+(50%25).jpg)
When I was in Haiti shortly after the quake, I met with Haitian women leaders to talk about their emergency needs and the best way for the global community of women and organizations to support them to reorganize and play a leading role in discussions and forums about Rebuilding Haiti. Back in the US, I've been working with Haitian women in the diaspora and feminist leaders to begin organizing a global grassroots solidarity initiative that we've tentatively named the Poto Mitan: Rebuilding Haiti initiative.
To date, two conference calls have taken place among some Haitian and diaspora advocates and leaders in grassroots organizations on the topic of an accelerated global response to the urgent needs facing Haitian women and girls, and on a parallel need to support the voices, vision and leadership of Haitian women in this post-disaster rebuilding period.
The Poto Mitan: Rebuilding Haiti initiative is in an early stage of implementation. Organizers are reaching out to women globally in order to move forward quickly to address known needs of women and girls in Haiti.
There is an urgent awareness of the forthcoming additional threats posed by seasonal tropical storms, possible hurricanes and earthquakes, and predicted aftershocks that are likely to greatly worsen the current catastrophic situation. The already battered women's organizations need great support to address these additional challenges.
Poto Mitan: Rebuilding Haiti organizers are using the World Pulse media/Pulsewire social networking platform for group discussions and planning of the initiative.
A community forum has been started there and all are invited to register and participate in sharing initiatives, analysis, visions, and comments. To find the Community Forum,, you simply register at PulseWire then look within the Groups section for this group.
Women's Summit?
One idea that has just emerged is a possible post-disaster Women's Summit that could take place in Haiti, and possible satellite women's meetings at the upcoming OAS, Donor's and other forums on Rebuilding Haiti.
Advocates want to raise awareness of the additional challenges faced by women and girls in the wake of natural disasters, and possible new programs that could be designed with their needs in mind. For example, while Haitian market women are regarded as the pillars of Haiti's agricultural economy, advocates are asking how new reconstruction jobs (removing debris, recycling rubble, rebuilding cities) will benefit the many women who need access to income, but aren't likely to be hired for such traditionally male positions.
Call for Needs Assessments, Surveys related to Women, Girls:
Colleagues at the Lambi Fund have agreed to gather Needs Assessments and surveys of the post-disaster response that have been carried out by groups in different sectors (shelter, health, needs of pregnant women, security and violence, vulnerable children and orphans, etc.). Please share any reports you may have or know about by sharing this information with the Lambi Fund (email: info@lambifund.org). Please mark 'Women's Survey Report' in the Subject line.
Note: If you are a donor, NGO or private individual who is interested in supporting activities or providing resources to benefit women and girls, please contact us to learn about which activities are being considered. Send queries to me at talktothefuture@gmail.com and I will share with the group.
Note: I will post updates on this initiative and a website URL when it is ready.
Ansanm, Ansanm!
Friday, February 26, 2010
In case you missed it: USAID-OCHA Summary Report Feb. 25 on Haiti relief response to date
The US AID report for Feb. 25 includes summary information for the UN Cluster/WASH humanitarian response in Haiti to date.
Take home message: While the overall situation remains catastrophic, progress is noted in coordination, sanitation of certain formal settlements, delivery of specific supplies like medicine, toilets, surgical kits to field hospitals, more shelters, etc.
What's still unmet demand, very urgent: the crisis in the cities, towns and informal 'tent' cities away from the capital, where extreme is driving people to skip meals and sell anything they can in their desperation to access some food.
So: food distribution to areas outside the cities, and to settlements in other cities (Leogane, Petit Goave, etc.) is critical still.
That doesn't mean people in Port-au-Prince aren't suffering greatly -- they are. But the focus of the relief effort, centered as it is still in the capital, has helped to mitigate this for some groups, while those living in ravines and outside formal settlements are still struggling to access essential services, including food aid, water, some plastic sheeting.
As the rains pour down in Haiti, some highlights I noted from this summary:
> As I mention above, food distribution is not reaching many in the countryside and provicial towns and cities -- a point called 'negative coping mechanisms' by relief officials. Read: Rising Malnutrition... extreme hunger....
> IOM reports that 140,000 + households received shelter -- a 40% increase from February 18. Read: Solid progress, but still woefully inadequate given demand, and delays, bottlenecks of distribution of warehoused supplies. Two more cargo planeloads of plastic sheeting arrived (1350 sheet total in last two days), and should be distributed in more timely fashion, as Shelter Cluster coordination continues to improve.(Note: Media reports say many tents, some tarps more readily available now for sale in capital, but provinces still struggling to access sufficient plastic sheeting.)
> Not surprisingly, informal settlements in the capital and downtown areas have terrible sanitation conditions, and those who are more organized have better. Two successes: Champ de Mars settlement site (20,000 ppl) and Stadium (3,500 ppl) are deemed to have adequate sanitation. Also Clinton Initiative delivered 1000 toilers. (My comment: what defines 'adequate sanitation' by agency standards? In torrential rain, risk of increased disease linked to spread of waste in human settlements increases. What we know is people are camped in what have become mud ten cities.)
So far, no major outbreaks reported, but people in informal settlement deemed to be in poorer health due to higher exposure to unsanitary conditions.
> Most common health problems now: respiratory infections,diarrhea, injuries, suspected malaria. (Not included in this report, but happening: parallel distribution of bed nets by some NGOs to many informal settlements to mitigate malaria risk.)
> A second phase of Food distribution will begin March 1. The Govt of Haiti has asked each major NGO partner in the UN Cluster response to be assigned a geographic area of activity by that date, for improved coordination of food aid and water distribution
> The World Food Program this week announced a Hot Food distribution plan at 70 school sites, while plans to reopen schools in April remain on schedule. (In unrelated news, UN Early Recovery Cluster representatives are working with volunteer US and other earthquake-savvy structural engineers to assess schools for risk of collapse.)
> The USGS provided an update of future seismic risk activity, noting the probability of earthquakes, and reported that aftershocks are likely to continue but less frequently -- a similar report to their last announcement.
(Note: for readers who missed it, I posted an earlier Haiti Vox blog, based on my interview with Haiti's official geologist, Claude Prepetit, on his prediction of a 6.0 earthquake in the northern part of Haiti within 6 months. He is working with French expert geologist Dr. Eric Calais. A 4-person team of scientists from the University of Texas and USGS just arrived to take more seismic measurements.
(Note: The U of Texas team were those who worked with the Prepetit-Calais team to issue a warning to Haiti of a possible 7.0 or greater quake. Prepetit and Calais have been taking field measurements since the quake struck and hope to expand the catchment capacity of the monitoring system, including monitoring in the north, and to encourage a parallel effort in the Dominican Republic.)
Take home message: While the overall situation remains catastrophic, progress is noted in coordination, sanitation of certain formal settlements, delivery of specific supplies like medicine, toilets, surgical kits to field hospitals, more shelters, etc.
What's still unmet demand, very urgent: the crisis in the cities, towns and informal 'tent' cities away from the capital, where extreme is driving people to skip meals and sell anything they can in their desperation to access some food.
So: food distribution to areas outside the cities, and to settlements in other cities (Leogane, Petit Goave, etc.) is critical still.
That doesn't mean people in Port-au-Prince aren't suffering greatly -- they are. But the focus of the relief effort, centered as it is still in the capital, has helped to mitigate this for some groups, while those living in ravines and outside formal settlements are still struggling to access essential services, including food aid, water, some plastic sheeting.
As the rains pour down in Haiti, some highlights I noted from this summary:
> As I mention above, food distribution is not reaching many in the countryside and provicial towns and cities -- a point called 'negative coping mechanisms' by relief officials. Read: Rising Malnutrition... extreme hunger....
> IOM reports that 140,000 + households received shelter -- a 40% increase from February 18. Read: Solid progress, but still woefully inadequate given demand, and delays, bottlenecks of distribution of warehoused supplies. Two more cargo planeloads of plastic sheeting arrived (1350 sheet total in last two days), and should be distributed in more timely fashion, as Shelter Cluster coordination continues to improve.(Note: Media reports say many tents, some tarps more readily available now for sale in capital, but provinces still struggling to access sufficient plastic sheeting.)
> Not surprisingly, informal settlements in the capital and downtown areas have terrible sanitation conditions, and those who are more organized have better. Two successes: Champ de Mars settlement site (20,000 ppl) and Stadium (3,500 ppl) are deemed to have adequate sanitation. Also Clinton Initiative delivered 1000 toilers. (My comment: what defines 'adequate sanitation' by agency standards? In torrential rain, risk of increased disease linked to spread of waste in human settlements increases. What we know is people are camped in what have become mud ten cities.)
So far, no major outbreaks reported, but people in informal settlement deemed to be in poorer health due to higher exposure to unsanitary conditions.
> Most common health problems now: respiratory infections,diarrhea, injuries, suspected malaria. (Not included in this report, but happening: parallel distribution of bed nets by some NGOs to many informal settlements to mitigate malaria risk.)
> A second phase of Food distribution will begin March 1. The Govt of Haiti has asked each major NGO partner in the UN Cluster response to be assigned a geographic area of activity by that date, for improved coordination of food aid and water distribution
> The World Food Program this week announced a Hot Food distribution plan at 70 school sites, while plans to reopen schools in April remain on schedule. (In unrelated news, UN Early Recovery Cluster representatives are working with volunteer US and other earthquake-savvy structural engineers to assess schools for risk of collapse.)
> The USGS provided an update of future seismic risk activity, noting the probability of earthquakes, and reported that aftershocks are likely to continue but less frequently -- a similar report to their last announcement.
