It may have been good for some of my farmers in Arkansas, but it has not worked. It was a mistake... I had to live everyday with the consequences of the loss of capacity to produce a rice crop in Haiti to feed those people because of what I did; nobody else.More..
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Clinton Apologizes to Haiti: Too Little, Too Late
Bill Clinton realized a decade or so too late that he messed up by prioritizing Arkansas rice farmers over Haitians. In a stunning and wonderful apology, Clinton said:
No end in sight for Zimbabwe
HARARE, Monday Zimbabwe’s feuding political parties look set to miss yet another deadline to conclude talks on outstanding issues from their power sharing agreement with indications that sharp differences have started to emerge.
South African President Jacob Zuma who was appointed by the Southern African Development Community to mediate in the negotiations between the three governing parties in the unity government had given the negotiators up to March 31 to round off the talks.
President Zuma a fortnight ago raised hopes that the 18 month inclusive government’s reform agenda was back on track when he announced that President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF and the Movement for Democratic Change led by Prime Minister Tsvangirai had agreed on” a package of measures.” More...
South African President Jacob Zuma who was appointed by the Southern African Development Community to mediate in the negotiations between the three governing parties in the unity government had given the negotiators up to March 31 to round off the talks.
President Zuma a fortnight ago raised hopes that the 18 month inclusive government’s reform agenda was back on track when he announced that President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF and the Movement for Democratic Change led by Prime Minister Tsvangirai had agreed on” a package of measures.” More...
MDC-T shocked by Mugabe claims
MDC-T has described President Robert Mugabe’s claims that the three political parties in the unity agreement have not reached an agreement as a “gobsmacking political somersault” which will not be tolerated. Mugabe told a Zanu PF central committee meeting on Friday that Zanu PF was still insisting that it would not compromise in the current talks over outstanding Global Political Agreement (GPA) issues until sanctions imposed by the West were removed.
His outbursts were at variance with comments by the mediator South African President Jacob Zuma that the parties had agreed to a package of measures during his intervention a fortnight ago.
The negotiators met on Thursday and Friday and are expected to round off the talks tomorrow. A report will be presented to Zuma before the Southern African Development Community considers a way forward. More...
His outbursts were at variance with comments by the mediator South African President Jacob Zuma that the parties had agreed to a package of measures during his intervention a fortnight ago.
The negotiators met on Thursday and Friday and are expected to round off the talks tomorrow. A report will be presented to Zuma before the Southern African Development Community considers a way forward. More...
Zim no go area: German business group
HARARE – A German business delegation has cancelled a visit to Zimbabwe, put off by Harare’s controversial plan to force foreign-owned firms to cede controlling stake to local blacks.
The German African Business Association (GABA) said the trip had been called off because Zimbabwe has become a “no go area” for foreign investors following promulgation of the empowerment laws that give foreign-controlled business up to 2015 to sell majority stake to indigenous Zimbabweans or face punitive levies and taxes from the government.“Under the current circumstances Zimbabwe is a 'no go' area for foreign investment,” said Andreas Wenzel regional manager for southern Africa for the GABA that was helping organise the visit. More...
Western firms stay away from trade fair
BULAWAYO – Only one British company has confirmed participation at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) as Western firms continue to shun Zimbabwe despite formation of a coalition government that has stabilised the economy and eased political tensions in the country.
“We only have one small consultant company from the UK that is coming. As for the US (United States) and other western countries, there is none,” ZITF chairman Bekithemba Ndlovu told journalists at the weekend.
European and American firms have since 2001 boycotted the trade fair in protest against President Robert Mugabe’s human rights record and failure to uphold democracy and the rule of law. More...
“We only have one small consultant company from the UK that is coming. As for the US (United States) and other western countries, there is none,” ZITF chairman Bekithemba Ndlovu told journalists at the weekend.
European and American firms have since 2001 boycotted the trade fair in protest against President Robert Mugabe’s human rights record and failure to uphold democracy and the rule of law. More...
Governors blame sanctions for long travel
BULAWAYO – A provincial governor has blamed international travel restrictions imposed by the United States and European Union member countries on President Robert Mugabe and 200 other government officials for forcing her to commute more than 240 kilometres daily to work at taxpayers’ expense.
Matabeleland South governor Angeline Masuku (Zanu-PF) says in a bid to beat the sanctions she is forced to drive more than a thousand of kilometres to work each week in her chauffer-driven government issue Mercedes Benz E280 as she commutes between a farm on the outskirts of Bulawayo and her offices in Gwanda. More...
Matabeleland South governor Angeline Masuku (Zanu-PF) says in a bid to beat the sanctions she is forced to drive more than a thousand of kilometres to work each week in her chauffer-driven government issue Mercedes Benz E280 as she commutes between a farm on the outskirts of Bulawayo and her offices in Gwanda. More...
UN reports El Nino Patterns may Lessen Haiti's Hurricane Risk
GENEVA -- The U.N. weather agency says the ongoing El Nino weather system could lessen the strength of hurricanes in the North Atlantic and mean good news for earthquake-rattled Haiti.
The World Meteorological Organization says the El Nino effect may persist through midyear, halfway through the region's March-November hurricane season. More..
Ban Ki-moon's View on Haiti Renewal
The Petionville Golf Club sits on a hillside overlooking Port-au-Prince and the sea. These days, its once-groomed fairways are home to nearly 50,000 people, among the 1.2 million displaced by theearthquake that devastated Haiti in January. They are crowded together in tents or tarpaulin lean-tos provided by the United Nations or international relief agencies..More..
Washington Post:Haiti to release far-reaching spending plan to rebuild country
UNITED NATIONS -- Haitian President René Préval will unveil a $3.9 billion plan Wednesday to begin radically reshaping his country's post-earthquake economy and infrastructure, according to a Haitianreconstruction action plan.
The plan, which Préval will present to donors at a U.N. conference in New York, would essentially redirect much of Haiti's economic development outside Port-au-Prince, creating provisional economic hubs to compete with the capital. More..
NY Times:Quake Accentuated Chasm That Has Defined Haiti
The lights of the casino above this wrecked city beckoned as gamblers in freshly pressed clothes streamed to the roulette table and slot machines. In a restaurant nearby, diners quaffed Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Champagne and ate New Zealand lamb chops at prices rivaling those in Manhattan.A few yards away, hundreds of families displaced by the earthquake languished under tents and tarps, bathing themselves from buckets and relieving themselves in the street as barefoot children frolicked on pavement strewn with garbage. More...
IPS Reports:HAITI: Artists Join UN to Rebuild Cultural Life
PARIS, Mar 25, 2010 (IPS) - As international donors prepare to meet at the United Nations headquarters in New York to discuss ways to rebuild Haiti, after the devastating Jan. 12 earthquake, the country’s artistic community has been mobilising to make culture a key aspect of reconstruction.More...
IPS- HAITI: U.N. Gears Up for Major Aid Meet
UNITED NATIONS, Mar 29, 2010 (IPS) - Although the humanitarian crisis in Haiti remains dire, with over a million still homeless and hundreds of thousands in need of adequate shelter for the upcoming rainy season, the international community has started looking towards the country's long-term reconstruction. More..
Monday, March 29, 2010
Clampdown on Vulture Funds Preying on Poor Countries
Clampdown on Vulture Funds Preying on Poor Countries, by Heather Stewart, The Observer, March 28, 2010 A Labour government would introduce legislation early in the next parliament to ban so-called "vulture funds" from preying on the world's poorest countries, Treasury minister Stephen Timms announces today. The move comes as a bid to draw a clear electoral dividing line with the Conservatives on overseas development....Tamara Gaw, a Washington-based lawyer at campaign group TransAfrica Forum, which campaigns to help vulture funds' victims, welcomed Labour's new promise. More...
HAITI: Civil Society Wants Bigger Role in Reconstruction
HAITI: Civil Society Wants Bigger Role in Reconstruction, IRIN, March 28, 2010 Haitian government appeals for an estimated US$11.5 billion in recovery and development funding at a UN donor conference on 31 March, NGOs – through which 65 percent of current donor contributions are channeled - are looking for a more coherent role in rebuilding the country. Ahead of the conference, a host of major civil society groups gathered at New York University on 25 March in a consultative meeting hosted by former US President Bill Clinton, who is the UN Special Envoy for Haiti, and with the European Union and InterAction, a coalition of US-based international NGOs. More...
DIANNA GAMES: Making up for wasted time after Zimbabwe’s ‘lost decade’
EMMANUEL Munyukwi, CE of the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange (ZSE), has had a stressful time during Zimbabwe’s lost decade — keeping interest alive in a stock market increasingly disconnected from the rest of the world.
Hyperinflation, peaking far north of the last official rate of 231-million percent, a government driven by political expedience and a currency in freefall were just some of the other headaches Munyukwi, along with the rest of the country’s business sector, had to cope with over the past 10 years. The ZSE saw foreigners pulling out and local companies using the exchange as a hedge against inflation. In 1997, 30% of trading was driven by foreigners; in 2008 it was closer to 2%.
More...
Hyperinflation, peaking far north of the last official rate of 231-million percent, a government driven by political expedience and a currency in freefall were just some of the other headaches Munyukwi, along with the rest of the country’s business sector, had to cope with over the past 10 years. The ZSE saw foreigners pulling out and local companies using the exchange as a hedge against inflation. In 1997, 30% of trading was driven by foreigners; in 2008 it was closer to 2%.
More...
Letter from Africa: Zimbabwe through a different prism
David Smith visits Harare and finds that life for Zimbabweans is not all conflict and despair...
Audiostream...
Audiostream...
SA to tighten immigration laws
March 28, 2010
By Mxolisi Ncube JOHANNESBURG – The South African government is looking at ways of tightening its immigration laws in a bid to limit the continued influx of foreign nationals, a government minister said this week. Due to its economic stability when compared with other countries on the continent, South Africa is the most preferred choice for illegal immigrants, especially those from neighbouring Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Already, the country is home to an estimated three million Zimbabwean refugees, who fled political persecution and economic problems in their home country. More...
By Mxolisi Ncube JOHANNESBURG – The South African government is looking at ways of tightening its immigration laws in a bid to limit the continued influx of foreign nationals, a government minister said this week. Due to its economic stability when compared with other countries on the continent, South Africa is the most preferred choice for illegal immigrants, especially those from neighbouring Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Already, the country is home to an estimated three million Zimbabwean refugees, who fled political persecution and economic problems in their home country. More...
Zimbabwe Students Arrested As Police Crash Demo
Harare, March 29, 2010 - Police have arrested 15 students in Harare and 10 in Masvingo as they pounced on the students who were preparing for a demonstration demanding the full implementation of a power sharing agreement and against the deteriorating education conditions. More...
Boston Globe: Haiti 70 Days Later
In Haiti, the survivors of the magnitude 7.0 earthquake that struck about two and a half months ago continue to struggle, with a few signs of hope as international assistance is beginning to make measurable progress, some international debt is being forgiven, and some businesses and institutions start to come back to life. In a country still mourning the loss of a now-estimated 230,000 citizens (on par with the 2004 Indian Ocean quake), over one million people remain housed in makeshift tent cities, uncertain about their future or security. According to a recent draft summary of the Haitian government's damage and needs assessment, the country will need $11.5 billion to rebuild. Collected here are a handful of recent photographs from Haiti, a country still in need. More...
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Anderson Cooper 360: Danny Glover visits Haiti
Danny Glover visits Haiti, Anderson Cooper 360: Blogs from CNN.com, March 26, 2010 Posted 08:20 PM ET Anderson interviews Danny Glover [Chair of TransAfrica Forum] and Nicole Lee [President of TransAfrica Forum] on the state of rebuilding in Haiti. More...
How Can Lawyers Help Haiti?
How Can Lawyers Help Haiti? by Afua Hirsch, The Guardian (UK), March 26, 2010 From monitoring NGOs to supporting children's rights, international lawyers are vital to Haiti's reconstruction efforts More...
Ghosts Threaten to Return to Haiti
Ghosts Threaten to Return to Haiti, by Nikhil Aziz, Foreign Policy In Focus, March 25, 2010 Some of the advice for how Haiti ought to rebuild after the earthquake sounds hauntingly familiar. There are echoes of the same bad development advice Haiti has received for decades, even before the nation faced its current devastating situation. To avoid repeating past failures, we would be wise to review how previous aid models led down the wrong path.
Twelve years ago, Grassroots International released a study entitled "Feeding Dependency, Starving Democracy: USAID Policies in Haiti." Offering an in-depth examination of USAID development policies in Haiti, the study concluded that official aid actually damaged the very aspects of Haitian society it was allegedly trying to fix. The aid was undermining democracy and creating too much dependency. More...
Twelve years ago, Grassroots International released a study entitled "Feeding Dependency, Starving Democracy: USAID Policies in Haiti." Offering an in-depth examination of USAID development policies in Haiti, the study concluded that official aid actually damaged the very aspects of Haitian society it was allegedly trying to fix. The aid was undermining democracy and creating too much dependency. More...
Friday, March 26, 2010
Hundreds of Haitian Families Moved to First of New Campsites – UN
Hundreds of Haitian Families Moved to First of New Campsites – UN, UN News Service, March 26, 2010 Some 200 Haitian families have been moved into the first of an expected five transitional sites being set up to decongest spontaneous settlements of those left homeless by the 12 January earthquake, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported today. More...
IRIN--HAITI: Children Struggle in Make-Shift Orphanage
HAITI: Children Struggle in Make-Shift Orphanage, IRIN, March 22, 2010 Mami George, a retired teacher, sits in a courtyard at the small orphanage she manages in San Marie, Port-au-Prince. The area, once home to 2,000 residents, now accommodates some 6,000 people who lost their homes in the January earthquake. George began feeding the orphans living on the streets near the site and within days found herself caring for more than 50 children aged between three and 15. Only 500 orphans have been registered with the different local and international agencies in Haiti since the quake, not including the ones living in orphanages before the disaster. According to local caretakers, most children who had one living relative were taken in by them, explaining the relatively low number of orphans. The children in George’s care, however, have no one. More...
