close collaboration with DINEPA! Status for WMC had been officialised in late 2011 and since then JEN is working hard in helping the communities of Leogane district of getting and especially self managing new collective water facilities, necessary step in these rural area before DINEPA would be able to connect all houses to the national network, ambitious plan which will take years or decades...

Promoting DINEPA on T-shirts, banners or painting on the newly built structures is also a way of promoting future self reliance regarding drinkable water access. It is also a way of promoting possibilities of changing and future in a country where inhabitants are so used to depend on the international community.



Relationship with DINEPA has been so important and usual along these years that JEN also has special relationship with DINEPA in the project of renovation of streets of Leogane centre financed by Japan.




Present on the project in order to install water pipes underground before completion of a new sanitation system of drainage canals, the little team of 10 workers got equipped by JEN with helmets and safety vests and followed a security training given by JEN staff, using a film produced by the ministry of public construction.
Supervision of the team and coordination with the others actors on site is also on JEN responsibility.

On national plan relationship between JEN and DINEPA is also going well.

Together in the working group “Capitalisation and lessons learnt after 3 years after January 10th 2010 earthquake in Haiti”, JEN and DINEPA went a bit further a couple of weeks ago in their relationship as a few T-shirts JEN staff and volunteers are wearing were given to the Director of Communication of DINEPA, Mr Stephane LACROIX.



After 3 years of close collaboration JEN is unfortunately not registered officially with DINEPA yet!
The first document needed being the national registration JEN has had so many problems with…
Fortunately this will be soon an old story and registering with our partner DINEPA will be a formality, allowing us to implement many more projects concerning access and self management of drinkable water!