(Note: for readers who missed it, I posted an earlier Haiti Vox blog, based on my interview with Haiti's official geologist, Claude Prepetit, on his prediction of a 6.0 earthquake in the northern part of Haiti within 6 months. He is working with French expert geologist Dr. Eric Calais. A 4-person team of scientists from the University of Texas and USGS just arrived to take more seismic measurements.
(Note: The U of Texas team were those who worked with the Prepetit-Calais team to issue a warning to Haiti of a possible 7.0 or greater quake. Prepetit and Calais have been taking field measurements since the quake struck and hope to expand the catchment capacity of the monitoring system, including monitoring in the north, and to encourage a parallel effort in the Dominican Republic.)
Updated Special Report Available - Puello Alleges Silsby Had Other Dominican Help... and Judge in Haiti probes DR links
Feb. 26
Haitian Judge Bernard Saint-Vil has decided to hold jailed Idaho Baptist missionaries Laura Silsby and Charisa Coulter a bit longer, so he can question two real estate agents and a pastor in the Dominican Republic - and possibly another man (or men) in the border town of Ouanaminthe.
That is where Silsby allegedly met an Atlanta-based pastor named Jean Sainvil for the first time on January 27 - two days before her group's arrest at the border. Note: In my updated report, I question this version of events, since Laura Silsby and her group allegedly stayed in the capital all that week. The other New Lifers who have since returned to the U.S. have not spoken about any mid-week quick dash to the border -- and back....)
See the Updated Special Report here. I have included details about Sainvil and the Haitian Helpers for readers who might have seen the Tuesday report.
Sainvil identified himself to the press as a special advisor to the New Life Children's Refuge. (Note: Some press reports state that Sainvil traveled from the US to help the New Lifers carry out their project of 'rescuing' Haitian children to move them to a not-yet-completed orphanage in the Dominican Republic.).
Shortly after Silbsy's arrest, Sainvil claimed responsibility for authorizing the Idaho group to pick up Haitian children from Citron, a poor slum area in the capital, and from Callabas, a mountain town where he had prior connections. Later, Silby acknowledged to the judge that she had visited Ouanaminthe in December 2009, where she distributed gifts to children in an orphanage there. There, her main contact was Father Daniel.
As someone closely tracking this case, I suspect Judge Saint-Vil is trying to learn more about the activities of the Haitian pastors, their orphanage, and their contacts in the border town, to determine if they engaged in any illegal activities related to trafficking or helping to ferry Haitian children across the border. He is also seeking information about the role and relationship of the Dominican real estate agents with other individuals who are alleged to have been helping Silsby secure documents and help her cross the border with the Haitian children that she picked up with Sainvil's help.
Last weekend, Judge Saint-Vil and other Haitian officials were investigating not only Silsby's planned orphanage and activities in the Dominican Republic, but a separate case of 200 Haitian children taken there.
The Puello Probe
Judge Saint-Vil has sought to determine if there was a prior link between Silsby and Jorge Puello, the man who posed as the lawyer for the Silsby group before his identity was revealed as a man suspected of trafficking in El Salvador.
Puello is now a fugitive wanted by Interpol whose whereabouts are unknown. But he has been communicating with journalists via email, and this week, in a display of fugitive's chutzpah, launched his own blog -- jorge-es-innocente.com. There, he provides a full biography and accounting of his activities, with reference documents - his version of events.
Puello maintains he had no contact with Silsby prior to jumping in to represent her after her arrest -- even though he wasn't a lawyer. He was moved by her plight, he claims.
In my Special Report, based on daily communication I have with Mr. Puello, he alleges that two other Dominicans - a lawyer, and a 'General' were helping Silsby and colleagues to bring Haitian children from orphanages there into the Dominican Republic. Puello's statements suggest that a 'fee' of $150,000 pesos had been asked by the lawyer -- almost $12,000 - to make the deal happen.
Haiti Vox has not determined the truth of these allegations of OTHER Dominican individuals linked to the Silsby case. But Puello's statements of contacts helping Silsby with her paperwork and the border crossing closely match statements made by Silsby herself to this reporter when we met in Santo Domingo, on the eve of the New Lifer's entry into Haiti.
Looking ahead, Judge Saint-Vil is hoping to speak to real estate agents Jose Hidalgo and Rob Chenvert, who helped Silsby lease a 45-room hotel in the Dominican Republic from Catholic church authorities to use as a provisional orphanage, while waiting to complete an orphanage on a plot of land she bought in the DR. Silsby was working for nine months to plan her orphanage, then, she says, 'fast tracked' her plan to bring Haitian children into the Dominican Republic to her New Life Children's Refuge when the January 12 earthquake struck.
Stay tuned.
Haitian Judge Bernard Saint-Vil has decided to hold jailed Idaho Baptist missionaries Laura Silsby and Charisa Coulter a bit longer, so he can question two real estate agents and a pastor in the Dominican Republic - and possibly another man (or men) in the border town of Ouanaminthe.
That is where Silsby allegedly met an Atlanta-based pastor named Jean Sainvil for the first time on January 27 - two days before her group's arrest at the border. Note: In my updated report, I question this version of events, since Laura Silsby and her group allegedly stayed in the capital all that week. The other New Lifers who have since returned to the U.S. have not spoken about any mid-week quick dash to the border -- and back....)
See the Updated Special Report here. I have included details about Sainvil and the Haitian Helpers for readers who might have seen the Tuesday report.
Sainvil identified himself to the press as a special advisor to the New Life Children's Refuge. (Note: Some press reports state that Sainvil traveled from the US to help the New Lifers carry out their project of 'rescuing' Haitian children to move them to a not-yet-completed orphanage in the Dominican Republic.).
Shortly after Silbsy's arrest, Sainvil claimed responsibility for authorizing the Idaho group to pick up Haitian children from Citron, a poor slum area in the capital, and from Callabas, a mountain town where he had prior connections. Later, Silby acknowledged to the judge that she had visited Ouanaminthe in December 2009, where she distributed gifts to children in an orphanage there. There, her main contact was Father Daniel.
As someone closely tracking this case, I suspect Judge Saint-Vil is trying to learn more about the activities of the Haitian pastors, their orphanage, and their contacts in the border town, to determine if they engaged in any illegal activities related to trafficking or helping to ferry Haitian children across the border. He is also seeking information about the role and relationship of the Dominican real estate agents with other individuals who are alleged to have been helping Silsby secure documents and help her cross the border with the Haitian children that she picked up with Sainvil's help.
Last weekend, Judge Saint-Vil and other Haitian officials were investigating not only Silsby's planned orphanage and activities in the Dominican Republic, but a separate case of 200 Haitian children taken there.
The Puello Probe
Judge Saint-Vil has sought to determine if there was a prior link between Silsby and Jorge Puello, the man who posed as the lawyer for the Silsby group before his identity was revealed as a man suspected of trafficking in El Salvador.
Puello is now a fugitive wanted by Interpol whose whereabouts are unknown. But he has been communicating with journalists via email, and this week, in a display of fugitive's chutzpah, launched his own blog -- jorge-es-innocente.com. There, he provides a full biography and accounting of his activities, with reference documents - his version of events.
Puello maintains he had no contact with Silsby prior to jumping in to represent her after her arrest -- even though he wasn't a lawyer. He was moved by her plight, he claims.
In my Special Report, based on daily communication I have with Mr. Puello, he alleges that two other Dominicans - a lawyer, and a 'General' were helping Silsby and colleagues to bring Haitian children from orphanages there into the Dominican Republic. Puello's statements suggest that a 'fee' of $150,000 pesos had been asked by the lawyer -- almost $12,000 - to make the deal happen.
Haiti Vox has not determined the truth of these allegations of OTHER Dominican individuals linked to the Silsby case. But Puello's statements of contacts helping Silsby with her paperwork and the border crossing closely match statements made by Silsby herself to this reporter when we met in Santo Domingo, on the eve of the New Lifer's entry into Haiti.
Looking ahead, Judge Saint-Vil is hoping to speak to real estate agents Jose Hidalgo and Rob Chenvert, who helped Silsby lease a 45-room hotel in the Dominican Republic from Catholic church authorities to use as a provisional orphanage, while waiting to complete an orphanage on a plot of land she bought in the DR. Silsby was working for nine months to plan her orphanage, then, she says, 'fast tracked' her plan to bring Haitian children into the Dominican Republic to her New Life Children's Refuge when the January 12 earthquake struck.
Stay tuned.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Heads up: Geospatial data site, new UN Peacekeeping Report on Haiti, and a little comment on the new Baptist missionary debacle....
As I continue working on gathering information related to transitional housing (report ready soon), and disaster preparedness (another topic), I thought I'd post the URL for a Harvard-backed site called
the Haiti Earthquake Data Portal Geospatial data for relief and reconstruction efforts in Haiti.
Further below is a clip from the UN Haiti Peacekeeping chief to the Secretary General which provides an overview of the mission and its post-quake progress and key challenges. The URL for the full PDF report is also below.
Situation maps printed by Center for Geographic Analysis and Boston University's Center for Remote Sensing being used onsite during field surveys.
This site is aimed at specialists, but includes updated maps of location and facilities, broken down into different sectors, that are useful for those working in relief or rebuilding efforts. It also allows you to customize an RSS feed on different topics listed on the site (under the Menu or Maps section)
There are also links to different UN and other meetings on the post-disaster recovery effort.
