Cleanup begins today in schools that are still swamped with mud and debris more than a month after floods devastated this city in northwestern Haiti. CARE International is launching the effort in partnership with the humanitarian agency CHF International, as part of a larger emergency response program.

By paying residents for cleanup work, the project will inject much-needed cash into the local economy. The work begins with 10 schools in the most vulnerable areas of Gonaives, emphasising national schools, and will gradually increase. The floods affected 185 schools in Gonaïves, preventing the scheduled resumption of classes.

School cleanup is doubly important, explains Sophie Perez, CARE Haiti country director. "First of all, it's important for young people to resume their education. They need a reassuring, structured environment. The children have been psychologically affected by disaster – it’s left them completely disoriented."

"The resumption of classes is also crucial for parents with dependent children," Perez continues. "The presence of children consumes time and energy which must be invested in restoring homes and finding work."

School is also a safe place adapted to children, where their needs are met and psychosocial support can be offered, Perez adds.

The cleanup is part of a larger initiative to help increase incomes of city residents, by employing nearly 5,000 people for six months. The targeted schools are being selected in consultation with local authorities and communities in order to decrease the risk of duplication and to make sure inhabitants take ownership of the project.

Approximately 41,000 cubic meters (1.45 million cubic feet) of debris will be cleaned up. Workers will receive training about hygiene and health hazards in order to reduce the risks of exposure to remains and contaminated water.

Reopening schools is a first step, but it's not enough: children need materials like books, pens and paper, and school furniture. Parents and teachers also need special guidance to help them face a very different back-to-school season. CARE hopes to be able to raise funds for these purposes, Perez says.

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Media contact: Deborah Underdown, Assistant Communications Officer (London), 020 7934 9417, underdown@careinternational.org