The World Reports: Haiti Struggles to Rebuild Infrastructure
Haiti Struggles to Rebuild Infrastructure, by Amy Bracken, PRI's The World, March 25, 2010 President Barack Obama has asked Congress for $2.8 billion in emergency funds to help post-earthquake reconstruction efforts in Haiti. At least 220,000 people died in the January quake and more than a million lost their homes. The catastrophe took a heavy toll on the infrastructure including the nation’s postal service. Now mailmen are back on the streets but facing enormous challenges....More...
http://www.theworld.org/2010/03/25/haiti-struggles-to-rebuild-infrastructure/
http://www.theworld.org/2010/03/25/haiti-struggles-to-rebuild-infrastructure/
Announcing the Haiti News Project
Announcing the Haiti News Project, March 20, 2010 A group of journalism organizations have been communicating regularly since early February to determine how to help Haitian print journalists recover from the devastating earthquake of Jan. 12, 2010. The group originally consisted primarily of staff and representatives of the American Society of News Editors (ASNE) and the Inter American Press Association (IAPA), but over the course of several rounds of conference calls has grown to include the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE), UNITY: Journalists of Color, Poder Magazine and the Poynter Institute. More...
Haiti’s Misery
Haiti’s Misery, Editorial, The New York Times, March 26, 2010 The emergency in Haiti isn’t over. It’s getting worse, as the outside world’s attention fades away. Misery rages like a fever in the hundreds of camps sheltering hundreds of thousands of the 1.3 million people left homeless by the Jan. 12 earthquake. The dreaded rains have already swamped tents and ragged stick-and-tarp huts. They have turned walkways into mud lakes and made difficult or impossible the simple acts of collecting and cooking food, washing clothes, staying clean and avoiding disease. The rainy season peaks in May. More...
Keeping the Focus on Haiti at Teaching for Change's Busboys and Poets Bookstore
Keeping the Focus on Haiti at Teaching for Change's Busboys and Poets Bookstore--Books and Resources on Its People and History
Resources:
TransAfrica Forum's Haiti petition and other resources
Other Worlds Are Possible - rebuilding a just Haiti
Teaching about Haiti - downloadable teaching guide and resource links
More...
Resources:
TransAfrica Forum's Haiti petition and other resources
Other Worlds Are Possible - rebuilding a just Haiti
Teaching about Haiti - downloadable teaching guide and resource links
More...
Thursday, March 25, 2010
HAITI: Watching the Sky with Dread
HAITI: Watching the Sky with Dread, by Daniel Zueras, Inter Press News Service, March 25, 2010 With the spring rains and hurricane season just around the corner in Haiti, some 600,000 people are still living in camps, many in areas prone to flooding. And plans to provide solutions for the survivors of the devastating Jan. 12 earthquake are moving forward slowly. More...
HAITI: Artists Join UN to Rebuild Cultural Life
HAITI: Artists Join UN to Rebuild Cultural Life, by A. D. McKenzie, Inter Press Service News Agency, March 25, 2010 As international donors prepare to meet at the United Nations headquarters in New York to discuss ways to rebuild Haiti, after the devastating Jan. 12 earthquake, the country’s artistic community has been mobilising to make culture a key aspect of reconstruction. More...
South Africa: Aid Shipment Destined for Haiti
South Africa: Aid Shipment Destined for Haiti, BuaNews (posted on allAfrica.com), March 12, 2010 A shipment of aid is expected to leave South Africa on Freedom Day, April 27, for Haiti in solidarity with the world's first black republic, the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Lindiwe Sisulu, announced today. More...
Liberian Group Makes Donation to Haiti Earthquake Victims
Liberian Group Makes Donation to Haiti Earthquake Victims, Liberian Government (posted on allAfrica.com), March 25, 2010 Cash in the amount of L$25,000 and US$200, collected by a group from Maryland County, was today presented to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for onforwarding to the people of Haiti, in the wake of the devastating earthquake which hit that island country in January. More...
DEVELOPMENT: Haiti Must Destroy Before Rebuilding
DEVELOPMENT: Haiti Must Destroy Before Rebuilding, by Garry Pierre-Pierre. Inter Press Service News Agency, March 22, 2010 When the Jan. 12 earthquake struck this mountainous country, in less than a minute, it transformed it from one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere to the largest construction site this side of the Atlantic. More...
Obama Seeks $2.8B in Aid to Haiti
Obama Seeks $2.8B in Aid to Haiti, by Lesley Clark and Jacqeline Charles, The Miami Herald, March 25, 2010 Exactly one week before international donors meet to help Haiti, the president has asked Congress for $2.8 billion in aid funds. More...
Haiti Recovery Blueprint Includes Foreign Donors
Haiti Recovery Blueprint Includes Foreign Donors, by Jacqueline Charles, The Miami Herald, March 23, 2010 That's the amount each donor nation will have to ante up for a say in Haiti's early recovery under a plan Haitian President René Préval plans to present at an international donors conference in New York at month's end. More...
Haiti's Diaspora Hopes to Play Role in Reconstruction
Haiti's Diaspora Hopes to Play Role in Reconstruction, by Lesley Clark, The Miami Herald, March 24, 2010 Those who left Haiti and now live abroad, Edeline Clermont says, can't help but feel a twinge of guilt. ``Maybe if we had been there we could have done more,'' she said, acknowledging a sense of helplessness as she watches news reports about the Jan. 12 earthquake that killed more than 200,000 people and left the government reeling. It's that sense of responsibility, she said, that prompted the Miami nurse and 500 others with Haitian roots to spend three days in conference rooms at the Organization of American States this week, hoping to carve out a role for Haiti's diaspora in the country's reconstruction. ``We want to be a part of it,'' Clermont said of the engineers, teachers, architects, doctors and entrepreneurs who took part in the meeting. More...
Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/24/1544294/haitis-diaspora-hopes-to-play.html#ixzz0jECX9ekp
Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/24/1544294/haitis-diaspora-hopes-to-play.html#ixzz0jECX9ekp
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
NYT: Americas Development Bank Forgives Much of Haiti’s Debt
MEXICO CITY — Haiti received a boost to its balance sheet on Monday when the Inter-American Development Bank, meeting in the Mexican resort city of Cancún, agreed to forgive $479 million of the country’s $1.2 billion in foreign debt.
To draw attention to Haiti’s long-term needs, meanwhile, former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush met Monday with President René Préval on the grounds of the toppled National Palace in Port-au-Prince and toured the central plaza, which has been transformed into a sprawling squatter camp. More..
To draw attention to Haiti’s long-term needs, meanwhile, former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush met Monday with President René Préval on the grounds of the toppled National Palace in Port-au-Prince and toured the central plaza, which has been transformed into a sprawling squatter camp. More..
Friday, March 19, 2010
Customs stalling aid efforts in Haiti
Customs stalling aid efforts in Haiti, by Frances Robles, Miami Herald, March 18, 2010.
As foreign do-gooders try to send humanitarian supplies, they are encountering problems -- for a variety of different reasons. More...
As foreign do-gooders try to send humanitarian supplies, they are encountering problems -- for a variety of different reasons. More...
Trees for Haiti campaign starts -- slowly
Trees for Haiti campaign starts -- slowly, by Andres Oppenheimer, Miami Herald, March 18, 2010
Shortly after the devastating earthquake in Haiti, I wrote that the hundreds of millions of dollars pledged by the international community to rebuild the country would be a waste of money unless accompanied by a massive re-forestation effort.
I said each of us should donate one tree for Haiti. Nearly two months later, we're beginning to see the first -- admittedly limited -- steps in that direction. More...
Shortly after the devastating earthquake in Haiti, I wrote that the hundreds of millions of dollars pledged by the international community to rebuild the country would be a waste of money unless accompanied by a massive re-forestation effort.
I said each of us should donate one tree for Haiti. Nearly two months later, we're beginning to see the first -- admittedly limited -- steps in that direction. More...
AIDS care rebounding in Haiti, though many lack shelter
AIDS care rebounding in Haiti, though many lack shelter, by Michael Vasquez and Carol Rosenberg, Miami Herald, March 19, 2010
HIV/AIDS services in Haiti fared better than the country as a whole after the Jan. 12 earthquake, but the rise of tent cities presents challenges when it comes to prevention. More...
HIV/AIDS services in Haiti fared better than the country as a whole after the Jan. 12 earthquake, but the rise of tent cities presents challenges when it comes to prevention. More...
U.N. and Haitian government to begin campaign to house homeless before rain season
U.N. and Haitian government to begin campaign to house homeless before rain season, by Lois Romano, The Washington Post, March 17, 2010
PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI -- The United Nations and the Haitian government are poised to begin an intense public awareness campaign in the capital city, part of an urgent effort to move hundreds of thousands of people left homeless by the Jan. 12 earthquake out of harm's way before the rain and flood season begins next month. More...
PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI -- The United Nations and the Haitian government are poised to begin an intense public awareness campaign in the capital city, part of an urgent effort to move hundreds of thousands of people left homeless by the Jan. 12 earthquake out of harm's way before the rain and flood season begins next month. More...
Donors plan to put up $3.8 billion for Haiti rebuilding
Donors plan to put up $3.8 billion for Haiti rebuilding, by Manuel Jimenez, The Washington Post, March 18, 2010
International donors are aiming to provide $3.8 billion over 18 months to help Haiti rebuild after its January 12 earthquake, according to officials and experts preparing a high-level donors conference. The initial short-term target figure came in a statement released late on Wednesday after a two-day meeting in the Dominican Republic of representatives of Haiti's government, donor nations, multilateral lenders, U.N. agencies and aid groups. More...
International donors are aiming to provide $3.8 billion over 18 months to help Haiti rebuild after its January 12 earthquake, according to officials and experts preparing a high-level donors conference. The initial short-term target figure came in a statement released late on Wednesday after a two-day meeting in the Dominican Republic of representatives of Haiti's government, donor nations, multilateral lenders, U.N. agencies and aid groups. More...
Bill Clinton, George W. Bush to visit quake-devastated Haiti
Bill Clinton, George W. Bush to visit quake-devastated Haiti, The Washington Post, March 18, 2010.
Former U.S. presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush will visit Haiti on Monday to discuss the impoverished country's long-term recovery after a January earthquake killed hundreds of thousands of people. More than a million people were also left homeless when the magnitude 7 quake struck the Caribbean nation's capital Port-au-Prince on January 12. More...
Former U.S. presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush will visit Haiti on Monday to discuss the impoverished country's long-term recovery after a January earthquake killed hundreds of thousands of people. More than a million people were also left homeless when the magnitude 7 quake struck the Caribbean nation's capital Port-au-Prince on January 12. More...
Obama administration says near deal on Haiti debt
Obama administration says near deal on Haiti debt, by Martin Crutsinger, The Washington Post, March 18, 2010
The Obama administration says it is near an agreement with other nations to cancel the $447 million that Haiti owes to the Inter-American Development Bank. Treasury Department officials said Thursday that a deal would likely be struck this weekend to cancel Haiti's debt to the bank, which serves as a major source of development loans for Latin America and the Caribbean. More...
The Obama administration says it is near an agreement with other nations to cancel the $447 million that Haiti owes to the Inter-American Development Bank. Treasury Department officials said Thursday that a deal would likely be struck this weekend to cancel Haiti's debt to the bank, which serves as a major source of development loans for Latin America and the Caribbean. More...
For Anguished Haitians, Earthquake Takes a Mental Toll
For Anguished Haitians, Earthquake Takes a Mental Toll, by James H. Burnett III, The Miami Herald, March 18, 2010 The Jan. 12 earthquake struck a psychological blow to Haitians, some of whom have begun treatment. More... http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/15/1531159_for-anguished-haitians-a-mental.html#ixzz0idN6ES7k
A Look atRebuilding Haiti's Earthquake-Shattered Economy
A Look at Rebuilding Haiti's Earthquake-Shattered Economy, by Niala Boodhoo, The Miami Herald, March 18, 2010 The economic costs of Haiti's Jan. 12 earthquake have shown it to be the most destructive natural disaster for any one country in modern times. More...
Haiti Support Project Briefing and Dialogue
Haiti Support Project Briefing and Dialogue
Agenda/Program
Welcome.........................................................................................Congressman John Conyers, Jr.
The Occasion...........................................................................................................Dr. Ron Daniels
Introduction of Members of HSP Fact Finding Delegation..............................................Dr. Ron Daniels
Video Presentation...................................................................................Herb Boyd and Eddie Harris
Brief Reflections/Perspectives on the Delegation
..................................................................................................................Joe Madison/Black Eagle
................................................................................................................................Sharon Madison
..........................................................................................................................Richard Muhammad
Highlights of HSP Report.............................................................................................Dr. Ron Daniels
Perspectives from CBC Members [ Due to critical legislative calendar/votes, Members will be afforded opportunity to share their perspectives at whenever they are able to join the Briefing/Dialogue]
Dialogue/Discussion [an open exchange of views/perspectives on the Recovery/Reconstruction of Haiti]
Summation............................................................. Congressman John Conyers and Dr. Ron Daniels
Please confirm you attendance/participation by calling 888.774.2921 or Email -- info@1bw21.org
You’re Invited
A Briefing and Dialogue
On Recovery and Reconstruction in Haiti
With a Report Back and Video Presentation from the Haiti Support Project’s African American Fact Finding and Assessment Delegation; Observations from the recent Congressional Delegation with Congressman John Conyers, Jr. and other members of the Congressional Black Caucus; Perspectives from policy analysts, solidarity organizations and friends of Haiti; and, Special Report on Adoption of Haitian Children.
This Friday, March 19, 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Room 2237 Rayburn House Office Building - Capital Hill
Confirmed Presenters:
• Congressman John Conyers, Chairman, House Judiciary Committee
▪ Dr. Ron Daniels, Founder, Haiti Support Project
▪ Richard Muhammad, Editor-in-Chief, Final Call Newspaper.
▪ Joe Madison, Black Eagle, Host, Madison and Company, XM/SIRIUS/WOL.
▪ Sharon Madison, Madison and Company, Executive Producer, XM/SIRIUS/WOL.
▪ Herb Boyd, Internationally acclaimed author, Reporter for Free Speech Television.
▪ Eddie Harris, award winning filmmaker and Cameraman for Free Speech Television.
▪ Leonard Dunston, Convener, IBW Black Family Summit Task Force on Strengthening
Children and Families in Haiti
Invited:
Ambassador Raymond Joseph, Omarosa Stallworth, Congress Members, Barbara Lee, Charles Rangel, Shiela Jackson-Lee, Donna Christian Christiansan, Gregory Meeks, Yvette Clarke, Donald Payne and Maxine Waters
▪ An excellent opportunity to gain valuable information about what’s happening on the ground in Haiti, challenges and opportunities as the nation rebuilds and who will control the reconstruction process.