(Selected maps include):
Maps include:
* Live incident reporting map, atlas (1) basemaps (8) bridges (1) census (1) damage (8) damage assessment maps (2) (1) emergency response (2) fault lines (2)(1) geology (1) Global Disease Alert Map (1) health centers (2) historical maps (1) hospitals (3)hydrography (3) (1) incident reporting (1) landforms (1largest mashup of imagery (1) medical facilities (2) national grid (1) placenames (1) population density (4)pre-quake (1) rivers (2) satellite image (3) scanned maps (1) streets (4) structures (1)topographic maps (8) transportation (5)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Also,see below a snippet from the news release of the Haiti UN Peacekeeping Mission Chief to the UN Secretary General summarizing the progress of the Peacekeeping mission in Haiti.
Peacekeeping Chief Tells of Secretary-General’s ‘Ambitious Agenda’ for Post-Conflict Rebuilding, as Special Committee Opens Session
Source: United Nations General Assembly
Date: 22 Feb 2010
Full_Report (pdf* format - 130.8 Kbytes)
GA/PK/203
Special Committee on
Peacekeeping Operations
212th & 213th Meetings (AM & PM)
Under-Secretary-General for Field Support Calls Mission's Frontline Role in Haiti Test Case for Speedy, Flexible Response
With the United Nations peacekeeping architecture stretched and under increasing stress, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had developed an "ambitious, forward-looking" agenda to better enable it to contain violence, protect civilians and help national actors build peace after conflict, the head of the world body's peacekeeping operations said today as the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations opened its 2010 substantive session.
The new partnership agenda, based on the recommendations of the Brahimi Report and lessons learned, would focus on planning and oversight, field support, and policy and capability development, said Alain Le Roy, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations. It would aim to fill critical gaps in peacekeeping operations while ensuring that troops were well-prepared, well-equipped and able to deliver on reasonable performance expectations. "I hope 2010 will set us on a path towards providing our personnel with the necessary guidance, resources and political and operations support structures to deliver all of their mandated tasks effectively," he added.
The Under-Secretary-General said the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) and the Department of Field Support (DFS) were hammering out strategies to build and sustain all aspects of peacekeeping capabilities, and to forge peace early on through rule-of-law activities, mine action, security-sector reform as well as disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programmes. The Departments intended to work with experienced troop- and police-contributing countries and other interested Member States to create baseline operational standards for specific uniformed peacekeepers.
(Read full release here)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And on a final Monday eve note:
I am following, but not posting on the Thackers - the new group of Baptist missionaries in Haiti who got themselves into politically in hot water related to taking orphans out of the country... What's most noteworthy is the anger displayed by Haitians toward this group of missionaries, and the general hostility that has developed toward missionaries engaging in orphan support, in the wake of the New Life Children's Refuge and Laura Silsby debacle. The two cases have no relationship to each other (to my knowledge... but I'm not actively reporting on the Thackers...)
But I am still actively focusing on the Silsby story and will be posting news related to that story very soon, as well as other stories that are in development.
Today (Tuesday) I expect to hear something from Haitian judge Bernard Saint-Vil who was in the Dominican Republic this weekend, checking out the planned orphanage site that Silsby had rented, and likely trying to follow on leads related to the people who might have been helping Silsby to carry out her project.
Note that The Daily Bastardette, who remains ahead of the pack in her reporting on the Baptists, has confirmed something I shared with the UN some time back: other members of the Idaho group were in the Dominican Republic preparing the ex-hotel to receive the children Silsby hoped to bring back from Haiti. When the mission turned into a border arrest, those in the DR seem to have quickly returned to the U.S. where they remain.
The pre-Haiti trip activities of the New Life group remain an interest of mine, and I have been investigating.
Stay tuned.
the Haiti Earthquake Data Portal Geospatial data for relief and reconstruction efforts in Haiti.
Further below is a clip from the UN Haiti Peacekeeping chief to the Secretary General which provides an overview of the mission and its post-quake progress and key challenges. The URL for the full PDF report is also below.
Situation maps printed by Center for Geographic Analysis and Boston University's Center for Remote Sensing being used onsite during field surveys.
This site is aimed at specialists, but includes updated maps of location and facilities, broken down into different sectors, that are useful for those working in relief or rebuilding efforts. It also allows you to customize an RSS feed on different topics listed on the site (under the Menu or Maps section)
There are also links to different UN and other meetings on the post-disaster recovery effort.
(Selected maps include):
Maps include:
* Live incident reporting map, atlas (1) basemaps (8) bridges (1) census (1) damage (8) damage assessment maps (2) (1) emergency response (2) fault lines (2)(1) geology (1) Global Disease Alert Map (1) health centers (2) historical maps (1) hospitals (3)hydrography (3) (1) incident reporting (1) landforms (1largest mashup of imagery (1) medical facilities (2) national grid (1) placenames (1) population density (4)pre-quake (1) rivers (2) satellite image (3) scanned maps (1) streets (4) structures (1)topographic maps (8) transportation (5)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Also,see below a snippet from the news release of the Haiti UN Peacekeeping Mission Chief to the UN Secretary General summarizing the progress of the Peacekeeping mission in Haiti.
Peacekeeping Chief Tells of Secretary-General’s ‘Ambitious Agenda’ for Post-Conflict Rebuilding, as Special Committee Opens Session
Source: United Nations General Assembly
Date: 22 Feb 2010
Full_Report (pdf* format - 130.8 Kbytes)
GA/PK/203
Special Committee on
Peacekeeping Operations
212th & 213th Meetings (AM & PM)
Under-Secretary-General for Field Support Calls Mission's Frontline Role in Haiti Test Case for Speedy, Flexible Response
With the United Nations peacekeeping architecture stretched and under increasing stress, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had developed an "ambitious, forward-looking" agenda to better enable it to contain violence, protect civilians and help national actors build peace after conflict, the head of the world body's peacekeeping operations said today as the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations opened its 2010 substantive session.
The new partnership agenda, based on the recommendations of the Brahimi Report and lessons learned, would focus on planning and oversight, field support, and policy and capability development, said Alain Le Roy, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations. It would aim to fill critical gaps in peacekeeping operations while ensuring that troops were well-prepared, well-equipped and able to deliver on reasonable performance expectations. "I hope 2010 will set us on a path towards providing our personnel with the necessary guidance, resources and political and operations support structures to deliver all of their mandated tasks effectively," he added.
The Under-Secretary-General said the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) and the Department of Field Support (DFS) were hammering out strategies to build and sustain all aspects of peacekeeping capabilities, and to forge peace early on through rule-of-law activities, mine action, security-sector reform as well as disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programmes. The Departments intended to work with experienced troop- and police-contributing countries and other interested Member States to create baseline operational standards for specific uniformed peacekeepers.
(Read full release here)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And on a final Monday eve note:
I am following, but not posting on the Thackers - the new group of Baptist missionaries in Haiti who got themselves into politically in hot water related to taking orphans out of the country... What's most noteworthy is the anger displayed by Haitians toward this group of missionaries, and the general hostility that has developed toward missionaries engaging in orphan support, in the wake of the New Life Children's Refuge and Laura Silsby debacle. The two cases have no relationship to each other (to my knowledge... but I'm not actively reporting on the Thackers...)
But I am still actively focusing on the Silsby story and will be posting news related to that story very soon, as well as other stories that are in development.
Today (Tuesday) I expect to hear something from Haitian judge Bernard Saint-Vil who was in the Dominican Republic this weekend, checking out the planned orphanage site that Silsby had rented, and likely trying to follow on leads related to the people who might have been helping Silsby to carry out her project.
Note that The Daily Bastardette, who remains ahead of the pack in her reporting on the Baptists, has confirmed something I shared with the UN some time back: other members of the Idaho group were in the Dominican Republic preparing the ex-hotel to receive the children Silsby hoped to bring back from Haiti. When the mission turned into a border arrest, those in the DR seem to have quickly returned to the U.S. where they remain.
The pre-Haiti trip activities of the New Life group remain an interest of mine, and I have been investigating.
Stay tuned.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
THREE BIG STORIES COMING
Hi all,
I have three BIG Haiti stories coming that I'll be reporting on in the next 72 hours. One is major breaking news, so I'm going to release that information by working with a major media partner to maximize distribution of the information.
They are related to Silsby, to Transitional Housing, and a third topic. I'm sharing some of the housing information with colleagues at ReWiring Haiti so this conversation may begin there today.
I may publish the third story with the Global Post, a newish online media network that is a bit BBC-like. I'll let this blog know about stories there.
If you are major media reading this, feel free to contact me by email: talktothefuture@gmail.com.
Stay very tuned.
AC
I have three BIG Haiti stories coming that I'll be reporting on in the next 72 hours. One is major breaking news, so I'm going to release that information by working with a major media partner to maximize distribution of the information.
They are related to Silsby, to Transitional Housing, and a third topic. I'm sharing some of the housing information with colleagues at ReWiring Haiti so this conversation may begin there today.
I may publish the third story with the Global Post, a newish online media network that is a bit BBC-like. I'll let this blog know about stories there.
If you are major media reading this, feel free to contact me by email: talktothefuture@gmail.com.
Stay very tuned.
AC
Friday, February 19, 2010
Early thoughts on Architects for Humanity's 'Plan for Haiti' -- and what we need NOW
As Haiti-watchers may know, innovative architects, engineers, urban planners and designers have rushed to respond to the Haiti crisis and provide assistance to Haitian colleagues and NGOs engaged in the global humanitarian response to the Jan. 12 earthquake.
