Money transfers by mobile phone for home repairs in Haiti, a world first. Since early March, Haitian families began receiving cash payments through the first mechanism of money transfer via mobile phones to support housing reconstruction after the disaster.

More than 2,000 mobile money transfers are planned in the next three months to 1,000 low-income families receiving subsidies totaling US$500 to purchase construction materials such as cement, iron and wood at selected project-certified stores for high-quality assurance at affordable prices. The initiative is part of the "Community Support Centres for House Repairs" (CARMEN), a partnership between the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the Government of Haiti.

Commissioned by UNDP and developed by Digicel, the mobile phone cash transfers are helping boost financial inclusion in Haiti, where nearly 2/3 of the population has access to mobile phones but only 10 percent have bank accounts. "Mobile phone vouchers create additional security and convenience here in Haiti, especially for women, who might feel more vulnerable when carrying large sums of money." said UNDP Haiti Senior Country Director Jessica Faieta stressing that more than 40 percent of Haitian households are led by women. "With safer housing conditions, this initiative will also encourage the permanent return of camp residents to their neighborhoods and repaired homes."

Thanks to the Centers CARMEN, communities affected by the earthquake of January 12, 2010, in Port-au-Prince and in the town of Leogane, can directly take charge of house reparations, with engineering assessments and construction trainings. Four thousand families have already registered to take part of the project, benefitting 12,000 people. Five thousand participants have been trained in construction techniques and 2,000 damaged houses have already been evaluated.

HL/ HaitiLibre