▪ Please find attached a copy of HSP’s Report from the Fact Finding Delegation.
▪ Confirm your attendance by contacting HSP at 888.774.2921
Email: info@ibw21.org
For the Love of Haiti!
- Circulate to Friends/Associates -
Agenda/Program
Welcome.........................................................................................Congressman John Conyers, Jr.
The Occasion...........................................................................................................Dr. Ron Daniels
Introduction of Members of HSP Fact Finding Delegation..............................................Dr. Ron Daniels
Video Presentation...................................................................................Herb Boyd and Eddie Harris
Brief Reflections/Perspectives on the Delegation
..................................................................................................................Joe Madison/Black Eagle
................................................................................................................................Sharon Madison
..........................................................................................................................Richard Muhammad
Highlights of HSP Report.............................................................................................Dr. Ron Daniels
Perspectives from CBC Members [ Due to critical legislative calendar/votes, Members will be afforded opportunity to share their perspectives at whenever they are able to join the Briefing/Dialogue]
Dialogue/Discussion [an open exchange of views/perspectives on the Recovery/Reconstruction of Haiti]
Summation............................................................. Congressman John Conyers and Dr. Ron Daniels
Please confirm you attendance/participation by calling 888.774.2921 or Email -- info@1bw21.org
You’re Invited
A Briefing and Dialogue
On Recovery and Reconstruction in Haiti
With a Report Back and Video Presentation from the Haiti Support Project’s African American Fact Finding and Assessment Delegation; Observations from the recent Congressional Delegation with Congressman John Conyers, Jr. and other members of the Congressional Black Caucus; Perspectives from policy analysts, solidarity organizations and friends of Haiti; and, Special Report on Adoption of Haitian Children.
This Friday, March 19, 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Room 2237 Rayburn House Office Building - Capital Hill
Confirmed Presenters:
• Congressman John Conyers, Chairman, House Judiciary Committee
▪ Dr. Ron Daniels, Founder, Haiti Support Project
▪ Richard Muhammad, Editor-in-Chief, Final Call Newspaper.
▪ Joe Madison, Black Eagle, Host, Madison and Company, XM/SIRIUS/WOL.
▪ Sharon Madison, Madison and Company, Executive Producer, XM/SIRIUS/WOL.
▪ Herb Boyd, Internationally acclaimed author, Reporter for Free Speech Television.
▪ Eddie Harris, award winning filmmaker and Cameraman for Free Speech Television.
▪ Leonard Dunston, Convener, IBW Black Family Summit Task Force on Strengthening
Children and Families in Haiti
Invited:
Ambassador Raymond Joseph, Omarosa Stallworth, Congress Members, Barbara Lee, Charles Rangel, Shiela Jackson-Lee, Donna Christian Christiansan, Gregory Meeks, Yvette Clarke, Donald Payne and Maxine Waters
▪ An excellent opportunity to gain valuable information about what’s happening on the ground in Haiti, challenges and opportunities as the nation rebuilds and who will control the reconstruction process.
▪ Please find attached a copy of HSP’s Report from the Fact Finding Delegation.
▪ Confirm your attendance by contacting HSP at 888.774.2921
Email: info@ibw21.org
For the Love of Haiti!
- Circulate to Friends/Associates -
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Haiti: Findings of Human Rights Organizations
Despite reports that the situation in Haiti is stable, many human rights organizations report a different story. Public Briefing on Haiti, Tuesday, March 23, 2010, 6:00 - 7:30 PM, at TransAfrica Forum, 1629 K Street, NW, Suite 1100, Washington, DC 20006. More...
HAITI: Recovery Bill Estimated at 11.5 Billion Dollars
HAITI: Recovery Bill Estimated at 11.5 Billion Dollars, by Jim Lobe, Inter Press Service News Agency, March 17, 2010 Two weeks before a major donors conference, the Haitian government has estimated that the country will need some 11.5 billion dollars over the next three years to recover from the devastating Jan. 12 earthquake. In its draft "Preliminary Damage and Needs Assessment" (PDNA), which was prepared with the help of some of its bilateral and multilateral donors, the government projected total damages and losses caused by the quake at close to eight billion dollars.That sum represented the equivalent of roughly 120 percent of Haiti's 2009 gross domestic product (GDP), making the quake's cost relative to a country's economy the world's greatest since the current methodology used for assessing costs of natural disasters was adopted by international authorities 35 years ago, according to the Assessment. More...
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Report of the independent expert on minority issues
Human Rights Council
Thirteenth session
Agenda item 3
Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil,
political, economic, social and cultural rights, including
the right to development
..The story of Afro-Colombians begins with slavery and the massive and gross
violations of the rights of African descendants that terrible chapter in history entailed, not
only in Colombia but in the entire region. In Colombia, the most prominent slave-labour
operations were established in coastal areas. As slaves escaped, they were forced to find
refuge in nearly uninhabitable, geographically remote regions of the Atlantic and Pacific
Coast. There they strived and remarkably succeeded, to build communities and livelihoods
under conditions of extreme isolation, harsh climate, and often extreme poverty. Except for
nearby communities of Indigenous peoples, these settlements have been all Black for
centuries. Colombia has recognized the ownership rights of Afro-Colombians to these
territories. More..
Thirteenth session
Agenda item 3
Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil,
political, economic, social and cultural rights, including
the right to development
..The story of Afro-Colombians begins with slavery and the massive and gross
violations of the rights of African descendants that terrible chapter in history entailed, not
only in Colombia but in the entire region. In Colombia, the most prominent slave-labour
operations were established in coastal areas. As slaves escaped, they were forced to find
refuge in nearly uninhabitable, geographically remote regions of the Atlantic and Pacific
Coast. There they strived and remarkably succeeded, to build communities and livelihoods
under conditions of extreme isolation, harsh climate, and often extreme poverty. Except for
nearby communities of Indigenous peoples, these settlements have been all Black for
centuries. Colombia has recognized the ownership rights of Afro-Colombians to these
territories. More..
Haiti Support Project
Haiti Support Project
African American Fact Finding
And Assessment Delegation to Haiti
February 9-12, 2010
Observations ▪ Recommendations ▪ Follow-Up Initiatives
Dr. Ron Daniels, President, Institute of the Black World 21st Century
Founder, Haiti Support Project
Haiti Support Project Fact Finding and Assessment Delegation
▪ Convener, Dr. Ron Daniels, President, Institute of the Black World 21st Century, Founder, Haiti Support Project, Distinguished Lecturer, York College, City University of New York.
▪ Hazel Trice Edney, Editor-in-Chief, National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA). Also known as the Black Press of America, NNPA is a 69-year-old federation of more than 200 Black community newspapers from across the United States.
▪ Richard Muhammad, Editor-in-Chief, Final Call Newspaper. The Final Call is the only major national weekly newspaper in Black America.
▪ Joe Madison, Black Eagle, Host, Madison and Company, XM/SIRIUS/WOL. The Black Eagle was recently voted the top Radio Talk Show Host by Black Talkers.com.
▪ Sharon Madison, Madison and Company, Executive Producer, XM/SIRIUS/WOL.
▪ Daniel Berdiel, Technician for XM/SIRIUS Satellite Radio.
▪ Herb Boyd, Internationally acclaimed author, journalist, staff writer for New York Amsterdam News and Reporter for Free Speech Television.
▪ Eddie Harris, award winning filmmaker and Cameraman for Free Speech Television.
▪ Omarosa Stallworth, Original Apprentice, Gardner C. Taylor Fellow, United Theological Seminary and Haiti Support Project Goodwill Ambassador. Omarosa was a Special Guest for HSP’s first Pilgrimage to the Citadel in 2006 and has been a tireless advocate for Haiti ever since.
Introduction
February 9-12, the Haiti Support Project led a Fact Finding and Assessment Delegation to Haiti. The goal of the Delegation was “to observe conditions in Haiti first hand and share information about the state of the relief/recovery and reconstruction effort with millions of people of African descent upon our return.” Primarily composed of African American journalists, HSP embarked on this mission with the understanding that long after the major news outlets in the U.S. have ceased to shine a spotlight on Haiti, the Black press will continue to carry the story. In that regard, we believe African Americans and other people of African descent have a special affinity for Haiti which can be an incredible resource to aid in building the “new Haiti.”
In addition to viewing the devastation in Port Au Prince, the delegation had an intense schedule of meetings which included: Consultations with a team of U.S. Embassy officials assembled by David Lindwall, Deputy Chief of Mission and Ms. Carline Dei, Coordinator of Disaster Relief; Patrick Delatour, Minister for Tourism and the Haitian Government’s designated Director of Reconstruction; Ambassador Leslie Voltaire, the Government of Haiti’s Liaison to the U.N. Special Envoy; Dr. Alix Lesseque, Executive Director of University Hospital; Danel Georges, President of the grassroots organization MUCI; and, Lionel Pressoir and Alex George, Destination Haiti Foundation. Most importantly, the delegation visited and conducted interviews with leaders of a tent community. In addition, members of the delegation talked with residents and displaced persons in Port Au Prince and surrounding areas eager to express opinions about the state of the relief effort. It was an extremely informative and thought provoking experience.
HSP views this Report as an opportunity to share observations, offer recommendations and outline the initiatives and projects that will be part of the follow-up moving forward. These views and perspectives do not necessarily represent those of the other participants in the Delegation who will offer their own assessments as they deem appropriate. Moreover, HSP’s perspectives and recommendations are derived not just from the experiences of this Delegation, but fifteen years of work focused on “Building a Constituency for Haiti in the U.S.” Over this period, we have sponsored major symposia on the future of democracy and development in Haiti, attended and conducted numerous briefings and consistently formulated policy recommendations around key issues. It is in this vein that we utilize the occasion of the Fact Finding Delegation to offer perspectives and recommendations on a range of important issues.
Some of the recommendations offered call for major initiatives like the adoption of Professor Robert Maguire’s proposal for a New Deal, WPA type National Civic Service Corp to provide jobs for upwards of 700,000 unemployed Haitians, particularly young people. Other ideas may already be in some stage of implementation in some form, e.g., HSP’s concept of Sovereignty with Shared Responsibility. And, some may be controversial, e.g., the concept of an Interim Government of National Reconstruction in light of the massive difficulties of conducting elections under current circumstances and the call for a Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission to address and heal the wounds from the events of February 2004. However, these recommendations are offered for debate and discussion in the hope of identifying solutions around crucial issues facing Haiti at this critical hour in its history. Finally, we hope that the Initiatives for follow-up will make a modest contribution to mobilizing African Americans and people of African descent to significantly engage the process of building the new Haiti.
General Observations
• The destruction/devastation is widespread with homes, government buildings, business offices, schools, colleges/universities and medical facilities severely damaged or destroyed. It is reported that 8,000 schools in the Port Au Prince area have been destroyed. Though many streets are open to traffic, there is rubble everywhere. Individuals are still searching the rubble for love ones, personal effects or seeking to salvage materials to build or re-enforce temporary shelters.
• Tent communities with makeshift shelters have sprung up throughout the Capital and surrounding areas, housing hundreds of thousands of residents in conditions where there is a lack of adequate sanitation and drainage systems. These adverse conditions notwithstanding, the people have taken charge of their lives, sectioning off communities into neighborhoods, electing committees to coordinate the affairs of these neighborhoods and the community as a whole and devising their own security systems. In the tent community we visited the people were very courteous, orderly, in high spirits and eager to tell their stories.
• Conditions at the University Hospital in downtown Port Au Prince, the nation’s major public medical facility, have improved dramatically. The chaotic conditions prevalent during the early days of the disaster, when staff and volunteers were overwhelmed, have yielded to a much more orderly delivery of services. Scores of tents have been erected to care for patients previously treated on the open grounds surrounding the hospital.
• Food distribution seems to be working reasonably well. We were advised by USAID that there are 16 food distribution sites in the greater Port Au Prince area designed to serve 1,700 families. To avoid a kind of “survival of the toughest” scenario, a system has been instituted where vouchers are given to women who pick up food and return to their neighborhoods to distribute to family and others in need. Though some on our delegation wondered how this system affected men in the population, we were told that this method was consistent with Haiti’s culture and that the system is working much better than before. However, there was apparently confusion in the tent community we visited about the food distribution sites and system as members of the coordinating committee were waiting for food to be delivered to them as had been the case early on.
• The streets of Port Au Prince and surrounding communities were alive with vendors and merchants who have set-up in familiar places as well as any other they can find to sell a variety of fresh vegetables, meat and cooked meals. Other wares and services were also for sale, e.g., haircuts, shoe shines, bicycles, motorcycles, cell phone repair, auto parts, paintings, and artifacts. The brisk business may be a sign that remittances from abroad are flowing again. Traffic was heavy, another sign that a semblance of normalcy is returning in the midst of trauma and adversity.
• In some areas there appear to have been teams of people cleaning up trash/garbage from the streets. USAID informed us that there is a Cash-for-Work Program. It is not clear whether the teams we saw were part of this Program. Several people we met complained that they need jobs so that they can feed their families without depending on aid.
• The Haitian National Police were visible in some areas and seemed to be functioning effectively. We observed occasional units of the UN MUNISTAH force on patrol, but they were not a constant presence. There are large U.S. military compounds/camps around the Capital and soldiers were on duty at the airport and the University Hospital. The heavy U.S. military presence is a source of concern to many observers. We were assured by U.S. Embassy staff and by the General in charge of operations that a withdrawal of U.S. military personnel is scheduled to begin in the near future.
Conclusion
As an overall observation, the Haitian people in the tent communities are self-organizing, self-regulating themselves under extremely adverse conditions. And, a brisk and vibrant commerce has returned to the streets of Port Au Prince and surrounding areas. Ordinary Haitians seem determined to take charge of their lives and move forward despite the trauma and devastation of the earthquake. This resilience, energy and will to survive and develop, bodes well for the ultimate success of the process of recovery and reconstruction.
Recommendations
• Despite assurances that tarps are the best interim mode for providing shelter for displaced families, HSP joins with those who have a grave concern that this approach will prove woefully inadequate as the rainy season sets in. Haiti may be headed for a disaster on top of a disaster if the inadequate sanitation and drainage systems lead to an outbreak of infectious diseases. Moreover, failure to provide more stable shelter could lead to political instability as displaced residents vent their anger against the government for not protecting them. Therefore, we recommend that an urgent, immediate, massive, coordinated effort be undertaken by the U.S. government and the international community to settle displaced persons in more stable and sanitary shelters.