They include Architects for Humanity, led by Cameron Sinclair. Sinclair was on the ground in Haiti days after the quake hit, working to help Haitian officials develop a plan to address the enormous task of assessing the damage caused by the quake, and laying out a post-disaster plan for rebuilding. He and Architects for Humanity have been on the frontlines of the growing global conversation related to emergency and transitional housing needs in Haiti.
Below is a plan Sinclair's group has been discussing since the days after the Jan. 12 Haiti quake. It was posted two days ago. He continues to argue for slowing down - that is -- taking the time necessary to consider what needs to be done, and recognizing that certain steps will take time. For example, in his plan, building transitional housing -- housing that can withstand another earthquake, but may be portable, happens in month 6 to year 2.
Unfortunately, Haitians without any shelter have no time. Torrential rains have started to fall, and tropical storms may come as early as April. AS he notes, Haiti is likely to suffer its seasonal share of hurricanes -- a serious future threat.
While tens of thousands remains without any kind of shelter, those who've been given tarps to huddle under are now standing in mud, and are getting soaked or damp in areas where their plastic sheeting doesn't prevent rain from seeping in. The rain will carry waste into areas where people are sleeping in the tent cities, and the threat of disease and people getting more sick increases with these rains.
We've already seen the tragic effects of landslides this week - mud that covered a school and killed several children. With the earth and people displaced, many homeless people are living in ravines where the risk of flood and mudslides is great.
The need for Something.. more than a plastic sheet:
The addition of rain, and the threat of storms to come, has already upped the terrible pressure to provide some shelter for the many quake-homeless. There really is a race to determine where - how - what - types of stronger shelter can be built or delivered within a few weeks, when, recent years have shown, the storms are likely to arrive. While many people worry about hurricanes, Tropical Storm Jeanne last year caused 2000 deaths in Haiti (but only a fraction of that number in the Dominican Republic - again, partly because of the difference in housing for people....). Even a bad storm could have a huge, negative impact on Haiti if some alternatives to plastic sheets are not delivered.
It may make very good sense to delay that process for another four months - but people can't afford to live in complete exposure. Some might not survive a major storm with only plastic sheets. That is the difference between best- or well-laid plans and pressing reality.
In the current extremely harsh reality, people and groups are pressing forward to build shelters, compelled to find or build some temporary shelter, even if it may collapse in the next-after shock. They have to do something now - before the bad April rains hit, even if, as Sinclair points out, what they do won't be what's really needed in the longer term, or to withstand another quake.
(Note: Claude Prepetit, Haiti's official geologist has predicted a 6.0 earthquake will strike the north of Haiti within six months, based on measurements taken of seismic activity. Meanwhile, Prepetit-Calais predict a 7.6 quake will strike Haiti (and the Caribbean region) within 20 years, give or take a few years. This information is based on an interview I did recently in Haiti with Prepetit. I'll be posting more on that in blogs to come...)
Given this worrisome prediction -- and the fact that myriad groups are furiously hurrying to deliver more emergency tarps and sheeting (not so much tents anymore... no room to put them, anyway) (while others are starting to put up rough corrugated tin and wood shelters), there's an urgent need to share information related to building now that could benefit many in Haiti who want to find shelter or rebuild.
Here are three items at the top of my 'To Do' SOON list related to Rebuilding Haiti that I consider very important - essential steps - that should be shared with the Haitian public: They complement Sinclair's proposal (below, under Disaster Preparedness) to build a Hurricane Recovery Center in Port-au-Prince. (Here I'm focusing more on steps to take now-soon to help individual Haitians prepare to survive another natural disaster, and possible steps community groups could take now related that threat.).
1) identifying and applying some criteria for evaluating what structures and materials are suitable (or not) and why, and where -- location) for Transitional quake-resistant Housing, and some simple guidelines or standards for those building provisional structures.
People on the ground also need basic information on how to reduce risk and how to strengthen their temporary lean-to shelters -- a kind of 'harm reduction' plus Do-It-Yourself guide to retrofitting a house.
They also need a simple guide to help them know What To Look For when assessing possible physical damage to your home. There are practical tips housing inspectors commonly share with homeowners - these should be made more available to Haitians. (This may be covered in the Earthquake Resistance Housing Guide that Sinclair refers to below that will be given our to community groups and NGOs(a practical tool being translated into Kreyol, and adapted for use in Haiti)
2) Disaster Preparedness: Information (a small guide) with practical steps people can try to take to reduce their exposure to environmental and health risks, including the risk of landslides,floods, exposure to flowing waste, more aftershocks, etc.
3)Disaster Preparedness - Communication: Given the disruption of telecommunication, radio and print newspaper communication within Haiti, there's need to inform the public about the threat of natural disasters, including tropical storms or hurricanes. How will officials inform people, or get reports from people if a major tropical storm arrives?
For example, an SOS SMS number or SMS hurricane SMS TEXT alert system (like the 4636 Digicel incident reporting number used for reporting after the Jan. 12 quake) - would be important to set up and widely publicize BEFORE the next seasonal disaster. So would information about revised national, local and regional hurricane or tsunami response plans.
Similarly, community forums addressing emerging and future Disaster Preparedness and Response needs are important, even as people cope with the catastrophic post-quake environment. What steps can displaced people and communities take to be organized, to communicate, etc?
Other Steps:
There are other steps Haitian official and UN Shelter Cluster and NGO members should concentrate on as the rainy season intensifies:
4)continued mapping and warning displaced communities or people living in ravines/near possible mudslides about their increased risk of exposure to natural threats linked to the rain. Greater effort should be made to inform the public about the need to relocate people living in ravines, on the sides of hills or mountains, to more level areas further away from mudslide risks.
5) The collapse of hills and loosening of the earth has left some structures vulnerable to mudslides and possible future collapse. Engineers should be directed to structures or areas where the addition of rubble from the quake might help fill in or level the ground, decreasing the risk of a further collapse due to intensive rains, or a mudslide.
6) Given the risk of flooding, more attention is needed to DIGGING rainwater and Sewer/Waste runoff, especially in the tent cities and close to open pit latrines. This is happening, but is also something that Haitian people can engage in in areas where they are sleeping, if they are informed about why it's so important, and how to do this.
Back to the transitional building models and possible houses....
I would like to suggest (and am sharing this idea with colleagues in the engineering / urban planning area and funders) that Haiti consider creation of a Technical Review Board or committee with experts in engineering, urban planning and architecture that could review Transitional building proposals and models that are now being sent to funders or are being introduced by different groups now.
This new housing Technical Review Review board or committee could be part of Haiti's Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA Haiti) structure or provide technical advice to that body on proposed housing projects, using the agreed upon criteria.
The Problem now: At the moment, donors and development agencies have little way of determining how good or bad a 'model' or innovative alternative housing project may be for Haiti: they need Haitian experts and those with field experience implementing alternative building models to critique and support proposals for Haiti.
If some minimal criteria were established (and shared) for new buildings that addressed the need to be quake-resistant (and protect from future hurricanes), this would at least provide some assurance of quality and protection.
For now, it's a bit of the Wild West.
There are lots of great ideas, but they're not always field-tested or relevant to the context of Haiti. (For example, some groups are excited about structures that use wood, without recognizing that wood will rot in Haiti's humidity.)
Centralizing the information....
Communication - sharing best-practices: While a few new 'Rebuilding Haiti' websites and blogs have quickly cropped up, and lively discussions are taking place among builders, architects and designers in and outside Haiti, it's important to have some collective place for plans that are being considered or have been deemed 'best practice' to be available for public review.
Right now, there is legitimate concern that outside groups with experience at, say, retrofitting cargo containers, will be given the contracts that could and arguably should go to Haitian groups, or should at least might require a twinning or training partnership so that Haitians can be taught to adapt and manufacture this type of transitional housing in the very short term ahead.
All of these types of conversations are happening at forums like The New Haiti Project (Le Projet Nouvelle Haiti) website or the even newer Rewiring Haiti site of Wired magazine ( a project I pushed to make happen), and on conversation threads within the Architects for Humanity community and forums for designers and urban planners, etc.
What we also need to do now is bring back the fruit of that debate - the really best, most useful, most cost-effective, practical ideas - and allow Haitians who can't access the Internet to be informed about what's being considered. After all, they are the ones who who will be living in these future houses.
That means public forums, radio chats and town-hall types community discussions -- reflecting a commitment to opening up the conversation - taking it from online to offline, from the blogs to the radio, to the nightly discussions happening under the stars, in the open air, under the plastic sheets, by the open sewer, in the rain, in the mud and muck, about what needs to happen next.
My own research:
Over the past two weeks, I've started looking more deeply into different types of transitional shelters and housing schemes that are being proposed for Haiti -- mostly from outside groups - and those that the UN Shelter Cluster is considering for transitional housing, as well as what Haitian architects have to say on the subject.
I was heartened yesterday by an email from a structural engineer who has just returned from a field assignment in Haiti - evaluating the damage sustained by buildings. His view runs counter to what many have been saying recently: that no concrete block houses could -- or should -- be built in Haiti, because people weren't building them right, or skimped on cement and built it too weak. After a close evaluation of the situation on the ground, this experienced engineer feels that Haitians can build reinforced concrete block houses that will withstand an earthquake -- IF they are taught to include a few details.
I plan to talk to him more this weekend, in greater depth, to find out exactly what those 'details' are, and then I'll share this information more widely. I'll also share information about the many other models under review in the week(s) to come. Here's what he had to say:
"Haiti has a large number of construction workers who know concrete block construction well. What they don't know are some relatively simple and important details that will ensure that concrete block houses survive earthquakes. A group of engineers are producing a brochure based on one developed in Peru to education Haitian brick masons on these key factors. Small concrete block houses can be constructed quickly with local labor and local materials. These houses can also be permanent." (my bold, italics included)
CARGO CONTAINERS: AMONG THE MORE PROMISING ALTERNATIVES....
