By Ericka Blount Danois on Jun 1st 2010 12:39PM
Filed under: News, Politics
While the world focuses on huge calamities in
Jamaica and the Middle East, a crumbling world economy and an oil spill that continues to chug out gallons of crude,
earthquake survivors in Haiti continue to suffer despite the fact that aid is pouring in from other countries.
Haitians are saying that the politically connected are benefiting most from reconstruction work that has barely begun. They are shaking their heads at unproductive politicians and aid groups that are struggling with tarpaulin metropolises that look more permanent every day.
Residents feel as though they could be living on the streets for the next 10 or even 20 years -- and that prediction may not be far off.
Reconstruction, so far, has mostly amounted to an emergency response in the form of plastic: About 564,000 tarpaulins had been distributed as of early May, enough to cover an estimated 1.7 million people. If you laid them out lengthwise, they'd run from New York City to beyond Albuquerque.
But there seems to be no clear indication from any government, including the Haitian government, on what to do next or how long these temporary homes will last.
Americans only need to look at the complexities of disaster relief after Hurricane Katrina to understand how difficult getting help to those who need it can be. Some Katrina victims are still waiting for FEMA money.
The problems of Hurricane Katrina survivors, though, are dwarfed when compared with Haiti: The United Nations estimates that the quake destroyed 105,000 homes and damaged 208,000 others, mostly in
Port-au-Prince.
Freshly painted graffiti on main thoroughfares now declare "Aba okipasyon" ("Down with the occupation") and call for the ouster of NGOs, or nongovernmental organizations.
Missed opportunities are beginning to mount. Immediately after the earthquake, Haiti's central bank should have guaranteed loans or loosened its collateral requirements to help small businesses trying to reopen. Unfortunately, this didn't happen -- among many other necessities.
Haiti needs prayer and real action. May the people of Haiti find the strength to persevere.
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Comments: (5)
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By: Marsha on 6/01/2010 4:34PM
My thoughts and Prayers have never left Haiti. Just reading about the country's history, I can see that they are a strong people. But after this earth quake I thought to myself, "my God how much more can they take??" I gave to Wyclef's Yele Haiti Organization, as well as Doctors without Borders. As an American on the outside looking in I would have to say that I am frustrated with the lack of real progress for a country that receives so much monetary help. Or do they?? My prayer would be that God would send some people to help govern that really care about the people of Haiti, and simply for the sake of humanity. It's just not right for people to suffer this way. GOD BLESS THE HAITIAN PEOPLE!!
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By: paul on 6/01/2010 5:52PM
They had no plan before the quake, why is it surprising that there is no plan now? Desperate, hungry, diseased, and jobless - they're really not that much worse off than before. The difference is that now the media has brought it into our living rooms.
All the charity is nice, but without infrastructure and sustainable industry it's like dumping money into a bottomless hole. Worse, it will serve to promote corruption and a dependence on the charity of foreigners.
They've got one resource they aren't using - a population that's desperate for work. Somehow they need to make it attractive for foreign companies to set up shop and put their people to work. They won't be high paying jobs, but with 70% unemployment before the quake and a $1,630 per capita annual income, it won't take much of a job to make a VAST improvement in their standard of living.
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By: sandra on 6/01/2010 9:58PM
Marsha and Paul excellent comments. Haiti is a very sad case. After observing and knowing the details of what happened with hurricane Katrina, I could not donate money to any of the so called relief agencies. Because the money seldom goes towards the immediate assitance to those who need it. Plus, massive amounts of money cannot fix, a broken infastructure inherited from centuries of misappropriation and creed inherited from the post colonialism and the transatlantic slave trade.
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By: cheryl on 6/04/2010 4:45PM
There were checks and balances. The US Military got 33 million dollars. Ck the Web. Haiti got one penny out of every dollar. The US Military will stay until they spend every dollar. Some gift!
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By: Gail on 6/06/2010 4:50PM
Lord, please help the Haitian people...please send someone there with a plan...Thank you Lord!!!...It is done!!!
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