• It is critically important that large numbers of Haitians be employed immediately, doing useful work cleaning up the rubble, repairing infrastructure and restoring Haiti’s depleted environment. Though the Cash-for-Work Program of USAID is a step in the right direction, HSP has long advocated a massive New Deal type Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) or Works Progress Administration (WPA) type program to employ large numbers of Haitians. In the aftermath of the earthquake, such a program is even more urgent. Therefore, we fully embrace Professor Robert Maguire’s concept of a National Civic Service Corp to employ some 700,000 Haitians, especially unemployed youth, in the urban and rural areas to engage in useful work projects.
• HSP, along with numerous Haiti advocates and analysts, continues to promote the concept of a Global Marshall Plan to provide the massive resources required not only to rebuild Haiti, but to rebuild it better. To enhance prospects for economic revitalization, the Marshall Plan should be preceded by the cancellation of 100% of Haiti’s foreign debt. Moreover, as a matter of national pride, justice and reconciliation, France should repay the reparations it extracted from Haiti for the “loss of property” during the Revolution. The burden of reparations paid to France was a major factor in the underdevelopment and impoverishment of Haiti.
• There has been an internal migration of up to 750,000 people away from Port Au Prince, many of whom have returned to their “home” villages and towns. This de facto decentralization of the population holds potential for the creation of vibrant, sustainable communities that will halt the flow of people to Port Au Prince in the future. As one resident of the tent community we visited put it, “I would gladly return to my home town if I could find work there.” Minister Patrick Delatour informed us that decentralization will be a major hallmark of the Government’s Reconstruction Plan and that developing the agricultural sector will be key to the success in this area. HSP believes that to successfully develop decentralized sustainable communities, Haiti’s agricultural sector and agro-businesses will need a period of incubation. Having passed HOPE I and II legislation to provide incentives for growth in the manufacturing sector, Congress should devise “HOPE III” to provide incentives for growth in the agricultural sector.
• The Small Business Administration should provide incentives for minority firms in the U.S. to enter into joint ventures in Haiti to energize the private sector. Given the historical affinity for Haiti among African Americans and people of African descent, it is very important to provide incentives for this enormous potential base of investment in the reconstruction effort.
• We advance the concept of Sovereignty with Shared Responsibility/Accountability as a method of approach to strengthen the Haitian State/Government, maximize coordination of effort within the international community and among NGO’s, and to ensure transparency in the allocation of resources for reconstruction. We reject the notion that Haiti is a failed state that should temporarily be taken over as a UN/US Protectorate. On the contrary, Haiti’s sovereignty must be respected at all costs. In this regard, the reconstruction effort should be viewed as an opportunity to strengthen the Government of Haiti and enhance its capacity to deliver vital social and economic services to the people. Among other things this means the following:
1. The Reconstruction Plan should be developed by the Haitian people through a process devised by the Government of Haiti. The vast majority of aid/assistance should flow through the Government which should make the final decision on the selection and implementation of projects and initiatives within the framework of the Reconstruction Plan.
2. The Government should establish a Joint Reconstruction Accountability Commission comprised of a majority of members from the private sector, civil society, governmental officials and representatives from selected international agencies to share in the monitoring of the allocation of resources dedicated to national reconstruction. Such a Commission would ensure transparency and inspire confidence that resources are being expended as intended.
3. Withdrawal of U.S. military forces as soon as possible with the Haitian Government taking full charge of the recovery/reconstruction effort, including providing security with the support of MUNISTAH as appropriate. It must be absolutely clear that the U.S. has no intention of establishing bases or has plans for a permanent military presence in Haiti.
• As a practical matter, the destruction of government ministries and the lost of voter registration records for millions of Haitians will make it virtually impossible to hold inclusive, free and fair elections for the National Assembly, Senate and President as scheduled. Moreover, there is an argument to be made for galvanizing all of the nation’s resources to focus on the arduous tasks of recovery and reconstruction in the months ahead. Elections, competitive “politics as usual,” could be a major distraction from the major, immediate mission of getting the reconstruction effort off the ground. Accordingly, in the face on what is certainly a state of national emergency, the Government might be prudent to propose a formula for the creation of an Interim Government of National Reconstruction. In essence the Interim governing authority would be an inclusive body comprised of capable Ministers from various major political parties, civil society and the private sector. The formula for the Government of National Reconstruction, including the duration of the mandate, would be approved by the National Assembly.
• Finally, as Haiti seeks to heal the land and its people from the horrendous destruction of the earthquake, perhaps it is time to consider a National Truth and Reconciliation Commission to heal the wounds and lingering/festering effects of the traumatic events of February, 2004. No matter what side one may have been affiliated, errors, mistakes and even crimes were committed that need to be addressed and resolved in a manner that will permit the new Haiti to move forward as a viable and vibrant democracy free of the ghosts from tragic events of the past. Perhaps Arch-Bishop Desmond Tutu or President Paul Kagame from Rwanda could be persuaded to facilitate this process.
HSP Commitments and Follow-Up Initiatives
• Based on our preliminary assessment, HSP will be making capacity-building contributions from the Haiti Relief Fund to organizations committed to engaging women in the planning and implementation of the recovery and reconstruction process; a Haitian journalist association whose capacity to engage the recovery and reconstruction process has been hampered by the destruction of their offices; and, funding a pilot Jobs Corp type project to provide stipends to youth/young people to undertake useful work like trash/rubble removal, infrastructure repair, reforestation and services to residents of tent communities.
• Working with Destination Haiti Foundation, under the leadership of Lionel Pressoir, and the Local Development Committee in Milot, HSP is committed to mobilizing resources to provide relief for more than 800 new residents, some of whom have migrated to the town to be near family members flown in from Port Au Prince for treatment at Sacred Heart Hospital, for injuries suffered during the earthquake. The Hospital has expanded the number of beds from 64 to 400 to accommodate victims of the earthquake. Through the efforts of Joseph Beasley, a member of HSP’s National Advisory and Implementation Committee, we are working to secure regular donations of containers of medical supplies for the Hospital.
• Partnering with Destination Haiti Foundation, HSP will be mobilize support for the Oasis Institute, an innovative model which is designed to provide a safe/secure, nurturing and culturally sensitive environment for children who have become orphans as a result of the earthquake. The goal of the Oasis Institute is to keep as many of Haiti’s orphans in Haiti as possible so that they can be educated and groomed to be productive citizens and contributors to the new Haiti. To achieve this goal, families, individuals, institutions and agencies in the U.S. are encouraged to become surrogate guardians for Haitian orphans, providing financial/material support, visiting the children in Haiti and affording opportunities for children to visit their guardians in the U.S. during holidays or summer vacation. The goals of the Oasis Institute are consistent with the stated mission of the Institute of the Black World 21st Century’s Black Family Summit Task Force on Strengthening Children and Families in Haiti.
• The IBW/BFS Task Force will continue to work with Black adoption agencies to explore avenues to facilitate adoption of Haitian children by Haitian Americans, African Americans and people of African descent in the U.S. as an option of last resort. The primary goal is to strengthen children and families in Haiti and to facilitate adoption only where absolutely necessary.
• HSP will continue to explore opportunities for Haitian college/university students, whose colleges/universities have been severely damaged or destroyed, to be accepted at colleges/universities in the U.S. on an interim basis. Facilitated by Omarosa Stallworth, HSP’s Goodwill Ambassador and Destination Haiti Foundation, Carver Theological Seminary in Atlanta has already agreed to accept fifteen (15) students.
• On the advice of our Goodwill Ambassador, HSP is launching the Nehemiah Initiative to enable African American faith leaders and churches to play a significant role in the reconstruction and resurrection of Haiti by targeting resources to major projects like the rebuilding of churches, schools, colleges/universities and hospitals/medical centers. The Nehemiah Initiative may also elect to build model schools, colleges, hospitals/medical centers and other vital institutions as well as create and invest in micro-credit lending institutions and business/economic development projects. The Nehemiah Initiative will pursue its mission within the framework of the Government’s Reconstruction Plan and in collaboration with the appropriate Ministries.
• HSP will partner with Rise Again Haiti (RAH), an ambitious Initiative under the leadership of Adal Regis, a Haitian American student leader at State University of New York at Stony Brook. The goal of RAH is to mobilize hundreds of young volunteers to spend time in Haiti supporting various aspects of the reconstruction of Haiti.
• HSP supports the National Newspaper Publisher Association’s Initiative to identify Haitian journalists to be regular contributors to Black newspapers in the U.S. Under the leadership of Hazel Trice-Edney, Editor-in-Chief of NNPA, this initiative will afford an opportunity for a variety of Haitian voices to provide perspectives on the reconstruction process in Haiti and related issues.
• In collaboration with Destination Haiti Foundation, IBW/HSP is developing the Haiti Investment Group to facilitate the procurement of contracts for people of African descent, as Haiti rebuilds, and foster socially responsible entrepreneurship and investment in Haiti. The reconstruction process will afford huge opportunities for people of African descent from the U.S. to partner with Haitian Americans and our sisters and brothers in Haiti to develop lucrative enterprises while meeting crucial social and economic needs of the nation. The Haiti Investment Group is designed to be a vehicle to achieve this important objective.
• Last but not least, HSP is vigorously exploring A Pilgrimage of Hope: a Cruise for Conscious People Committed to Rebuild Haiti in the fall of this year. The goal of this extraordinary voyage is to deliver material support, e.g., school supplies, medical supplies for projects in Haiti; engage in community service projects like planting trees for reforestation; and, visit the Citadel and other important cultural/historical sites. The Pilgrimage would also feature on-ship cultural/educational seminars and films on the history and culture of Haiti, cultural performances and seminars on business and investment opportunities. A number of high profile leaders, artists, entertainers and celebrities are expected to sign on for this incredible journey. The Pilgrimage would also result in a significant and much needed injection of cash into the economy. To achieve these lofty goals will require the chartering of an entire cruise ship for a 4 or 7 day Pilgrimage to Haiti with 2,000 – 3,000 people! It is an electric idea. However, it will only be feasible if there are a sufficient number of people who are willing to put up deposits to confirm interest/commitment in a timely manner. We have until May 1st to make a final decision on this option. As an alternative, HSP would take a smaller group of 300 on a regularly scheduled cruise with a one day stopover in Haiti to visit the Citadel. Either option would serve to boost cultural/historical tourism as a key component of Haiti’s plan for the future development of the country.
To galvanize support for the rebuilding/reconstruction effort in Haiti among African Americans and people of African descent, IBW/HSP is planning a national conference: Envisioning the New Haiti: Engaging African Americans and People of African Descent. Tentatively scheduled for May 14 -15, on the eve of Haitian Flag Day (May 18th) and the birthday of Malcolm X (May 19th), the primary goal of the conference is to provide a comprehensive overview of the Reconstruction Plan for Haiti and explore avenues for maximizing humanitarian and developmental assistance and business development and investment in Haiti by African Americans and people of African descent. IBW/HSP anticipates securing the support of the Black Leadership Forum, Chaired by Marc Morial, President/CEO, National Urban League and Congress Members Charles Rangel, Gregory Meeks and Yvette Clarke. York College, City University of New York, where Dr. Ron Daniels serves as a Distinguished Lecturer, is the proposed venue for this crucial conference.
Concluding Thoughts
It is our fervent hope that the observations, recommendations and initiatives sited in this Report will make a modest contribution to the recovery and reconstruction of Haiti. “Truth crushed to earth will rise again.” Working collaboratively with our Haitian sisters and brothers we believe that a new Haiti will emerge from the ashes of the catastrophe of January 12, 2010 -- a stronger and better nation that will become a beacon of freedom and hope for all of humankind!
For the Love of Haiti!
African American Fact Finding
And Assessment Delegation to Haiti
February 9-12, 2010
Observations ▪ Recommendations ▪ Follow-Up Initiatives
Dr. Ron Daniels, President, Institute of the Black World 21st Century
Founder, Haiti Support Project
Haiti Support Project Fact Finding and Assessment Delegation
▪ Convener, Dr. Ron Daniels, President, Institute of the Black World 21st Century, Founder, Haiti Support Project, Distinguished Lecturer, York College, City University of New York.
▪ Hazel Trice Edney, Editor-in-Chief, National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA). Also known as the Black Press of America, NNPA is a 69-year-old federation of more than 200 Black community newspapers from across the United States.
▪ Richard Muhammad, Editor-in-Chief, Final Call Newspaper. The Final Call is the only major national weekly newspaper in Black America.
▪ Joe Madison, Black Eagle, Host, Madison and Company, XM/SIRIUS/WOL. The Black Eagle was recently voted the top Radio Talk Show Host by Black Talkers.com.
▪ Sharon Madison, Madison and Company, Executive Producer, XM/SIRIUS/WOL.
▪ Daniel Berdiel, Technician for XM/SIRIUS Satellite Radio.
▪ Herb Boyd, Internationally acclaimed author, journalist, staff writer for New York Amsterdam News and Reporter for Free Speech Television.
▪ Eddie Harris, award winning filmmaker and Cameraman for Free Speech Television.
▪ Omarosa Stallworth, Original Apprentice, Gardner C. Taylor Fellow, United Theological Seminary and Haiti Support Project Goodwill Ambassador. Omarosa was a Special Guest for HSP’s first Pilgrimage to the Citadel in 2006 and has been a tireless advocate for Haiti ever since.
Introduction
February 9-12, the Haiti Support Project led a Fact Finding and Assessment Delegation to Haiti. The goal of the Delegation was “to observe conditions in Haiti first hand and share information about the state of the relief/recovery and reconstruction effort with millions of people of African descent upon our return.” Primarily composed of African American journalists, HSP embarked on this mission with the understanding that long after the major news outlets in the U.S. have ceased to shine a spotlight on Haiti, the Black press will continue to carry the story. In that regard, we believe African Americans and other people of African descent have a special affinity for Haiti which can be an incredible resource to aid in building the “new Haiti.”