I'm come across quite a few articles and groups promoting Cargo Containers for Haiti that can be retrofitted for as little as $2000 to as much as $100,000. I have friends in South Africa who transformed a shipping container into a great office for their community AIDS project and can personally report that these containers can make for great and surprisingly attractive transitional and semi-permanent, quake-resistant housing.
As many people engaged in alternative and innovative architecture have noted, there are many, many abandoned shipping containers left in lots and warehouses all across America that could provide transitional housing for Haitians who could be put to work with a 'sawzall' - a saw - and cut windows, lay plumbing and likely lower the cost of a retrofit far below the examples we've seen to date.
Yes, $1000-$2000 is more than Haitians can afford for a house - more than a concrete and rebar house. But these retrofitted containers can withstand an earthquake - and often hurricanes. There may be other super models that emerge, but right now, these containers could be delivered en mass to provide some true shelter for a good number of Haitians - while making use of recycled steel containers.
Here's a picture of a container school built in Gonaives, Haiti:
Here are a few links to see models and articles on container houses.
The folks at Clemson U have even dreamed up model communities built around these retooled cargo homes. Their SEED project envisions building a prototype in the Caribbean in the coming year.
(Of course there are many US and other outside Haiti commercial groups who are pushing for this type of housing, too, because they want the contracts to retrofit these containers. They'll do it for a lot more money than Haitians could do it - though they have more experience.
What appeals to me about adapting steel cargo containers is the prospect of providing training and labor to Haitians for a product that benefits Haitians and, because it's not permanent, it can be moved later to make way for more permanent housing on land, once the rubble is cleared, and we really have models to offer Haitians at prices they can afford that will survive the next killer quake.
The price is still high - by Haitian standards. But for offices and more protective CAMPS or IDP communities, recycled, spruced up, solid, quake-and rain-resistant cargo containers look appealing.
There are many questions to ask, including how quickly so many containers might be bought and brought to Haiti. But those are questions of logistics, and a land-and sea-based CONTAINER CONVOY that is already moving along a humanitarian corridor into Haiti could be transformed into a rapid housing development initiative if the money and willpower and planning was brought to bear on this idea.
At least let's debate it - and the other 'hot' ideas that are circulating - and share the debate.
Now have a look-see (below) at Cameron Sinclair's reasoned plea for rebuilding with sense.
Onward!
Haiti Quake: A Plan for Reconstruction
Posted by Cameron on Feb 18, 2010
Related program: Haiti Earthquake Rebuilding
[Updated: Feb. 18] For those not used to working in disasters the first week is chaotic, filled with stories of heroism and despair. The first responders are not the NGO's or medical personal but the families of those who are injured or lost their lives. It is an overwhelming situation to be in. It is also not the time for architects to show up thinking they can rebuild. People are trying to find their loved ones not think about what their lives will look like in 5, 10 or 15 years.
Trying to keep perspective is extremely hard. We've personally lost colleagues, friends and extremely valuable people in the last few days. On Thursday, one phone call ended with 'they are all gone.' For those of us who are part of the reconstruction effort, we need to think about immediate needs for shelter while planning for the next three to five years of rebuilding.
When we are rebuilding, do not let the media set the time line and expectations for reconstruction. I remember vividly well known news personalities standing on the rubble of homes in the lower ninth proclaiming that 'this time next year we will see families back home.' Some well meaning NGOs, who usually have little building experience, are even worse -- 'we'll have 25,000 Haitians back home if you donate today.' In reality, here is what it really looks like:
Pre-Planning Assessments and Damage Analysis (underway, will run for a year)
Establish Community Resource Center and Reconstruction Studio (underway)
Sorting Out Land Tenure and Building Ownership (Month 6 to Year 5)
Transitional Shelters, Health Clinics and Community Structures (Month 6 to Year 2)
Schools, Hospitals and Civic Structures (Month 9 to Year 3)
Permanent Housing (Year 1 to Year 5)
As for a long term plan, our team is growing day by day and thanks to hundreds of individual donations we now have the resources to start enacting a long term reconstruction initiative. The details are being fleshed out, but as here is our plan (so far):
1. Community Based Anchors
We will set up Community Resource Centers to supply architecture and building services to community groups, NGOs and social entrepreneurs on the ground. This is not an 'exclusive' center, it is open and collaborative. We've already talked with a dozen local and international organizations to create the Haiti Rebuilding Coalition. This team will be housed in each of these centers. See below for the value of these facilities.
2. Distribute lessons learned
Translate and distribute a Rebuilding 101 Manual that we originally developed after Hurricane Katrina and the Tsunami. If you just read aid agency websites you'd think they never got it wrong. In eastern Sri Lanka I sat with representatives from nine other NGO's and we discovered in our 'no BS sessions' we had made the same $500 mistake. Collectively, that is a transitional school for 120 kids. Don't get me started on New Orleans. If we only share 'best practices' we never really adapt and learn. The handbook of 'what not to do' is far more valuable.
P.S. Read The Man Who Tried To Save The World on the work of Fred Cuny, the original NGO whistle-blower.
[UPDATE: Project Underway]
3. Earthquake Resistant Housing Manual
Adapt, translate and distribute an Earthquake Resistant Housing Manual for local NGOs and community groups. A coalition of partners can collaborate and work on this, including Haiti-based AIDG, Build Change, Engineers Without Borders and other engineering partners. We developed one after the Kashmir Earthquake a few years ago. This time we need to put them on every NGO workers' Kindle and create a training manual for local contractors.
[UPDATE: Project Underway]
4. Provide Building Expertise
Provide teams of architectural and construction professionals to develop and build community facilities, including schools and medical centers. These teams will be local and regional with some international support. The full time staff must also have a unique knowledge of disaster mitigation and long term sustainable development. Also, the team is very site specific. In one of our programs we had an elephant migration expert to help locate buildings so as to not disturb the flow of animals.
[UPDATE: Partnership formed with AIDG for mason training program]
5. Build A Construction Workforce.
Train and educate incoming volunteers and community members in building safely, emphasizing the need for sustainable materials and construction techniques. It is not about just building homes, but jobs.
[UPDATE: Partnership formed with AIDG for mason training program]
6. Disaster Preparedness.
Hurricane Season! It is primed to devastate Haiti once again. The time line is such that if a hurricane hits Haiti head on, the loss of life will be severe and every temporary housing camp will be wiped out. Last year we had developed a youth sports facility and hurricane resistant disaster recovery center for Port au Prince. We will complete that project and look to implement other centers.
7. Build Schools
We will design, develop and implement community and civic structures for various locally-based community partners. This will include reconstruction and building educational facilities given the particular loss in structures and our expertise in school construction. Beyond the basic human right to give children access to eduction, if they don't have a place to go, parents can't work and there is no economic stability. Schools are the focal point in community recovery. We've talked with elementary and high schools all over the United States to adopt the rebuilding of schools in Haiti.
[UPDATE: Partnership formed with Barefoot Foundation, the Haitian School Initiative and the Bezos Family Foundation. Schools in development]
8. Implement Digital Acupuncture.
Working with groups like Inveneo, Samasource, AIDG and the 50x15 Foundation, we can incorporate ICT into all of the community facilities. Bridging the digital divide, we can give the aid agencies the technology they need to expedite the recovery process but also upgrade the digital infrastructure of Haiti in the long term.
[UPDATE: Partnership with 50x15 Foundation to incorporate digital inclusion in schools]
9. Safe, Secure and Sustainable Housing.
Haitians are not going want to hear ideas; they need shelter. It is our job to build homes that are not only safe but incorporate the needs, desires and dreams of the families that will live in them. Additionally, like after Katrina, we are not just building a roof over someone's head -- we are building equity. To many, their home is their safety net. They don't have 401Ks or investment accounts. If we build homes the same way they have been built before, we are just setting people up for this again. We can force better building codes by building examples of what the future will look like. Again, this will be a coalition of building partners.
[UPDATE: Refining Transitional Housing Developed for Sri Lanka in 2005]
10. Support Social Entrepreneurs and Job Creation
Like in many of our other post disaster programs, we will reach out and work with women's empowerment groups and artisans (like Lulan Artisans) to help rebuild their facilities, speeding up job creation and the ability to distribute micro-loans (aka Kiva, etc.).
11. Open Source and Share Everything
If your focus is social change and not financial gain, it is only innovative if it is shared. We were fortunate enough to win the TED Prize in 2006, and from that we built the Open Architecture Network. All of the works we produce are shared openly, under Creative Commons license, and distributed through the network. In the two years we've run it, hundreds of other organizations and individuals have uploaded humanitarian design solutions.
By connecting with other NGOs and open sourcing construction documents, we can influence many building programs in the region. We can leave a legacy of innovative, locally appropriate solutions to protect from future disasters.
Ironically, we offered this entire system for free to the Obama administration for open sourcing all government infrastructure and making programs more transparent. If anyone in the administration is reading this, the offer is still on the table. I would personally love to see what was done with my Red Cross donation and our tax dollars.
Community Resource Centers
As we have reviewed the damage we've assessed the greatest impact is to open community recovery centers -- much like the ones we help develop after Hurricane Katrina. The Katrina studios, supported by local partners, a myriad of NGO's and staffed with building professionals, were integral in the housing of hundreds of families in Mississippi and Louisiana. If there is to be a community-focused long term reconstruction initiative for Haiti, we need to do the same.
