The Dominican government set a June 17 deadline for worker registration. Out of 188,000 people who started the application process for residency, only 10,000 had met all the requirements by that June date.

“The Dominican authorities lined up buses on the border with Haiti, for a mass roundup and deportation of Haitians,” explained Troy Sanon, World Renew’s Country Consultant in Haiti, “Haiti is not equipped to receive such large numbers of Haitian descendants. Most of them lack the identification documents to register for residency in Dominican Republic and many also do not have the required identification to live in Haiti.”

“This has become a national emergency, as repatriated people are beginning to filter to their communities of origin throughout the country, seeking housing and work. This could impact already fragile economic situations”

This mass influx into Haiti included both Haitian citizens and noncitizens – many of whom were born in the Dominican Republic and are descendants of Haitians who moved to Dominican Republic many years ago, but never received official documentation.

“This has become a national emergency, as repatriated people are beginning to filter to their communities of origin throughout the country, seeking housing and work. This could impact already fragile economic situations” Sanon said.

The most urgent situation at this time is at the border crossing sites, where the Dominican government is dropping people off in busloads. It is here where World Renew is currently focusing its efforts.

Together with its long-time partner PWOFOD and a newer partner, Jesuit Migrant Service (SJM), World Renew is providing 120 families (600 individuals) with food, drinking water, sanitation and washing facilities. They are also providing temporary shelter to 20 families with children.

World Renew is specifically targeting families with two or more children, with priority given to single-parent families as well as those who do not have relatives within 30 km of the border between the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

In addition to providing these emergency supplies, PWOFOD has also been running a series of outreach and information activities, including radio announcements in Creole and Spanish on how to access medical, legal and government services as well as health facilities.

“We are grateful for our long-time community development partners that were well-placed and have strong capacity to provide for the needs of families, now displaced in their ancestral country of Haiti,” said Senior Program Manager of Disaster Response, Ken Little.