In addition to viewing the devastation in Port Au Prince, the delegation had an intense schedule of meetings which included: Consultations with a team of U.S. Embassy officials assembled by David Lindwall, Deputy Chief of Mission and Ms. Carline Dei, Coordinator of Disaster Relief; Patrick Delatour, Minister for Tourism and the Haitian Government’s designated Director of Reconstruction; Ambassador Leslie Voltaire, the Government of Haiti’s Liaison to the U.N. Special Envoy; Dr. Alix Lesseque, Executive Director of University Hospital; Danel Georges, President of the grassroots organization MUCI; and, Lionel Pressoir and Alex George, Destination Haiti Foundation. Most importantly, the delegation visited and conducted interviews with leaders of a tent community. In addition, members of the delegation talked with residents and displaced persons in Port Au Prince and surrounding areas eager to express opinions about the state of the relief effort. It was an extremely informative and thought provoking experience.
HSP views this Report as an opportunity to share observations, offer recommendations and outline the initiatives and projects that will be part of the follow-up moving forward. These views and perspectives do not necessarily represent those of the other participants in the Delegation who will offer their own assessments as they deem appropriate. Moreover, HSP’s perspectives and recommendations are derived not just from the experiences of this Delegation, but fifteen years of work focused on “Building a Constituency for Haiti in the U.S.” Over this period, we have sponsored major symposia on the future of democracy and development in Haiti, attended and conducted numerous briefings and consistently formulated policy recommendations around key issues. It is in this vein that we utilize the occasion of the Fact Finding Delegation to offer perspectives and recommendations on a range of important issues.
Some of the recommendations offered call for major initiatives like the adoption of Professor Robert Maguire’s proposal for a New Deal, WPA type National Civic Service Corp to provide jobs for upwards of 700,000 unemployed Haitians, particularly young people. Other ideas may already be in some stage of implementation in some form, e.g., HSP’s concept of Sovereignty with Shared Responsibility. And, some may be controversial, e.g., the concept of an Interim Government of National Reconstruction in light of the massive difficulties of conducting elections under current circumstances and the call for a Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission to address and heal the wounds from the events of February 2004. However, these recommendations are offered for debate and discussion in the hope of identifying solutions around crucial issues facing Haiti at this critical hour in its history. Finally, we hope that the Initiatives for follow-up will make a modest contribution to mobilizing African Americans and people of African descent to significantly engage the process of building the new Haiti.
General Observations
• The destruction/devastation is widespread with homes, government buildings, business offices, schools, colleges/universities and medical facilities severely damaged or destroyed. It is reported that 8,000 schools in the Port Au Prince area have been destroyed. Though many streets are open to traffic, there is rubble everywhere. Individuals are still searching the rubble for love ones, personal effects or seeking to salvage materials to build or re-enforce temporary shelters.
• Tent communities with makeshift shelters have sprung up throughout the Capital and surrounding areas, housing hundreds of thousands of residents in conditions where there is a lack of adequate sanitation and drainage systems. These adverse conditions notwithstanding, the people have taken charge of their lives, sectioning off communities into neighborhoods, electing committees to coordinate the affairs of these neighborhoods and the community as a whole and devising their own security systems. In the tent community we visited the people were very courteous, orderly, in high spirits and eager to tell their stories.
• Conditions at the University Hospital in downtown Port Au Prince, the nation’s major public medical facility, have improved dramatically. The chaotic conditions prevalent during the early days of the disaster, when staff and volunteers were overwhelmed, have yielded to a much more orderly delivery of services. Scores of tents have been erected to care for patients previously treated on the open grounds surrounding the hospital.
• Food distribution seems to be working reasonably well. We were advised by USAID that there are 16 food distribution sites in the greater Port Au Prince area designed to serve 1,700 families. To avoid a kind of “survival of the toughest” scenario, a system has been instituted where vouchers are given to women who pick up food and return to their neighborhoods to distribute to family and others in need. Though some on our delegation wondered how this system affected men in the population, we were told that this method was consistent with Haiti’s culture and that the system is working much better than before. However, there was apparently confusion in the tent community we visited about the food distribution sites and system as members of the coordinating committee were waiting for food to be delivered to them as had been the case early on.
• The streets of Port Au Prince and surrounding communities were alive with vendors and merchants who have set-up in familiar places as well as any other they can find to sell a variety of fresh vegetables, meat and cooked meals. Other wares and services were also for sale, e.g., haircuts, shoe shines, bicycles, motorcycles, cell phone repair, auto parts, paintings, and artifacts. The brisk business may be a sign that remittances from abroad are flowing again. Traffic was heavy, another sign that a semblance of normalcy is returning in the midst of trauma and adversity.
• In some areas there appear to have been teams of people cleaning up trash/garbage from the streets. USAID informed us that there is a Cash-for-Work Program. It is not clear whether the teams we saw were part of this Program. Several people we met complained that they need jobs so that they can feed their families without depending on aid.
• The Haitian National Police were visible in some areas and seemed to be functioning effectively. We observed occasional units of the UN MUNISTAH force on patrol, but they were not a constant presence. There are large U.S. military compounds/camps around the Capital and soldiers were on duty at the airport and the University Hospital. The heavy U.S. military presence is a source of concern to many observers. We were assured by U.S. Embassy staff and by the General in charge of operations that a withdrawal of U.S. military personnel is scheduled to begin in the near future.
Conclusion
As an overall observation, the Haitian people in the tent communities are self-organizing, self-regulating themselves under extremely adverse conditions. And, a brisk and vibrant commerce has returned to the streets of Port Au Prince and surrounding areas. Ordinary Haitians seem determined to take charge of their lives and move forward despite the trauma and devastation of the earthquake. This resilience, energy and will to survive and develop, bodes well for the ultimate success of the process of recovery and reconstruction.
Recommendations
• Despite assurances that tarps are the best interim mode for providing shelter for displaced families, HSP joins with those who have a grave concern that this approach will prove woefully inadequate as the rainy season sets in. Haiti may be headed for a disaster on top of a disaster if the inadequate sanitation and drainage systems lead to an outbreak of infectious diseases. Moreover, failure to provide more stable shelter could lead to political instability as displaced residents vent their anger against the government for not protecting them. Therefore, we recommend that an urgent, immediate, massive, coordinated effort be undertaken by the U.S. government and the international community to settle displaced persons in more stable and sanitary shelters.
• It is critically important that large numbers of Haitians be employed immediately, doing useful work cleaning up the rubble, repairing infrastructure and restoring Haiti’s depleted environment. Though the Cash-for-Work Program of USAID is a step in the right direction, HSP has long advocated a massive New Deal type Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) or Works Progress Administration (WPA) type program to employ large numbers of Haitians. In the aftermath of the earthquake, such a program is even more urgent. Therefore, we fully embrace Professor Robert Maguire’s concept of a National Civic Service Corp to employ some 700,000 Haitians, especially unemployed youth, in the urban and rural areas to engage in useful work projects.
• HSP, along with numerous Haiti advocates and analysts, continues to promote the concept of a Global Marshall Plan to provide the massive resources required not only to rebuild Haiti, but to rebuild it better. To enhance prospects for economic revitalization, the Marshall Plan should be preceded by the cancellation of 100% of Haiti’s foreign debt. Moreover, as a matter of national pride, justice and reconciliation, France should repay the reparations it extracted from Haiti for the “loss of property” during the Revolution. The burden of reparations paid to France was a major factor in the underdevelopment and impoverishment of Haiti.
• There has been an internal migration of up to 750,000 people away from Port Au Prince, many of whom have returned to their “home” villages and towns. This de facto decentralization of the population holds potential for the creation of vibrant, sustainable communities that will halt the flow of people to Port Au Prince in the future. As one resident of the tent community we visited put it, “I would gladly return to my home town if I could find work there.” Minister Patrick Delatour informed us that decentralization will be a major hallmark of the Government’s Reconstruction Plan and that developing the agricultural sector will be key to the success in this area. HSP believes that to successfully develop decentralized sustainable communities, Haiti’s agricultural sector and agro-businesses will need a period of incubation. Having passed HOPE I and II legislation to provide incentives for growth in the manufacturing sector, Congress should devise “HOPE III” to provide incentives for growth in the agricultural sector.
• The Small Business Administration should provide incentives for minority firms in the U.S. to enter into joint ventures in Haiti to energize the private sector. Given the historical affinity for Haiti among African Americans and people of African descent, it is very important to provide incentives for this enormous potential base of investment in the reconstruction effort.
• We advance the concept of Sovereignty with Shared Responsibility/Accountability as a method of approach to strengthen the Haitian State/Government, maximize coordination of effort within the international community and among NGO’s, and to ensure transparency in the allocation of resources for reconstruction. We reject the notion that Haiti is a failed state that should temporarily be taken over as a UN/US Protectorate. On the contrary, Haiti’s sovereignty must be respected at all costs. In this regard, the reconstruction effort should be viewed as an opportunity to strengthen the Government of Haiti and enhance its capacity to deliver vital social and economic services to the people. Among other things this means the following:
1. The Reconstruction Plan should be developed by the Haitian people through a process devised by the Government of Haiti. The vast majority of aid/assistance should flow through the Government which should make the final decision on the selection and implementation of projects and initiatives within the framework of the Reconstruction Plan.
2. The Government should establish a Joint Reconstruction Accountability Commission comprised of a majority of members from the private sector, civil society, governmental officials and representatives from selected international agencies to share in the monitoring of the allocation of resources dedicated to national reconstruction. Such a Commission would ensure transparency and inspire confidence that resources are being expended as intended.
3. Withdrawal of U.S. military forces as soon as possible with the Haitian Government taking full charge of the recovery/reconstruction effort, including providing security with the support of MUNISTAH as appropriate. It must be absolutely clear that the U.S. has no intention of establishing bases or has plans for a permanent military presence in Haiti.
• As a practical matter, the destruction of government ministries and the lost of voter registration records for millions of Haitians will make it virtually impossible to hold inclusive, free and fair elections for the National Assembly, Senate and President as scheduled. Moreover, there is an argument to be made for galvanizing all of the nation’s resources to focus on the arduous tasks of recovery and reconstruction in the months ahead. Elections, competitive “politics as usual,” could be a major distraction from the major, immediate mission of getting the reconstruction effort off the ground. Accordingly, in the face on what is certainly a state of national emergency, the Government might be prudent to propose a formula for the creation of an Interim Government of National Reconstruction. In essence the Interim governing authority would be an inclusive body comprised of capable Ministers from various major political parties, civil society and the private sector. The formula for the Government of National Reconstruction, including the duration of the mandate, would be approved by the National Assembly.
• Finally, as Haiti seeks to heal the land and its people from the horrendous destruction of the earthquake, perhaps it is time to consider a National Truth and Reconciliation Commission to heal the wounds and lingering/festering effects of the traumatic events of February, 2004. No matter what side one may have been affiliated, errors, mistakes and even crimes were committed that need to be addressed and resolved in a manner that will permit the new Haiti to move forward as a viable and vibrant democracy free of the ghosts from tragic events of the past. Perhaps Arch-Bishop Desmond Tutu or President Paul Kagame from Rwanda could be persuaded to facilitate this process.
HSP Commitments and Follow-Up Initiatives
• Based on our preliminary assessment, HSP will be making capacity-building contributions from the Haiti Relief Fund to organizations committed to engaging women in the planning and implementation of the recovery and reconstruction process; a Haitian journalist association whose capacity to engage the recovery and reconstruction process has been hampered by the destruction of their offices; and, funding a pilot Jobs Corp type project to provide stipends to youth/young people to undertake useful work like trash/rubble removal, infrastructure repair, reforestation and services to residents of tent communities.
• Working with Destination Haiti Foundation, under the leadership of Lionel Pressoir, and the Local Development Committee in Milot, HSP is committed to mobilizing resources to provide relief for more than 800 new residents, some of whom have migrated to the town to be near family members flown in from Port Au Prince for treatment at Sacred Heart Hospital, for injuries suffered during the earthquake. The Hospital has expanded the number of beds from 64 to 400 to accommodate victims of the earthquake. Through the efforts of Joseph Beasley, a member of HSP’s National Advisory and Implementation Committee, we are working to secure regular donations of containers of medical supplies for the Hospital.
• Partnering with Destination Haiti Foundation, HSP will be mobilize support for the Oasis Institute, an innovative model which is designed to provide a safe/secure, nurturing and culturally sensitive environment for children who have become orphans as a result of the earthquake. The goal of the Oasis Institute is to keep as many of Haiti’s orphans in Haiti as possible so that they can be educated and groomed to be productive citizens and contributors to the new Haiti. To achieve this goal, families, individuals, institutions and agencies in the U.S. are encouraged to become surrogate guardians for Haitian orphans, providing financial/material support, visiting the children in Haiti and affording opportunities for children to visit their guardians in the U.S. during holidays or summer vacation. The goals of the Oasis Institute are consistent with the stated mission of the Institute of the Black World 21st Century’s Black Family Summit Task Force on Strengthening Children and Families in Haiti.
• The IBW/BFS Task Force will continue to work with Black adoption agencies to explore avenues to facilitate adoption of Haitian children by Haitian Americans, African Americans and people of African descent in the U.S. as an option of last resort. The primary goal is to strengthen children and families in Haiti and to facilitate adoption only where absolutely necessary.
• HSP will continue to explore opportunities for Haitian college/university students, whose colleges/universities have been severely damaged or destroyed, to be accepted at colleges/universities in the U.S. on an interim basis. Facilitated by Omarosa Stallworth, HSP’s Goodwill Ambassador and Destination Haiti Foundation, Carver Theological Seminary in Atlanta has already agreed to accept fifteen (15) students.
• On the advice of our Goodwill Ambassador, HSP is launching the Nehemiah Initiative to enable African American faith leaders and churches to play a significant role in the reconstruction and resurrection of Haiti by targeting resources to major projects like the rebuilding of churches, schools, colleges/universities and hospitals/medical centers. The Nehemiah Initiative may also elect to build model schools, colleges, hospitals/medical centers and other vital institutions as well as create and invest in micro-credit lending institutions and business/economic development projects. The Nehemiah Initiative will pursue its mission within the framework of the Government’s Reconstruction Plan and in collaboration with the appropriate Ministries.
• HSP will partner with Rise Again Haiti (RAH), an ambitious Initiative under the leadership of Adal Regis, a Haitian American student leader at State University of New York at Stony Brook. The goal of RAH is to mobilize hundreds of young volunteers to spend time in Haiti supporting various aspects of the reconstruction of Haiti.