Three reasons this is important:
1) Aid organizations, especially local groups, will know where they can go to get professional design and construction services. We can serve not one organization doing one project, but many. When we get it setup, they know they can walk in any day, at any time, to get professional help. This will prevent a lot of shoddy construction. We can host training sessions in job site safety and in basic building. We can make sure that these volunteers really do have the skills and knowledge they need to build safely in a seismic and hurricane zone. We can engage local officials and coordinate the services we and they provide better.
2) Volunteer professionals who want to come down for a week or a month or just a few days will have a place to check in and be helpful doing damage assessments, making housing plans, etc. Architects and engineers partnering with NGOs will have a local place where they can touch down and understand the local building codes and conditions. They can design remotely and know that someone will be shepherding the project on the ground and assisting as they need it. At the same time, the services will have some continuity and the community will have a place they know they can come for design and construction help.
4) We've already funded the first center independently, through online donations and support from our existing donors. We can run and manage specific building projects through the center with our design studio staff sharing resources and best practices. We can also vet contractors and train community members to be a part of the rebuilding process -- making sure clients' funds are directly benefiting the community, not only with an innovative structure but with job creation.
Our Katrina centers were filmed as part of the Iconoclast show. Check it our on You Tube or the Sundance Channel.
STEAL THIS PLAN
There is no 'ownership' in rebuilding lives. It sickens me when I hear agencies say their processes are proprietary. If you like what we are doing either support us or steal this plan. We need dozens of tug boat NGO's working together to build back Haiti better. Let's not waste donor dollars on working in silos. Haiti has suffered enough.
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I can only echo Sinclair's last lines. There is no ownership in rebuilding lives... Haiti has suffered enough.
And a final note: If any of you readers are alternative building innovators or dreamers or schemers, or you're interested in how to bring or retrofit cargo containers for Haiti, do share your vision or initiative with me at: talktothefuture@gmail.com.
And consider supporting this blog?...
If you like what you're reading on Haiti Vox and want to know how you might support more research or reporting on this topic, email me at: talktothefuture@gmail.com.
Over and out, then.....
KBOO Radio Specials on Haiti Today - Schedule here
Hi all,
Below is a list of interview with people working in many sectors of the Haiti relief effort, broadcast by KBOO in Portland, OR. Note: Thanks for Stuart Leiderman for sharing the release. (I spoke to KBOO on Haiti and the Women's Movement for this series - broadcast time is 7 pm (see below).
Special Programming: Public Affairs on 02/18/10
Program: Special Programming: Public Affairs
Air date: Thu, 02/18/2010 - 9:00am - 10:00pm
Short Description: Tune in all day Thursday for in-depth coverage on Haiti
KBOO FUNDRAISER FOR HAITI
February 18th from 9 am to 10 pm
On Tuesday, January 12th, the nation of Haiti was hit by a devastating earthquake which destroyed much of the capital city and surrounding areas. The earthquake hit after decades of structural adjustment programs imposed by the International Monetary Fund, which privatized much of the nation's infrastructure, and in the wake of two centuries of abuse of the Haitian people by its former colonizers, a decades-long US occupation, and US-supported military dictatorships. We will examine the history of Haiti, as well as the culture and music of the Haitian people. This will be a fundraiser for grassroots efforts to help the Haitian people rebuild -- not with charity, but with solidarity.
Schedule:
9 am – LIVE – Presswatch: Theresa Mitchell explores the impact of trade policy on Haitian politics with Brian Concannon, head of the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti
9:30 – LIVE - Fight the Empire – Host Per Fagering looks back at Haitian history from the time of Columbus, to the Haitian revolution and beyond.
10 – LIVE - Air Cascadia – focus on the treatment of Haitians in the Dominican Republic
10:20 LIVE Interview with a representative of the Haitian-led relief effort HACAOT
10:30 LIVE interview with Jesse Hagopian: Castastrophe in Haiti – An Unnatural Disaster
11:00 Linda Olson-Osterlund hosts LIVE Interview with Kathy Carlson, a local nurse who is doing relief work in Port au Prince
11:30 Paul Farmer speaks on history and analysis of the situation in Haiti up until 1994
12:00 Live music: Anne Feeney
12:30 Haitian Music with host Charlie Rooney
2:00 Firefly hosts a Haitian music special
4:00 Democracy Now – partial, + DN! Special on Haiti
5:00 News from Haiti produced by the KBOO News team
5:30 KBOO special reports on Haiti and relief efforts
6:00 Interview with Stuart Liederman on environmental issues in Haiti and the issue of environmental refugees
6:30 The US Crucifixion of Haiti
7:00 KBOO’s Anjeanette Brown interviews Anne Christine D’Adeskey on women in Haiti
7:30 Hardknock interview on the current situation on the ground in Haiti
8:00 – 10:00 Paula and Keller host a Haitian music special
3 comments Read more
Below is a list of interview with people working in many sectors of the Haiti relief effort, broadcast by KBOO in Portland, OR. Note: Thanks for Stuart Leiderman for sharing the release. (I spoke to KBOO on Haiti and the Women's Movement for this series - broadcast time is 7 pm (see below).
Special Programming: Public Affairs on 02/18/10
Program: Special Programming: Public Affairs
Air date: Thu, 02/18/2010 - 9:00am - 10:00pm
Short Description: Tune in all day Thursday for in-depth coverage on Haiti
KBOO FUNDRAISER FOR HAITI
February 18th from 9 am to 10 pm
On Tuesday, January 12th, the nation of Haiti was hit by a devastating earthquake which destroyed much of the capital city and surrounding areas. The earthquake hit after decades of structural adjustment programs imposed by the International Monetary Fund, which privatized much of the nation's infrastructure, and in the wake of two centuries of abuse of the Haitian people by its former colonizers, a decades-long US occupation, and US-supported military dictatorships. We will examine the history of Haiti, as well as the culture and music of the Haitian people. This will be a fundraiser for grassroots efforts to help the Haitian people rebuild -- not with charity, but with solidarity.
Schedule:
9 am – LIVE – Presswatch: Theresa Mitchell explores the impact of trade policy on Haitian politics with Brian Concannon, head of the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti
9:30 – LIVE - Fight the Empire – Host Per Fagering looks back at Haitian history from the time of Columbus, to the Haitian revolution and beyond.
10 – LIVE - Air Cascadia – focus on the treatment of Haitians in the Dominican Republic
10:20 LIVE Interview with a representative of the Haitian-led relief effort HACAOT
10:30 LIVE interview with Jesse Hagopian: Castastrophe in Haiti – An Unnatural Disaster
11:00 Linda Olson-Osterlund hosts LIVE Interview with Kathy Carlson, a local nurse who is doing relief work in Port au Prince
11:30 Paul Farmer speaks on history and analysis of the situation in Haiti up until 1994
12:00 Live music: Anne Feeney
12:30 Haitian Music with host Charlie Rooney
2:00 Firefly hosts a Haitian music special
4:00 Democracy Now – partial, + DN! Special on Haiti
5:00 News from Haiti produced by the KBOO News team
5:30 KBOO special reports on Haiti and relief efforts
6:00 Interview with Stuart Liederman on environmental issues in Haiti and the issue of environmental refugees
6:30 The US Crucifixion of Haiti
7:00 KBOO’s Anjeanette Brown interviews Anne Christine D’Adeskey on women in Haiti
7:30 Hardknock interview on the current situation on the ground in Haiti
8:00 – 10:00 Paula and Keller host a Haitian music special
3 comments Read more
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Puello speaks out! via multiple blog comments from the DR ... defending his Jewish roots... and more on Silsby too (see below)
From somewhere in his hiding place in the Dominican Republic, it seems, the man known as Jorge Anibal Torres Puello, aka Jorge Torres Orellana, aka a 'lawyer' for the still-detained Baptist missionary Laura Silsby and Charisse Coulter ... has spoken out, arguing in defense of his Jewish identity.
A series of seven remarkable posts from Yoram Torres - the Jewish name Puello adopted that he favors -- were sent as comments to The Daily Bastardette blog. They provide a vivid and somewhat incomprehensible personal defense of Torres' identify as a Jew -- something the The Daily Bastardette blogger had questioned.
Here's a little intro by The Daily Bastardette....
'This evening I received a series of posts to The Daily Bastardette from "Yoram" purporting to be Jorge Torres Puello. I have verified that the posts came from OneMax, an ISP in the Dominican Republic, which one of our commenters determined earlier was connected to Torres Puello. My Site Meter also indicates the posts came from DR and the time matches perfectly with the posting times. Since these posts were intended to be comments, I will post them as comments, but am also posting them here in separate blogs--one for each post. I am releasing them in the order they were sent (1-7 top to bottom.)'
Like Silsby, Torres has God on his mind. He's not responding to anything related to his active arrest warrant for trafficking in El Salvador, or his links to Silsby prior to January 12. He's clearly offended, deeply, that his identity as a reclaimed Jew is being questioned.
The posts left no doubt in The Daily Bastardette's (or my) mind that they were from Torres, who also provided links to his own detention and court trials in Canada and the US.
So much for the escape to Panama (something he told AP yesterday). As I wrote yesterday, only his mother knows for sure. And she's not telling.
Can this story get stranger?
Never say never.
Meanwhile, in Haiti...the Silsby drama continues....
Haitian Judge Bernard Saint-Vil, who is overseeing the Silsby case, says he's going to travel to the DR to check out the orphanage where Silsby planned to put the Haitian 'orphans' she picked up in Haiti. (Note: By now, no one should be surprised if it's been spruced up a little by the Dominicans who rented it to her.)
