J/P Haitian Relief Organization

J/P Haitian Relief Organization (J/P HRO) is a non-profit organization founded by the American actor Sean Penn in response to the January 12, 2010 earthquake in Haiti. J/P stands for Jenkins-Penn, a reference to Sanela Diana Jenkins, whose foundation supported initial relief efforts, with Sean Penn.^[2]

Today, J/P HRO continues to keep in step with the needs on the ground as they evolve. Programs focus on supporting the residents of J/P HRO-managed camps and the surrounding areas transition from life left homeless by the earthquake to sustainable and thriving communities. Early on, J/P HRO became camp manager of the Pétionville and Cité Maxo camps, supporting nearly 60,000 internally displaced persons. By the end of 2013, J/P HRO will have achieved a significant milestone in the successful relocation of all remaining camp families.

J/P HRO employs nearly 350 people, 95 percent of which are Haitian, to provide health, education and community development, housing and economic opportunities.

Taking a geographically focused and integrated approach to community regeneration, J/P HRO programs empower the residents of Delmas 32 to revitalize their neighborhood. J/P HRO seeks to demonstrate that something fundamentally different can come from a slum in the center of one of the world’s poorest cities: sustainable and prosperous communities. The organization works with the support of and in collaboration with local and national government leaders, community-based organizations, other international NGO’s, UN agencies, donors—and-most importantly—the community members themselves.^[3]

J/P HRO has four core programs—Medical, Camp and Relocations Management, Community Development, and Engineering and Construction—that provide services to earthquake survivors, primarily from neighborhoods that surround the Pétionville and Cité Maxo camps.

The Camp and Relocations Management Program manages the two camps and is actively relocating the remaining families into long-term and structurally sound housing.

The Engineering and Construction Program has cleared more than 500,000 cubic meters (m3)—approximately 31,250 dump truck loads—of earthquake debris and rubble from the city to date, and has been recognized as a leader in the overall rubble removal effort for safety and efficiency. It also rebuilds and retrofits badly damaged structures, including education and medical facilities, and builds new homes, in accordance with a “build back better” approach.

The Medical Program provides free emergency and primary medical care for a nominal sum, averaging more than 8,000 patients a month at two community clinics. The clinics also lead broad public education campaigns on good health and hygiene practice.

The Community Development Program is running a primary school for 260 students. The program also offers capacity-building education and enrichment opportunities for the community members, while forging partnerships with small businesses in Port-au-Prince.

In response to the cholera outbreak in late 2010, J/P HRO teamed up with the Pan American Health Organization and the World Health Organization to help stop the spread of the disease.^[4]

The Travel Channel's food show No Reservations, hosted by Anthony Bourdain, featured Haiti as the 2011 season opener which first aired on February 28, 2011. Sean Penn and J/P HRO were featured prominently in the show including a tour of one of the IDP camps.^[5][6]

On January 10, 2015, Penn held his fourth annual Sean Penn & Friends Help Haiti Home fundraiser in Beverly Hills, CA which raised over $6 million for the organization. The event featured many celebrities including former United States president, Bill Clinton and performances by Coldplay's Chris Martin and Red Hot Chili Peppers, who closed the event with a 30 minute set.^[7]

References

External links

• J/P HRO website