• HSP supports the National Newspaper Publisher Association’s Initiative to identify Haitian journalists to be regular contributors to Black newspapers in the U.S. Under the leadership of Hazel Trice-Edney, Editor-in-Chief of NNPA, this initiative will afford an opportunity for a variety of Haitian voices to provide perspectives on the reconstruction process in Haiti and related issues.
• In collaboration with Destination Haiti Foundation, IBW/HSP is developing the Haiti Investment Group to facilitate the procurement of contracts for people of African descent, as Haiti rebuilds, and foster socially responsible entrepreneurship and investment in Haiti. The reconstruction process will afford huge opportunities for people of African descent from the U.S. to partner with Haitian Americans and our sisters and brothers in Haiti to develop lucrative enterprises while meeting crucial social and economic needs of the nation. The Haiti Investment Group is designed to be a vehicle to achieve this important objective.
• Last but not least, HSP is vigorously exploring A Pilgrimage of Hope: a Cruise for Conscious People Committed to Rebuild Haiti in the fall of this year. The goal of this extraordinary voyage is to deliver material support, e.g., school supplies, medical supplies for projects in Haiti; engage in community service projects like planting trees for reforestation; and, visit the Citadel and other important cultural/historical sites. The Pilgrimage would also feature on-ship cultural/educational seminars and films on the history and culture of Haiti, cultural performances and seminars on business and investment opportunities. A number of high profile leaders, artists, entertainers and celebrities are expected to sign on for this incredible journey. The Pilgrimage would also result in a significant and much needed injection of cash into the economy. To achieve these lofty goals will require the chartering of an entire cruise ship for a 4 or 7 day Pilgrimage to Haiti with 2,000 – 3,000 people! It is an electric idea. However, it will only be feasible if there are a sufficient number of people who are willing to put up deposits to confirm interest/commitment in a timely manner. We have until May 1st to make a final decision on this option. As an alternative, HSP would take a smaller group of 300 on a regularly scheduled cruise with a one day stopover in Haiti to visit the Citadel. Either option would serve to boost cultural/historical tourism as a key component of Haiti’s plan for the future development of the country.
To galvanize support for the rebuilding/reconstruction effort in Haiti among African Americans and people of African descent, IBW/HSP is planning a national conference: Envisioning the New Haiti: Engaging African Americans and People of African Descent. Tentatively scheduled for May 14 -15, on the eve of Haitian Flag Day (May 18th) and the birthday of Malcolm X (May 19th), the primary goal of the conference is to provide a comprehensive overview of the Reconstruction Plan for Haiti and explore avenues for maximizing humanitarian and developmental assistance and business development and investment in Haiti by African Americans and people of African descent. IBW/HSP anticipates securing the support of the Black Leadership Forum, Chaired by Marc Morial, President/CEO, National Urban League and Congress Members Charles Rangel, Gregory Meeks and Yvette Clarke. York College, City University of New York, where Dr. Ron Daniels serves as a Distinguished Lecturer, is the proposed venue for this crucial conference.
Concluding Thoughts
It is our fervent hope that the observations, recommendations and initiatives sited in this Report will make a modest contribution to the recovery and reconstruction of Haiti. “Truth crushed to earth will rise again.” Working collaboratively with our Haitian sisters and brothers we believe that a new Haiti will emerge from the ashes of the catastrophe of January 12, 2010 -- a stronger and better nation that will become a beacon of freedom and hope for all of humankind!
For the Love of Haiti!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
NACLA:U.S. to Haitians: Stay Home and Bear the Burden
Five days after the earthquake in Haiti on January 12, an air force cargo plane flew one of the first missions of the U.S. military’s aid effort. The plane flew for five hours over the devastated country broadcasting the loud, prerecorded voice of Raymond Joseph, the Haitian ambassador to the United States, in Creole:
“If you think you will reach the U.S. and all the doors will be wide open to you, that’s not at all the case. They will intercept you right in the water and send you back home where you came from.”
The disembodied voice from the sky told Haitians, still stunned by the earthquake that killed more than 250,000 people, that U.S. immigration policy toward Haiti would remain the same as it has for decades. This was despite the fact that just a few days earlier, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security had announced 18 months of Temporary Protective Services (TPS) for Haitians who had been in the United States before January 12, and that all deportations in process would be stopped. More..
“If you think you will reach the U.S. and all the doors will be wide open to you, that’s not at all the case. They will intercept you right in the water and send you back home where you came from.”
The disembodied voice from the sky told Haitians, still stunned by the earthquake that killed more than 250,000 people, that U.S. immigration policy toward Haiti would remain the same as it has for decades. This was despite the fact that just a few days earlier, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security had announced 18 months of Temporary Protective Services (TPS) for Haitians who had been in the United States before January 12, and that all deportations in process would be stopped. More..
The Nation: Haiti's Excluded
Ruth Derilus had seen her share of tragedy. A 33-year-old iron-willed social worker trained by Haiti's Papay Peasant Movement, she twice helped organize relief efforts when massive floods devastated the city of Gonaïves and the surrounding countryside. In September 2004 she worked with women's and youth groups after Tropical Storm Jeanne killed more than 3,000 people. Four years later, she lost her home when a second deluge, unleashed by Tropical Storm Hanna and augmented by Hurricane Ike, once again brought the city to its knees. Ruth kept on going, working to organize rice farmers whose crops had been destroyed. More..
UN: More Money Needed for Haiti Humanitarian Aid Fund The United Nations has announced its appeal for $1.4 billion in humanitarian aid for Haiti is o
UN: More Money Needed for Haiti Humanitarian Aid Fund
The United Nations has announced its appeal for $1.4 billion in humanitarian aid for Haiti is only half funded, two months after the devastating earthquake. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said emergency shelter and sanitation are still urgently needed ahead of the rainy season. On Sunday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited a Haitian camp that is home to tens of thousands of internally displaced persons.
The United Nations has announced its appeal for $1.4 billion in humanitarian aid for Haiti is only half funded, two months after the devastating earthquake. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said emergency shelter and sanitation are still urgently needed ahead of the rainy season. On Sunday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited a Haitian camp that is home to tens of thousands of internally displaced persons.
The Washington Post: Haitians who fled capital strain impoverished towns in countryside
LASCAHOBAS, HAITI -- The earthquake that struck Haiti's capital city has also jarred the impoverished countryside, sending 600,000 people into the provinces -- where locals are now overwhelmed with the task of feeding and sheltering desperate newcomer..More..
NYT:U.N. Honors the 101 employees who served and died in Haiti
UNITED NATIONS — It took nearly 15 minutes to read the full roll call of the dead, as a photograph of each person, with the years of their birth and death, flashed on a screen in the darkened hall. White candles flickered on a dais covered with white hydrangeas, orchids and lilies.More...
Monday, March 15, 2010
Haiti: "Post Disaster Needs Assessment" - Whose Needs? Whose Assessment?
The Huffington Post Report
By Beverley Bell
The Haitian government has been largely silent since the January 12 earthquake. Publicly, that is. Who knows what officials are saying behind closed doors to international governments and other donors? Citizens don't. They have heard from President René Préval about his personal losses from the quake - his shirts, his palace - but about little else, least of all about the substance of governmental plans for reconstruction. More..
By Beverley Bell
The Haitian government has been largely silent since the January 12 earthquake. Publicly, that is. Who knows what officials are saying behind closed doors to international governments and other donors? Citizens don't. They have heard from President René Préval about his personal losses from the quake - his shirts, his palace - but about little else, least of all about the substance of governmental plans for reconstruction. More..
UN News Centre: Visiting Haiti, Ban pledges that world willl remain at its side
14 March 2010 – Shelter remains the biggest and most urgent priority in Haiti, two months after it was struck by a catastrophic earthquake, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today as he visited the country for the second time since the disaster and stressed that the world has not forgotten its people's plight.
Mr. Ban met with President René Préval and Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive and toured a camp that is home to tens of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) on a one-day visit to the Caribbean country ahead of the international donors' conference for Haiti that will be held at United Nations Headquarters in New York on 31 March. More....
Mr. Ban met with President René Préval and Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive and toured a camp that is home to tens of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) on a one-day visit to the Caribbean country ahead of the international donors' conference for Haiti that will be held at United Nations Headquarters in New York on 31 March. More....
UNDP: Women Struggle for rights as Haiti Recovers
The devastating January 12th earthquake hit hard at the Haitian women’s movement, taking the lives of a number of leading activists. Prior to the earthquake, activists like Anne-Marie Coriolan, Myriam Merlais and Magalie Marcelin were advocating to reform the judiciary and to create an infrastructure to protect women and girls against violence. A task much needed now, as violence against women increases when countries are in crisis. More...
Al Jazeera: Concerns over Haiti rebuilding Plan
Concern over Haiti rebuilding plan
Rene Preval, Haiti's president, is drafting a plan for rebuilding the country devastated by its largest earthquake ever.
The plan will be presented at a donors' conference in the US state of New York at the end of this month.
But there is widespread concern in the country over whether the plan will be enough to overcome the issues that have plagued the Caribbean nation.
Al Jazeera's Steve Chao reports from Port-au-Prince. More...
Saturday, March 13, 2010
PIH: We Are The Difference
We Are The Difference--Partners in Health Fundraiser March 13
The fundraiser to help rebuild Haiti offers an entertaining experience while simultaneously raising funds for Partners in Health's relief efforts in Haiti. PIH has been on the ground in Haiti for over 20 years. The work of PIH has three goals: to care for patients, to alleviate the root causes of disease in their communities, and to share lessons learned around the world.
The Evening will highlight the integral role of the arts in Haitian life and culture. The fusion of music, fashion, and art will include spoken word performances, and a silent auction.The goal of this event is to raise at least $20,000 to be donated to Partners in Health.
Saturday March 13th 2010
The District
2473 18 Street NW
Washington, DC 20009
More...
The fundraiser to help rebuild Haiti offers an entertaining experience while simultaneously raising funds for Partners in Health's relief efforts in Haiti. PIH has been on the ground in Haiti for over 20 years. The work of PIH has three goals: to care for patients, to alleviate the root causes of disease in their communities, and to share lessons learned around the world.
The Evening will highlight the integral role of the arts in Haitian life and culture. The fusion of music, fashion, and art will include spoken word performances, and a silent auction.The goal of this event is to raise at least $20,000 to be donated to Partners in Health.
Saturday March 13th 2010
The District
2473 18 Street NW
Washington, DC 20009
More...
HAITI: Caribbean Unites Behind Recovery Plans
HAITI: Caribbean Unites Behind Recovery Plans, by Peter Richards, Inter Press News Agency, March 12, 2010 As he travels back to his headquarters in Washington, World Bank president Robert Zoellick must be painfully aware that Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries have very strong feelings on the redevelopment of Haiti following the Jan. 12 earthquake. Zoellick met with regional leaders on Thursday, the first of the two-day CARICOM intersessional summit. While Haitian President René Préval was not present, Caribbean leaders there pressed for a "designated development fund for Haiti where all the resources which have been pledged by various countries and institutions could be deposited into a special account". Dominica's Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, chair of the 15-member regional integration grouping, stressed that it was critical the Haitian people not be sidelined in the recovery and rebuilding process. More...
NYT: Haiti, Two Months Later
Haiti, Two Months Later, Editorial, The New York Times, March 11, 2010 With every day that passes in the mud and rubble of Haiti, the failures of the relief effort are heartbreaking. There are four main strands to the campaign to make sure 1.2 million homeless people are sheltered and safe as the weather turns fierce. All are inadequate. More...
Friday, March 12, 2010
TransAfrica Forum says U.S. Relief Efforts in Haiti Are Not Being Effective
TransAfrica Forum says U.S. Relief Efforts in Haiti Are Not Being Effective; Claims by Southern Command that ‘The Medical Situation Has Improved’ are Unfounded
“The situation in Haiti remains dire. No one should be deceived. Hundreds of people still desperately need medical care, shelter and food. The U.S. needs to remain vigilant and provide effective assistance" --Nicole Lee, President of TransAfrica Forum in Haiti this week
Quoted in the New York Times on Wednesday, March 10th, a spokesman for the United States Southern Command stated, “The situation on the ground in terms of the medical situation has improved.” Mr. Jose Ruiz goes on to say, “Demand for medical care is not exceeding the capacity of facilities on the ground.” Mr. Ruiz’s statement flies in the face of evidence discovered over the past two weeks by TransAfrica Forum staff and numerous civil society partners in Haiti. Hundreds of thousands of Haitians are going without food, shelter and medical care every day. TransAfrica’s President, Nicole Lee, is in Haiti this week and has seen first hand that assistance programs are failing to meet the enormous need. More...
“The situation in Haiti remains dire. No one should be deceived. Hundreds of people still desperately need medical care, shelter and food. The U.S. needs to remain vigilant and provide effective assistance" --Nicole Lee, President of TransAfrica Forum in Haiti this week
Quoted in the New York Times on Wednesday, March 10th, a spokesman for the United States Southern Command stated, “The situation on the ground in terms of the medical situation has improved.” Mr. Jose Ruiz goes on to say, “Demand for medical care is not exceeding the capacity of facilities on the ground.” Mr. Ruiz’s statement flies in the face of evidence discovered over the past two weeks by TransAfrica Forum staff and numerous civil society partners in Haiti. Hundreds of thousands of Haitians are going without food, shelter and medical care every day. TransAfrica’s President, Nicole Lee, is in Haiti this week and has seen first hand that assistance programs are failing to meet the enormous need. More...
Haiti's Excluded
Haiti's Excluded, by Reed Lindsay, The Nation, March 11, 2010 (March 29, 2010 edition of The Nation) Ruth Derilus had seen her share of tragedy. A 33-year-old iron-willed social worker trained by Haiti's Papay Peasant Movement, she twice helped organize relief efforts when massive floods devastated the city of Gonaïves and the surrounding countryside. In September 2004 she worked with women's and youth groups after Tropical Storm Jeanne killed more than 3,000 people. Four years later, she lost her home when a second deluge, unleashed by Tropical Storm Hanna and augmented by Hurricane Ike, once again brought the city to its knees. Ruth kept on going, working to organize rice farmers whose crops had been destroyed. More...
PIH: We Are The Difference
We Are The Difference--Partners in Health Fundraiser March 13
The fundraiser to help rebuild Haiti offers an entertaining experience while simultaneously raising funds for Partners in Health's relief efforts in Haiti. PIH has been on the ground in Haiti for over 20 years. The work of PIH has three goals: to care for patients, to alleviate the root causes of disease in their communities, and to share lessons learned around the world.