A Miami Herald blog confirms that a Dominican Catholic official was helping Silsby - and that this individual continues to support her orphanage plans. Silsby's lawyer also said Silsby was in Haiti in December 2009 - giving Christmas toys to children.
For now, Silsby and her lawyers are sticking to the story that she never met Puello before her arrest in Haiti. Puello's done that too, in his telephone comments to reporters in recent days (Of course, he also told reporters he had left the DR, was innocent of all charges, etc....so maybe one should take his comments with a grain of salt. )
Here's a clip from that Miami Herald story that was filed but not published in their print edition:
Silsby and Coulter had hoped that Samvil (Saint-Vil) would follow the same logic and free them Thursday afternoon.
Instead Samvil (Saint-Vil) decided during the hearing that releasing the women was out of the question until three things happened:
* Silsby and Coulter convince Samvil (Saint-Vil) that they had been in Haiti prior to the Jan. 12 earthquake, so that he can be satisfied they didn't arrive post-quake with kidnapping in mind.
* Silsby and Coulter prove to Samvil (Saint-Vil)what business they had in Haiti...if they were in the country prior to the earthquake.
* Samvil (Saint-Vil) travels to Domincan Republic so that he can personally see that the Domincan orphanage Silsby's group claimed they were delivering the Haitian children to really does exist.
Silsby was all smiles as she and Coulter were whisked from the courthouse and returned to jail. "No, not today," she answered a reporter who'd asked if she thought Samvil (Saint-Vil) might have pity and free the pair Thursday evening.
Aviol Fleurant, the missionaries' attorney, praised the judge, but express frustration that Samvil (Saint-Vil) felt the need to travel to the Dominican Republic to see the orphanage at the root of this drama.
Such a trip could take days to plan and longer to be carried out, Fleurant said, adding that "We have proof - here! - documents from the Dominican government authorizing the acceptance of the children into this orphanage. And the pastor - Pastor Jose Orlando Hidalgo - of the church that administrates the orphanage has offered to come here and meet with the judge and tell him!"
Fleurant dismissed questions about the nature of his primary client Silsby's relationship with Jorge Puello, a Domincan resident and child sex-trafficking suspect, who portrayed himself to be an attorney representing Silsby's group.
"There is no connection," Fleurant bristled. "The truth is Laura Silsby did not even meet Jorge Puello until after she was arrested."
But rather than deny reports that Hidalgo's Domincan orphanage might just be an empty building housing no children and is located in a neighborhood well-known for child sex-trafficking, Fleurant simply suggested such a neighborhood should have an orphanage.
"If you can put an orphanage in such an area, that is not a bad thing. There is where they need it most, no," he asked, refusing to dispute the orphanage's location.
*****************************************************************************
So now we need to ask: Jose Hidalgo...Pastor or Realtor(or both)?
Silsby's lawyer says he's the man who gave her the okay. But earlier press and blog reports identify Jose Hidalgo as an independent real estate agent in Sosua who helped broker the lease of a 45 room hotel for Silbsy from top Dominican Catholic officials.
Read the original Listin Diario story that identifies Hidaldo as an indepenent real estate agent who helped Silsby rent a former hotel for her orphanage project.
Is he a pastor-realtor, then?
Other intriguing questions....:
Has Hidalgo had dealings with the man who calls himself Yoram, and claimed to be president of the Sephardic Orthodox community of the Dominican Republic (a claim dismissed by DR Jewish authorities)
(Note: In Miami, Puello/Orellana registered a Sephardic corporation that may have served to cover illegal activities in the prostitution business. See earlier Haiti Vox blogs on Puello and the Miami connection....)
And finally: why does Silsby's lawyers feel that her having a letter from a Dominican 'pastor' (or maybe the Catholic bishop who leased her the hotel) has any critical bearing on the issue at hand: Silsby's decision to transport Haitian children across the border without any authorization by Haitian officials - knowing as she did that there were rules outlawing her actions -- and after she was warned by the Dominican consul in Haiti that her actions would constitute trafficking?
Readers of this blog may recall that before picking up the 33 children, Silsby was turned away by at least three other groups who refused to turn children over to her . I was recently told of a case in which an adoptive US parent (a mother) became very alarmed when Silsby, who had learned that the parent's two children were waiting to be picked up by the adoptive mother at an orphanage in Haiti, ignored repeated pleas to NOT ATTEMPT to pick up the children. Instead, they learned that Silsby, who was already in Haiti, had showed up anyway and posed as a 'friend' of the adoptive parent and asked for the children. Luckily, the orphanage had been warned by the adoptive parents (a couple) not to turn her children over to anyone who might arrive asking for them. Silby's aggressive attempt to intervene and pick up the children, after being told not to do that several times, frightened the adoptive parent.
As I posted earlier on this blog, many people gave Laura Silsby the message that her grabbing children was wrong - but she willfully -- and agressively -- ignored them. 'Her intentions speak for themselves' -- so said the adoptive parent who was completely alarmed when she learned Silsby had been arrested on a possible charge of child kidnapping.
******************
Also, just as a reminder, the Dominican Consul also warned Silsby that her actions would be regarded by HIM - the Dominican authority in Haiti - as trafficking.
Here's a little clip from a prior news story with his comments:
The Dominican consul in Haiti, Carlos Castillo, told the AP on Thursday that the day the Americans departed for the border, Silsby visited him and said he had a document from Dominican migration officials authorizing her to extract the children from Haiti.
Castillo said he warned Silsby that if she lacked adoption papers signed by the appropriate Haitian officials her mission would be considered child trafficking. "We were very specific," he said.
A series of seven remarkable posts from Yoram Torres - the Jewish name Puello adopted that he favors -- were sent as comments to The Daily Bastardette blog. They provide a vivid and somewhat incomprehensible personal defense of Torres' identify as a Jew -- something the The Daily Bastardette blogger had questioned.
Here's a little intro by The Daily Bastardette....
'This evening I received a series of posts to The Daily Bastardette from "Yoram" purporting to be Jorge Torres Puello. I have verified that the posts came from OneMax, an ISP in the Dominican Republic, which one of our commenters determined earlier was connected to Torres Puello. My Site Meter also indicates the posts came from DR and the time matches perfectly with the posting times. Since these posts were intended to be comments, I will post them as comments, but am also posting them here in separate blogs--one for each post. I am releasing them in the order they were sent (1-7 top to bottom.)'
Like Silsby, Torres has God on his mind. He's not responding to anything related to his active arrest warrant for trafficking in El Salvador, or his links to Silsby prior to January 12. He's clearly offended, deeply, that his identity as a reclaimed Jew is being questioned.
The posts left no doubt in The Daily Bastardette's (or my) mind that they were from Torres, who also provided links to his own detention and court trials in Canada and the US.
So much for the escape to Panama (something he told AP yesterday). As I wrote yesterday, only his mother knows for sure. And she's not telling.
Can this story get stranger?
Never say never.
Meanwhile, in Haiti...the Silsby drama continues....
Haitian Judge Bernard Saint-Vil, who is overseeing the Silsby case, says he's going to travel to the DR to check out the orphanage where Silsby planned to put the Haitian 'orphans' she picked up in Haiti. (Note: By now, no one should be surprised if it's been spruced up a little by the Dominicans who rented it to her.)
A Miami Herald blog confirms that a Dominican Catholic official was helping Silsby - and that this individual continues to support her orphanage plans. Silsby's lawyer also said Silsby was in Haiti in December 2009 - giving Christmas toys to children.
For now, Silsby and her lawyers are sticking to the story that she never met Puello before her arrest in Haiti. Puello's done that too, in his telephone comments to reporters in recent days (Of course, he also told reporters he had left the DR, was innocent of all charges, etc....so maybe one should take his comments with a grain of salt. )
Here's a clip from that Miami Herald story that was filed but not published in their print edition:
Silsby and Coulter had hoped that Samvil (Saint-Vil) would follow the same logic and free them Thursday afternoon.
Instead Samvil (Saint-Vil) decided during the hearing that releasing the women was out of the question until three things happened:
* Silsby and Coulter convince Samvil (Saint-Vil) that they had been in Haiti prior to the Jan. 12 earthquake, so that he can be satisfied they didn't arrive post-quake with kidnapping in mind.
* Silsby and Coulter prove to Samvil (Saint-Vil)what business they had in Haiti...if they were in the country prior to the earthquake.
* Samvil (Saint-Vil) travels to Domincan Republic so that he can personally see that the Domincan orphanage Silsby's group claimed they were delivering the Haitian children to really does exist.
Silsby was all smiles as she and Coulter were whisked from the courthouse and returned to jail. "No, not today," she answered a reporter who'd asked if she thought Samvil (Saint-Vil) might have pity and free the pair Thursday evening.
Aviol Fleurant, the missionaries' attorney, praised the judge, but express frustration that Samvil (Saint-Vil) felt the need to travel to the Dominican Republic to see the orphanage at the root of this drama.
Such a trip could take days to plan and longer to be carried out, Fleurant said, adding that "We have proof - here! - documents from the Dominican government authorizing the acceptance of the children into this orphanage. And the pastor - Pastor Jose Orlando Hidalgo - of the church that administrates the orphanage has offered to come here and meet with the judge and tell him!"
Fleurant dismissed questions about the nature of his primary client Silsby's relationship with Jorge Puello, a Domincan resident and child sex-trafficking suspect, who portrayed himself to be an attorney representing Silsby's group.
