Between coordination and communities

In 2016 Hurricane Matthew caused destruction across Haiti. While humanitarian coordination had improved after the 2010 earthquake, these structures reduced responsiveness to diverse local realities. During this response I was Mennonite Central Committee’s (MCC) Haiti Representative, serving as the lead contact with coordination bodies in Haiti and the local partners and staff with whom we worked. I witnessed first-hand the competing priorities of different actors and how UN Clusters prioritize high-level powerbrokers at the expense of local perspectives. Field-based humanitarians are uniquely positioned to bridge this gap and find ways to rebalance coordination toward local solutions and local voices.