The Evening will highlight the integral role of the arts in Haitian life and culture. The fusion of music, fashion, and art will include spoken word performances, and a silent auction.The goal of this event is to raise at least $20,000 to be donated to Partners in Health.
Saturday March 13th 2010
The District
2473 18 Street NW
Washington, DC 20009
More...
The fundraiser to help rebuild Haiti offers an entertaining experience while simultaneously raising funds for Partners in Health's relief efforts in Haiti. PIH has been on the ground in Haiti for over 20 years. The work of PIH has three goals: to care for patients, to alleviate the root causes of disease in their communities, and to share lessons learned around the world.
The Evening will highlight the integral role of the arts in Haitian life and culture. The fusion of music, fashion, and art will include spoken word performances, and a silent auction.The goal of this event is to raise at least $20,000 to be donated to Partners in Health.
Saturday March 13th 2010
The District
2473 18 Street NW
Washington, DC 20009
More...
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Haiti: Evening in Sou Piste
Haiti: Evening in Sou Piste, by Lisa Armstrong, for the Pulitzer Center, March 8, 2010 The people of Sou Piste do the same things here, in their new makeshift community, as they did in the places they lived before. As evening falls, girls fetch water, women cook beans and plantains and rice on outdoor fires, and boys use the last moments of light to fly their kites. Many of the 40,000 people living here moved to this old airport runway the night of the earthquake, after their homes were destroyed. More...
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Emergency Relief Petition for Haiti
Emergency Relief Petition for Haiti, TransAfrica Forum, March 9, 2010 The clock is ticking. We must act now! The magnitude 7.0 earthquake in Haiti killed over 230,000 people, injured 300,000, and left over 1.3 million people homeless. The response from the U.S. was swift and overwhelming; President Obama pledged $100 million dollars in emergency relief and people in the United States contributed over $700 million dollars to charities. Despite this generous outpouring of support, most of the survivors of Haiti's earthquake still suffer...More
Architects are Often the Last People Needed in Disaster Reconstruction
Architects are Often the Last People Needed in Disaster Reconstruction--Most of them focus on buildings rather than people, and will be of little use in Haiti or Chile, by David Sanderson, The Guardian, March 3, 2010 More...
Comment is free Communities will make Haiti strong
Communities will make Haiti strong, by David Peppiatt, The Guardian, February 21, 2010 Social networks can help to sustain the hundreds of thousands displaced by the earthquake, as well as keep unrest at bay More...
Haiti rebuilding summit under way in Miami
Haiti Rebuilding Summit Under Way in Miami, by Martha Brannigan, The Miami Herald, March 10, 2010 A Miami summit on Haiti reconstruction brings together government agencies and private contractors looking to participate in an expected rebuilding bonanza. More...
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
How to Help Haiti
How to Help Haiti, by Jemima Pierre, Tanya Golash-Boza & Kevin Alexander Gray, The Nation, March 5, 2010 Any expectation of corporate benevolence in the aftermath of the January 12 earthquake in Haiti quickly evaporated at the airport check-in. More...
HAITI: The Camp That Vanished
HAITI: The Camp That Vanished, by Ansel Herz, Inter Press Service News Agency, March 9, 2010 Perched near the top of a steep hill, the fractured pink walls of Villa Manrese overlook the rest of the capital city. Both ends of the three-story compound have collapsed, spilling into mounds of rubble. The first floor was pulverised into a layer of dust. There are still bodies inside. More...
HAITI: U.S. Acts Quickly on Debt Relief Ahead of Preval Visit
HAITI: U.S. Acts Quickly on Debt Relief Ahead of Preval Visit, by Jim Lobe, Inter Press Service News Agency, March 8, 2010 With U.S. President Barack Obama preparing to host Haitian President Rene Preval at the White House Wednesday, Congress is moving quickly to show support for far-reaching debt relief and additional aid for the earthquake-stricken Caribbean nation. More...
Tired of Capital's Crumbs, Rural Haiti Wants Place at the Table
Tired of Capital's Crumbs, Rural Haiti Wants Place at the Table, by Trenton Daniel, The Miami Herald, March 6, 2010 Tired of living off of Port-au-Prince's crumbs, rural areas are pushing for a decentralization of power and resources. More...
Aid Lags as Evacuees Strain Haitian Town
Aid Lags as Evacuees Strain Haitian Town, by Jim Wyss, Miami Herald, March 9, 2010 International aid barely trickles into Cap-Haitien, a town that drew thousands fleeing Haiti's ravaged capital after the Jan. 12 earthquake. More...
Haiti’s Development: A Human-Rights Approach
Haiti’s Development: A Human-Rights Approach, by Jeanne Woods, The Root, February 24, 2010 As donors prepare an international conference on the devastated nation’s future, let’s make sure all Haitians are heard. More...
Monday, March 8, 2010
Two of the 170,000+ “Cases”
Two of the 170,000+ “Cases”, by Conner Gorry in Haiti, Mediccglobal (Field Notes from MEDICC Official Blog of Medical Education Cooperation with Cuba), March 8, 2010 Case I: There’s a light drizzle falling as the busload of doctors, nurses, and 5th year medical students head out for the morning’s work in the Cuban health posts known as Belair I and Belair II. Stuttering through the clogged, rubble-strewn streets of Port-au-Prince, the bus is a veritable United Nations of medical personnel: there are Cuban doctors of course, but also Colombian, Brazilian and Panamanian physicians, plus Cuban nurses and Haitian medical students from the Latin American Medical School (ELAM) – all trained in Cuba. Ironically, as we inch past elders selling charcoal from reed baskets and young toughs peddling black market antibiotics, an armored vehicle full of UN blue bonnets chugs past. More...
Remake Haiti's Agriculture
Remake Haiti's Agriculture, by Joseph E. Edmunds, The Miami Herald, March 4, 2010 The outpouring of assistance to Haiti from many sources after the earthquake is commendable, but the long-term sustainable development of that country must, now more than ever, receive immediate, accelerated attention. More...
Rebuilding Haiti
Rebuilding Haiti, Inter Press Service News Agency TerraViva Beijing+15, by Ansel Herz in Port-Au-Prince and Marguerite A. Suozzi in New York, March 8, 2010 Women’s day, a women’s week, has brought focus again on loss and inequality that women live with – because they are women. This year it throws up the devastation women have suffered in Haiti. But not just the suffering; also the rebuilding, and with spirit. More...
Special Issue - IPS TerraViva Beijing+15 - International Women's Day
Special Issue - IPS TerraViva Beijing+15 - International Women's Day, Inter Press Service News Agency TerraViva Beijing+15, March 8, 2010 More...
Friday, March 5, 2010
Haiti Response Coalition National Conference
Haiti Response Coalition National Conference, February 24, 2010 Parc Historique de la Canne A Sucre, February 23-24, 2010 Press Briefing After the great and incomparable earthquake hit the country of Haiti, on January 12, 2010, more than three hundred thousand (300,000) people, from all areas and of all ages, died. State infrastructure and all its institutions have been destroyed. Many have been wounded or have become handicapped. Many are hopeless. People have lost family members, their possessions, money, and work. More...
Rebuilding Haiti, Prepared by: TransAfrica Forum and KONPAY (Konbit Pou Ayiti)
Rebuilding Haiti, Prepared by: TransAfrica Forum and KONPAY (Konbit Pou Ayiti), March 2, 2010 The Haiti Response Coalition, of which TransAfrica Forum and KONPAY are members, convened a two-day consultation with rural and urban members of Haitian civil society in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, February 23-24, 2010. Prior to the January 12, 2010 earthquake conference participants were engaged in a variety of community-based development activities throughout the country. Since the earthquake, groups have used their previously established relationships with community and neighborhood groups to assist with camp construction for internally displaced people (IDPs), relief distribution, and needs assessment production. More...
Haitian Women Refuse to Be Sidelined
Haitian Women Refuse to Be Sidelined, Marguerite A. Suozzi, Inter Press Service News Agency TerraViva Beijing+15, March 3, 2010 Women in Haiti are more vulnerable than ever to attacks on their dignity and gender-based violence after the massive Jan. 12 earthquake crippled the already struggling nation. More..
HAITI: Experts Urge Sea Change in "Culture of Aid",
HAITI: Experts Urge Sea Change in "Culture of Aid", by William Fisher, Inter Press Service News Agency A delegation of human rights experts is preparing to visit Haiti to assess the human rights and aid situation in the earthquake-crippled nation and to urge the international community to follow a series of guidelines they have prepared to help donors' to "overcome the mistakes of the past." More...
Thursday, March 4, 2010
HAITI: Earthquake Epicentre Copes with Aftermath
HAITI: Earthquake Epicentre Copes with Aftermath, by Garry Pierre-Pierre, Inter Press Service News Agency, March 1, 2010 Marie Saintus sat regally on a wicker chair in the narrow alley by her makeshift home at the Anacaona Stadium, in the middle of this once bucolic city, as she teased her neighbours. More...
A Day at the Leogâne Field Hospital
A Day at the Leogâne Field Hospital, by Conner Gorry in Haiti, Mediccglobal (Field Notes from MEDICC--Official Blog of Medical Education Cooperation with Cuba), March 4, 2010 More...
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
'Vultures' Prey on Liberia's Debt
'Vultures' Prey on Liberia's Debt, Greg Palast, BBC News--World News America, March 2, 2010 More...
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
SOUTHERN AFRICA: Children that slip across borders
PRETORIA, 26 February 2010 (IRIN) - Zimbabwe's still-limping economy can provide few essential services, so children living along the border cross into South Africa to attend school during the day or even to see a doctor, often at great risk to their personal safety. The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) regional child protection advisor for East and Southern Africa, Cornelius Williams, said the movement of unaccompanied child migrants from Zimbabwe was one of the biggest problems confronting humanitarian agencies in the region. Between 3,000 and 15,000 Zimbabwean children are known to move into and out of their country every month. More...
Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights:Recommendations for March Donor Conference
ACCOUNTABILITY, TRANSPARENCY, EMPOWERMENT, AND CAPACITY BUILDING MUST GUIDE DONOR STATES’ EFFORTS IN REBUILDING HAITI
RFK Center joined its partners Bureau des Avocats Internationaux (BAI), the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice (CHRGJ) at NYU School of Law, the Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti (IJDH), Partners In Health/Zanmi Lasante in presenting joint recommendations for the upcoming Haiti Donor Conference set for late March in New York City. More...
RFK Center joined its partners Bureau des Avocats Internationaux (BAI), the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice (CHRGJ) at NYU School of Law, the Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti (IJDH), Partners In Health/Zanmi Lasante in presenting joint recommendations for the upcoming Haiti Donor Conference set for late March in New York City. More...
Al Jazeera: Deadly Flood Recedes in Haiti
Deadly Flood Waters Recede in Haiti
Flood waters that killed eight people in quake-hit Haiti over the weekend have receded in the country's southeast.
Al Jazeera's Todd Baer, reporting from the capital Port-au-Prince, said water levels in the most affected areas of Les Cayes and surrounding villages may have gone down, but people were continuing to flee on Sunday night. More...
Flood waters that killed eight people in quake-hit Haiti over the weekend have receded in the country's southeast.
Al Jazeera's Todd Baer, reporting from the capital Port-au-Prince, said water levels in the most affected areas of Les Cayes and surrounding villages may have gone down, but people were continuing to flee on Sunday night. More...
UN News Centre: UN Continues to help meet Haiti's Health Needs
2 March 2010 – Seven weeks after a catastrophic earthquake struck Haiti, health needs remain great, the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) said today, emphasizing the need for stepped-up disaster risk reduction and early recovery efforts to help the devastated nation.
More....
More....
Monday, March 1, 2010
Haiti quake opportunity to restore rural ecology?
Haiti quake opportunity to restore rural ecology? On PRI's The World, featuring Melinda Miles March 1, 2010 More...
Democracy Now: Comparison of Chile and Haiti Eathquakes:
Seismologist Roger Bilham: “In Recent Earthquakes, Buildings Have Acted as Weapons of Mass Destruction"
Even as the people of southern Chile continue to grapple with the rising death toll and the devastation wrought by Saturday’s massive earthquake, many seismologists believe the wreckage could have been far worse. The 8.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Chile early Saturday morning was 500 times more powerful than the 7.0-magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12th of this year. But it caused only a fraction of the casualties in comparison to the 300,000 people estimated to have died in Haiti.
Click here to view video..
Even as the people of southern Chile continue to grapple with the rising death toll and the devastation wrought by Saturday’s massive earthquake, many seismologists believe the wreckage could have been far worse. The 8.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Chile early Saturday morning was 500 times more powerful than the 7.0-magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12th of this year. But it caused only a fraction of the casualties in comparison to the 300,000 people estimated to have died in Haiti.
Click here to view video..
NACLA: The Undermining of Haiti's HealthCare System
The Undermining of Haitian Healthcare: Setting the Stage for Disaster
In December 2003, the dedication ceremony of Haiti’s first and only public medical school, a project jointly supported by the governments of Haiti, Cuba, and Taiwan, took place at the University of Tabarre in Port-au-Prince. At the time of the school’s opening, Haiti had one of the worst doctor-to-patient ratios in the world (one to 10,000 in urban areas and one to 20,000 in rural areas), and the school’s ability to provide free medical education was considered one of the most important achievements of former president Jean Bertrand Aristide’s administration.
In a declaration full of optimism and hope, the Dean of Health Sciences, Dr. Yves Polynice stated: “The inauguration of the Aristide Foundation University is an opportunity to renew our Hippocratic Oath where each physician pledges to care for the poor, widows, and orphans free of cost. We must be conscious that any illness affecting one citizen represents a threat to us all. Today we say ‘health care for all, without exclusion.’ ” On February 3, 2004, the hospital officially opened its doors and began treating many of Haiti’s most vulnerable. For many it was their first visit to a doctor. More...
In December 2003, the dedication ceremony of Haiti’s first and only public medical school, a project jointly supported by the governments of Haiti, Cuba, and Taiwan, took place at the University of Tabarre in Port-au-Prince. At the time of the school’s opening, Haiti had one of the worst doctor-to-patient ratios in the world (one to 10,000 in urban areas and one to 20,000 in rural areas), and the school’s ability to provide free medical education was considered one of the most important achievements of former president Jean Bertrand Aristide’s administration.
