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In the News: Red light on the Red Cross in Haiti?

by Stefan Christoff. Originally published in Briarpatch Magazine

Across Canada, people reacted swiftly to the massive 2010 earthquake in Haiti. As reports of major devastation on the ground went global, thousands in Canada mobilized to support the Haitian people through grassroots benefit concerts, telethons, and community collections in a historic expression of international solidarity and one of the largest disaster relief fundraising efforts in Canadian history.

In Quebec, home to one of the largest Haitian diaspora communities in the world, the earthquake clearly touched a collective nerve. On the streets in Montreal, Haitians held vigils to express collective loss and solidarity. Those who lost or were actively searching for relatives worked tirelessly to mobilize support, holding countless community fundraisers, cultural events, and donation drives.

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Housing Statistics

In the last few weeks, we’ve seen a number of articles decrying the housing crisis in Haiti. For my part, I find myself struck by some of the statistics that capture the magnitude of the crisis. These stats were gathered by the Centre for Recherche, de Réflexion, de Formation et d’Action Sociale (CERFAS).

This first graph shows the evolution of camp populations since July, 2010 — about five months after the earthquake.

CERFAS notes that these numbers can be projected to suggest that approximately 311,000 people (or around 74,000 families) will still be living in the camps at the end of 2012.

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In the News: New Book Exposes Violent Role Of Paramilitaries In Haiti

by Judith Scherr. Originally published by Countercurrents.org

Haiti’s brutal army was disbanded in 1995, yet armed and uniformed paramilitaries, with no government affiliation, occupy former army bases today.

President Michel Martelly, who has promised to restore the army, has not called on police or U.N. troops to dislodge these ad-hoc soldiers.

Given the army’s history of violent opposition to democracy, Martelly’s plan to renew the army “can only lead to more suffering”, says Jeb Sprague in his forthcoming book Paramilitarism and the Assault on Democracy in Haiti, to be released mid August by Monthly Review Press.

The role of Haiti’s military and paramilitary forces has received too little academic and media attention, says Sprague, a doctoral candidate in sociology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He hopes his book will help to fill that gap.

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In the News: Former U.S. Ambassador to Haiti says he’s optimistic about country as replacement takes over

Originally posted in The Miami Herald

The new U.S. ambassador to Haiti, Pamela White, presented her credentials on Friday to Haitian President Michel Martelly.

White is a career diplomat who previously served as ambassador to The Gambia before she was tapped to head the U.S. embassy in Port-au-Prince. This will mark her second stint in Haiti. She first worked in the country from 1985-90 on behalf of the U.S. Agency for International Development.

“I never forgot my deep and abiding admiration of the people of Haiti,” White, who has 35 years experience in diplomacy, said in a statement.

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In the News: Bill Clinton announces more than $400,000 for medical training

Originally posted at Haiti Libre

The former President Bill Clinton visited Wednesday, August 1, the Hospital Bernard Mevs in Port-au-Prince, and announced a grant from the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund to improve the quality of healthcare at the Haitian hospital. The $442,100 grant to Project Medishare will help the U.S. nonprofit, together with Bernard Mevs, implement a medical training and education program for medical professionals.

Project Medishare’s 16-month program will train 47 radiologists, lab technicians, and pathologists from Bernard Mevs and other local hospitals in the use of state-of-the-art medical equipment. Much of the equipment, including a 16-slice CT (Computed Tomography) scanner, was donated to the hospital in May 2011, but few Haitian staff are trained to use it.

During his visit to Bernard Mevs, President Clinton met with patients, staff, and medical directors at the hospital. He spoke with them about the value of Project Medishare’s training program for Haiti’s future. By focusing on capacity building in this sector, the Fund is promoting a Haiti with the strength to stand on its own.

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