CANADEM PRESS RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 1, 2010
CANADEM FIRST RESPONDER TO HAITI EARTHQUAKE BACK FROM MISSION
OTTAWA, CANADA – Thomas Haythornthwaite, Information Management Specialist deployed by CANADEM to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) emergency response office in Haiti, returns from field today after three grueling months out in Port-au-Prince.
Haythornthwaite joined OCHA in the aftermath of the 7.0 earthquake which devastated the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, on January 12, 2010. He assisted OCHA in managing information gathering and dissemination within the various UN agencies (OCHA, UNICEF, UNHCR, IOM, WFP) and partner organizations to support coordination and humanitarian decision-making. His main tasks were to gather and relate facts and information on the post-earthquake emergency in Haiti in form of reports, maps and situation updates, to ensure all partners – UN agencies and NGOs – had the most up-to-date information to plan their humanitarian relief activities.
An experienced information systems manager and program coordinator, Thomas’ past field work includes countries as varied as Afghanistan, Angola, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia and Ukraine. He explains his career objective as “… to help improve the quality of life in vulnerable societies by applying my management, monitoring and evaluation, communication, GIS, coordination and development skills and experience”. He proved to be an invaluable asset to the OCHA information management team, working and living in rudimentary conditions –he lived in a camping tent next to Toussaint L’Ouverture airport, Haiti’s international aviation hub, and worked along with the OCHA emergency unit team in a temporary tent, managing the compilation and dissemination of information vital to the coordination of the international community’s humanitarian action.
RAP Fund: Thomas deployed through the CIDA-Funded Rapid Onset Humanitarian Emergency Experts Fund (RAP Fund for short), a stand-by partnership with major UN and international agencies established by CANADEM in 2007 to rapidly deploy Canadian relief experts in support to Cluster Leads’ surge personnel needs during humanitarian disasters. This, in correlation with the UN’s creation in 2006 of the Cluster Lead Approach, targeted to cover critical gaps in providing humanitarian protection and assistance in areas affected by conflicts or natural disasters. Since RAP Fund’s inception in 2007, over 50 Canadian experts were deployed to over 25 countries, including Haiti, Sudan, Kenya, Côte d’Ivoire, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the Democratic Republic of Congo, etc. to assist in emergency relief actions in response to natural disasters and conflicts.
-30-
For information: Léa Beaudry, Director Communications, CANADEM
Tel. (613) 789-3328 Ottawa, ON.
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it