In a declaration full of optimism and hope, the Dean of Health Sciences, Dr. Yves Polynice stated: “The inauguration of the Aristide Foundation University is an opportunity to renew our Hippocratic Oath where each physician pledges to care for the poor, widows, and orphans free of cost. We must be conscious that any illness affecting one citizen represents a threat to us all. Today we say ‘health care for all, without exclusion.’ ” On February 3, 2004, the hospital officially opened its doors and began treating many of Haiti’s most vulnerable. For many it was their first visit to a doctor. More...
Letter to Congress: Emergency Supplemental Aid to Haiti
February 19, 2010
RE: Emergency Supplemental Aid to Haiti
Dear Member of Congress:
The 7.0 earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, 2010 was the worst natural
disaster to occur in the Western Hemisphere’s modern history. Initial estimates
indicate that at least 212,000 people have died, nearly 1 million are internally
displaced and almost 300,000 people injured. The response of the US
government in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake has been swift.
President Obama pledged $100 million in emergency assistance, and numerous
U.S. government agencies – including the department of State, the Agency for
International Development, Department of Defense, the Federal Emergency
Management Agency, the Department of Homeland Security, and others –
quickly deployed staff and contributed resources to support emergency
humanitarian relief in Haiti. The international community has responded
similarly.
Even while continuing to carry out substantial efforts to provide life-saving relief
to millions of Haitians, the United States and the international community must
support a massive, Haitian-led reconstruction and transformation plan designed
to support their goal of a democratic, equitable and productive society. Although
assessments of the extent of the damage are still being conducted by the United
States, the United Nations, the World Bank and others, initial estimates of costs
are well over $10 billion. A transformative reconstruction for the island nation will
require a long-term financial commitment. Haiti must be rebuilt in a way that
reverses the poverty and environmental degradation that has made it so
vulnerable to natural disasters. A return to Haiti as it was on January 11 is not
advisable.
Given the scope of the task ahead, a letter was sent by some of the undersigned
organizations to President Obama on January 30 asking him to request an
emergency supplemental of $3 billion dollars to meet the immediate and longterm
needs in Haiti for relief, reconstruction and development. In a testament to
the urgent need for additional funds, the U.S. Office of Foreign Disaster
Assistance (OFDA/USAID) has been forced to transfer 40% from the budgets for
all other humanitarian assistance programs worldwide in order to support its
response in Haiti. Unless additional funding is made available soon, U.S.
humanitarian assistance to places like Somalia, Sudan, and Pakistan will be
drastically reduced. We are also mindful of the need for Haitian reconstruction
aid not to reduce the already limited development and humanitarian assistance to
the Western Hemisphere.
For these reasons, we respectfully urge you to support a supplemental
appropriations request. Furthermore, any supplemental funding should not be
taken from other regular budgets designated for humanitarian or development
purposes. We also ask you to guarantee that aid be allocated and disbursed
within the framework of the principles below in order to avert similar disasters in
the future.
1. Haitian-Led Reconstruction: The Haitian government, although
severely weakened by the earthquake, must lead the national recovery
and reconstruction effort. Haitian non-governmental and community
based organizations must be involved in the design and implementation of
the reconstruction plans. Their participation must also be guaranteed at
the Spring international donors meeting in NYC at the United Nations.
The active participation of these groups can help ensure ownership in the
process, rebuild and strengthen capacities of both Haitian government and
civil society, and promote equitable reconstruction in the cities and the
outlying provinces.
2. Build on Existing Plans: The post-earthquake reconstruction plan must
build on and strengthen plans for long-term development that already
exist. Haiti’s National Strategy for Growth and the Reduction of Poverty
(DSNCRP) is a development plan that was finalized in 2008 after
consultation. After the four hurricanes of 2008, the plan was revised to
respond to new needs and vulnerabilities exposed by the hurricanes.
These plans should not be discarded but used as the foundation of an
improved plan that incorporates and responds to the development needs
resulting from the earthquake. Non-state actors’ reconstruction and
development plans of Haiti post-earthquake must be geared towards
meeting the goals and objectives of the Haitian national revised plan.
3. Decentralized, Sustainable Development: The reconstruction of Haiti
must be decentralized and promote sustainable development. Rebuilding
Port au Prince to the way it was risks repeating past errors and future
catastrophes. Instead, reconstruction must include the provinces and the
long-ignored rural sector of Haitian society in order to decrease
overpopulation in the capital. There must be a focus on investing in rural
development and sustainable agriculture to reduce rural poverty through
job creation and increase national food security. Reconstruction must also
include strategies to mitigate risks related to future natural disasters,
including establishing earthquake-resistant building codes and the
reforestation of Haiti.
4. Protection for Vulnerable Populations: The estimated 1 million
internally displaced persons (IDPs), half in Port au Prince and half already
dispersed across the ten provinces, have particular protection needs that
range from proper shelter and documentation to the risk of physical harm.
Women and children are especially vulnerable to sexual violence and
exploitation in the aftermath of a disaster and too often find that the
assistance they need is underfunded or overlooked. As such, it is
important that a reconstruction plan fully implements the USAID Policy on
USAID Assistance to Internally Displaced Persons and USAID Assistance
to Internally Displaced Persons: Implementation Guidelines that is based
on the UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement framework for
protection and assistance to the displaced. Approaches to reconstruction
must also take into account the ongoing protection needs of IDPs living in
transitional shelters. We have an opportunity to act on the lessons
learned in other crises to ensure that the protection needs of IDPs, women
and girls, orphans and vulnerable children, persons with disabilities and
amputees are integrated into the Haiti earthquake recovery plan.
As part of the long-term recovery efforts in Haiti, we also urge the United States
and the international community to employ a regional approach to the provision
of assistance and protection for Haitians. In particular we urge processes and
structures that facilitate cooperation between Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
Space should be established for cooperation by civil society organizations,
governments and other stakeholders in both the Dominican Republic and Haiti
on a range of issues, including human rights; disaster preparedness, mitigation,
and relief, and environmental protection. We urge the U.S. and international
community to help facilitate these bi- and multi-lateral discussions.
A revised reconstruction plan for Haiti will require financial resources and time.
We strongly urge you to make a long-term commitment to Haiti by supporting an
emergency supplemental and consider provisions that allow for a two-year
window to designate and disburse funds based on the revised development plan.
As more information becomes available, we will provide further recommendations
on the type of fund that should be created with oversight mechanisms.
We appreciate the immediate bipartisan concern that the Congress has
demonstrated towards the immense scope of the natural disaster in Haiti.
Thank you.
ActionAid USA
Agricultural Mission
American Jewish World Service
America's Development Foundation
Americas Relief Team
Ananda Marga Universal Relief Team
Beyond Borders
CARE USA
Center for Economic and Policy Research
Center for Human Rights and Global Justice, NYU School of Law
Church World Service
Foreign Policy in Focus
Friends Committee on National Legislation
Global Exchange
Grassroots International
Groundswell International
Haiti Sustainable Development Foundation
Hands on Disaster Response
Health Empowering Humanity
Honor and Respect Foundation
Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti
International Rescue Committee
Jesuit Refugee Service/USA
Kledèv
KONPAY
Lambi Fund of Haiti
Latin America Working Group
Lutheran World Relief
Mennonite Central Committee U.S. Washington Office
Oxfam America
Plan USA
Quixote Center
Refugees International
Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights
Sustainable Organic Integrated Livelihoods
TransAfrica Forum
Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
Washington Office on Latin America
World Hope International
World Vision
RE: Emergency Supplemental Aid to Haiti
Dear Member of Congress:
The 7.0 earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, 2010 was the worst natural
disaster to occur in the Western Hemisphere’s modern history. Initial estimates
indicate that at least 212,000 people have died, nearly 1 million are internally
displaced and almost 300,000 people injured. The response of the US
government in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake has been swift.
President Obama pledged $100 million in emergency assistance, and numerous
U.S. government agencies – including the department of State, the Agency for
International Development, Department of Defense, the Federal Emergency
Management Agency, the Department of Homeland Security, and others –
quickly deployed staff and contributed resources to support emergency
humanitarian relief in Haiti. The international community has responded
similarly.
Even while continuing to carry out substantial efforts to provide life-saving relief
to millions of Haitians, the United States and the international community must
support a massive, Haitian-led reconstruction and transformation plan designed
to support their goal of a democratic, equitable and productive society. Although
assessments of the extent of the damage are still being conducted by the United
States, the United Nations, the World Bank and others, initial estimates of costs
are well over $10 billion. A transformative reconstruction for the island nation will
require a long-term financial commitment. Haiti must be rebuilt in a way that
reverses the poverty and environmental degradation that has made it so
vulnerable to natural disasters. A return to Haiti as it was on January 11 is not
advisable.
Given the scope of the task ahead, a letter was sent by some of the undersigned
organizations to President Obama on January 30 asking him to request an
emergency supplemental of $3 billion dollars to meet the immediate and longterm
needs in Haiti for relief, reconstruction and development. In a testament to
the urgent need for additional funds, the U.S. Office of Foreign Disaster
Assistance (OFDA/USAID) has been forced to transfer 40% from the budgets for
all other humanitarian assistance programs worldwide in order to support its
response in Haiti. Unless additional funding is made available soon, U.S.
humanitarian assistance to places like Somalia, Sudan, and Pakistan will be
drastically reduced. We are also mindful of the need for Haitian reconstruction
aid not to reduce the already limited development and humanitarian assistance to
the Western Hemisphere.
For these reasons, we respectfully urge you to support a supplemental
appropriations request. Furthermore, any supplemental funding should not be
taken from other regular budgets designated for humanitarian or development
purposes. We also ask you to guarantee that aid be allocated and disbursed
within the framework of the principles below in order to avert similar disasters in
the future.
1. Haitian-Led Reconstruction: The Haitian government, although
severely weakened by the earthquake, must lead the national recovery
and reconstruction effort. Haitian non-governmental and community
based organizations must be involved in the design and implementation of
the reconstruction plans. Their participation must also be guaranteed at
the Spring international donors meeting in NYC at the United Nations.
The active participation of these groups can help ensure ownership in the
process, rebuild and strengthen capacities of both Haitian government and
civil society, and promote equitable reconstruction in the cities and the
outlying provinces.
2. Build on Existing Plans: The post-earthquake reconstruction plan must
build on and strengthen plans for long-term development that already
exist. Haiti’s National Strategy for Growth and the Reduction of Poverty
(DSNCRP) is a development plan that was finalized in 2008 after
consultation. After the four hurricanes of 2008, the plan was revised to
respond to new needs and vulnerabilities exposed by the hurricanes.
These plans should not be discarded but used as the foundation of an
improved plan that incorporates and responds to the development needs
resulting from the earthquake. Non-state actors’ reconstruction and
development plans of Haiti post-earthquake must be geared towards
meeting the goals and objectives of the Haitian national revised plan.
3. Decentralized, Sustainable Development: The reconstruction of Haiti
must be decentralized and promote sustainable development. Rebuilding
Port au Prince to the way it was risks repeating past errors and future
catastrophes. Instead, reconstruction must include the provinces and the
long-ignored rural sector of Haitian society in order to decrease
overpopulation in the capital. There must be a focus on investing in rural
development and sustainable agriculture to reduce rural poverty through
job creation and increase national food security. Reconstruction must also
include strategies to mitigate risks related to future natural disasters,
including establishing earthquake-resistant building codes and the
reforestation of Haiti.
4. Protection for Vulnerable Populations: The estimated 1 million
internally displaced persons (IDPs), half in Port au Prince and half already
dispersed across the ten provinces, have particular protection needs that
range from proper shelter and documentation to the risk of physical harm.
Women and children are especially vulnerable to sexual violence and
exploitation in the aftermath of a disaster and too often find that the
assistance they need is underfunded or overlooked. As such, it is
important that a reconstruction plan fully implements the USAID Policy on
USAID Assistance to Internally Displaced Persons and USAID Assistance
to Internally Displaced Persons: Implementation Guidelines that is based
on the UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement framework for
protection and assistance to the displaced. Approaches to reconstruction
must also take into account the ongoing protection needs of IDPs living in
transitional shelters. We have an opportunity to act on the lessons
learned in other crises to ensure that the protection needs of IDPs, women
and girls, orphans and vulnerable children, persons with disabilities and
amputees are integrated into the Haiti earthquake recovery plan.
As part of the long-term recovery efforts in Haiti, we also urge the United States
and the international community to employ a regional approach to the provision
of assistance and protection for Haitians. In particular we urge processes and
structures that facilitate cooperation between Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
Space should be established for cooperation by civil society organizations,
governments and other stakeholders in both the Dominican Republic and Haiti
on a range of issues, including human rights; disaster preparedness, mitigation,
and relief, and environmental protection. We urge the U.S. and international
community to help facilitate these bi- and multi-lateral discussions.
A revised reconstruction plan for Haiti will require financial resources and time.
We strongly urge you to make a long-term commitment to Haiti by supporting an
emergency supplemental and consider provisions that allow for a two-year
window to designate and disburse funds based on the revised development plan.
As more information becomes available, we will provide further recommendations
on the type of fund that should be created with oversight mechanisms.
We appreciate the immediate bipartisan concern that the Congress has
demonstrated towards the immense scope of the natural disaster in Haiti.
Thank you.
ActionAid USA
Agricultural Mission
American Jewish World Service
America's Development Foundation
Americas Relief Team
Ananda Marga Universal Relief Team
Beyond Borders
CARE USA
Center for Economic and Policy Research
Center for Human Rights and Global Justice, NYU School of Law
Church World Service
Foreign Policy in Focus
Friends Committee on National Legislation
Global Exchange
Grassroots International
Groundswell International
Haiti Sustainable Development Foundation
Hands on Disaster Response
Health Empowering Humanity
Honor and Respect Foundation
Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti
International Rescue Committee
Jesuit Refugee Service/USA
Kledèv
KONPAY
Lambi Fund of Haiti
Latin America Working Group
Lutheran World Relief
Mennonite Central Committee U.S. Washington Office
Oxfam America
Plan USA
Quixote Center
Refugees International
Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights
Sustainable Organic Integrated Livelihoods
TransAfrica Forum
Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
Washington Office on Latin America
World Hope International
World Vision
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