"There is no connection," Fleurant bristled. "The truth is Laura Silsby did not even meet Jorge Puello until after she was arrested."
But rather than deny reports that Hidalgo's Domincan orphanage might just be an empty building housing no children and is located in a neighborhood well-known for child sex-trafficking, Fleurant simply suggested such a neighborhood should have an orphanage.
"If you can put an orphanage in such an area, that is not a bad thing. There is where they need it most, no," he asked, refusing to dispute the orphanage's location.
*****************************************************************************
So now we need to ask: Jose Hidalgo...Pastor or Realtor(or both)?
Silsby's lawyer says he's the man who gave her the okay. But earlier press and blog reports identify Jose Hidalgo as an independent real estate agent in Sosua who helped broker the lease of a 45 room hotel for Silbsy from top Dominican Catholic officials.
Read the original Listin Diario story that identifies Hidaldo as an indepenent real estate agent who helped Silsby rent a former hotel for her orphanage project.
Is he a pastor-realtor, then?
Other intriguing questions....:
Has Hidalgo had dealings with the man who calls himself Yoram, and claimed to be president of the Sephardic Orthodox community of the Dominican Republic (a claim dismissed by DR Jewish authorities)
(Note: In Miami, Puello/Orellana registered a Sephardic corporation that may have served to cover illegal activities in the prostitution business. See earlier Haiti Vox blogs on Puello and the Miami connection....)
And finally: why does Silsby's lawyers feel that her having a letter from a Dominican 'pastor' (or maybe the Catholic bishop who leased her the hotel) has any critical bearing on the issue at hand: Silsby's decision to transport Haitian children across the border without any authorization by Haitian officials - knowing as she did that there were rules outlawing her actions -- and after she was warned by the Dominican consul in Haiti that her actions would constitute trafficking?
Readers of this blog may recall that before picking up the 33 children, Silsby was turned away by at least three other groups who refused to turn children over to her . I was recently told of a case in which an adoptive US parent (a mother) became very alarmed when Silsby, who had learned that the parent's two children were waiting to be picked up by the adoptive mother at an orphanage in Haiti, ignored repeated pleas to NOT ATTEMPT to pick up the children. Instead, they learned that Silsby, who was already in Haiti, had showed up anyway and posed as a 'friend' of the adoptive parent and asked for the children. Luckily, the orphanage had been warned by the adoptive parents (a couple) not to turn her children over to anyone who might arrive asking for them. Silby's aggressive attempt to intervene and pick up the children, after being told not to do that several times, frightened the adoptive parent.
As I posted earlier on this blog, many people gave Laura Silsby the message that her grabbing children was wrong - but she willfully -- and agressively -- ignored them. 'Her intentions speak for themselves' -- so said the adoptive parent who was completely alarmed when she learned Silsby had been arrested on a possible charge of child kidnapping.
******************
Also, just as a reminder, the Dominican Consul also warned Silsby that her actions would be regarded by HIM - the Dominican authority in Haiti - as trafficking.
Here's a little clip from a prior news story with his comments:
The Dominican consul in Haiti, Carlos Castillo, told the AP on Thursday that the day the Americans departed for the border, Silsby visited him and said he had a document from Dominican migration officials authorizing her to extract the children from Haiti.
Castillo said he warned Silsby that if she lacked adoption papers signed by the appropriate Haitian officials her mission would be considered child trafficking. "We were very specific," he said.
Who's Getting Haiti Contracts? Check for yourself here....
The Center for Economic and Policy Research has a story on Who's Getting the first Haiti contracts - and how to find out about new ones.
The link is below.
Since many Haitians (and others like me) aren't familiar with the Federal Procurement Data system for government and inter-agency contracts, it's important for us to widely circulate this information, and to HELP Haitian groups who may want to apply but may not have the expertise to write these grants.
It's also important for Haiti watchers who are promoting transparency and equity and want to make sure Haitian community groups get a share of the pie to communicate with US officials and folks at the Federal Procurement Data System to ask that any Communication about contracts get sent to Haitian media.
Of course, Haitian media are in disarray, but we have enough websites and other sources already up for there to be no shortage of forums to post such critical information.
Happy Reading....
Contractors in Haiti, Readying to Profit from Disaster?
Tuesday, 16 February 2010 17:05
With the Inter-American Development Bank saying that the reconstruction of Haiti could cost upwards of $14 billion, and with billions in aid already coming in to Haiti, it is vitally important to keep a close eye on where that money is being spent.
The Federal Procurement Data System - Next Generation, has set up a function where you can track contracts awarded for Haiti related work. The list, however, is not exhaustive; there is a message on the site saying that the list only “represents a portion of the work that has been awarded to date.” For instance the US Agency for International Development lists only two contracts totaling just under $150,000. USAID, however, says that through the Office of Transition Initiatives they have already given $20 million to three companies: Chemonics, Internews, and Development Alternatives Inc. The reality may be that these companies have received even more money than that though. The Miami Herald reported on February 8 that:
The U.S. Agency for International Development has given two assignments for Haiti-related work to two beltway firms involved in international development: Washington, D.C.-based Chemonics International and Bethesda, Md.-based Development Alternatives Inc.
The emergency work assignments, which are worth $50 million each, are likely the first of many the agency will hand out to private firms to help Haiti get on its feet after the devastating quake Jan. 12.
The article also notes that these were non-competitive contracts.
Chemonics is a subsidiary of ERLY Industries, also the parent company of Comet Rice. According to a Washington Office on Haiti report, as reported by Food First:
RCH began operations in September 1992 when former World Bank official and post 1991 coup leader Marc Bazin's regime signed a nine year development aid contract with RCH. RCH's corporate parent is Comet Rice. Comet Rice has been the largest importer of rice in Haiti for many years. The flood of its imported "Miami rice" in the 1980s, much of it supported by U.S. tax dollars through various AID and USDA programs, drove thousands of small scale Haitian rice farmers out of business. Corn and other grain production also declined due to the importer's marketing techniques.
Development Alternatives Inc., in coordination with the USAID Office of Transition Initiatives, has been involved in shady political activities in various countries where the US was opposing democratically elected governments.
Shortly after the earthquake, investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill wrote for The Nation about defense contractors heading to Haiti. He made the following observation:
The Orwellian-named mercenary trade group International Peace Operations Association didn't waste much time in offering the "services" of its member companies to swoop down on Haiti for some old-fashioned "humanitarian assistance" in the form of disaster profiteering. Within hours of the massive earthquake in Haiti, the IPOA created a special webpage for prospective clients, saying: "In the wake of the tragic events in Haiti, a number of IPOA's member companies are available and prepared to provide a wide variety of critical relief services to the earthquake's victims."
While some of the companies specialize in rapid housing construction, emergency relief shelters and transportation, others are private security companies that operate in Iraq and Afghanistan, such as Triple Canopy, the company that took over Blackwater's massive State Department contract in Iraq. For years, Blackwater played a major role in IPOA until it left the group following the 2007 Nisour Square massacre.
Many members of the IPOA have already secured work in Haiti. HART Security is in Haiti “supporting clients from the fields of media, consultancy and medical.” Agility Logistics teamed up with the International Medical Corps last year and is currently working in Haiti. Agility Logistics was indicted in November by a U.S. grand jury in Atlanta for overcharging the US Army $60 million on supply contracts. Reuters reports that:
The six counts of the indictment charge PWC with crimes against the United States including: conspiracy to defraud, committing major fraud, making false statements, making false, fictitious or fraudulent claims and wire fraud.
Agility said in November that it had been suspended, but not debarred, from new U.S. government contracts pending the outcome of the indictment.
Another member of IPOA that is apparently active in Haiti is the Canadian company SkyLink Aviation. SkyLink has been involved in controversy before as well. In a series of reports on the UN Task Force charged with investigating fraud and abuse in peacekeeping operations, the Washington Post made several revelations. In 2006 the Washington Post reported that:
Peacekeepers, for example, spent $10.4 million to lease a helicopter for use in East Timor that could have been secured for $1.6 million
While the article says the names of companies were not released, in 2007 the Post reported that:
[Andrew] Toh is the target of a lengthy investigation into whether he improperly helped two Peruvian generals and a Canadian company, Skylink Aviation, secure a multimillion-dollar contract to lease two MI-26 Peruvian government helicopters for the U.N. mission in East Timor. The task force has been unable to prove that Toh accepted bribes, but it says it cannot close the case until it gets access to Skylink's Swiss bank account used in the helicopter deal.
The Post also reported that $65 million “or more was spent for fuel that was not needed for missions in Sudan and Haiti,” and that “it identified SkyLink Aviation Inc., a Canadian firm, as the company that supplied fuel to the U.N. mission in Sudan.”
Another contractor that has secured work in Haiti is Fluor, which “is currently working with the Army to optimize the response approach.” Fluor is active in the Middle East, but was also active in relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina. USA Today reported in 2005 that:
Federal court records show Fluor agreed to pay $3.2 million in 1997 to settle allegations that its FD Services division padded repair bills for cleaning up U.S. Navy bases in South Carolina after the 1989 strike of Hurricane Hugo. Fluor also agreed to pay $8.5 million in 2001 to settle allegations that it billed the government for work done for other clients, court records show.
Of course, none of this is evidence of current wrong-doing. However in times of crisis contracts and companies with checkered pasts will inevitably slip through the cracks. Only a watchful eye will prevent possible widespread abuse and fraud.
The link is below.
Since many Haitians (and others like me) aren't familiar with the Federal Procurement Data system for government and inter-agency contracts, it's important for us to widely circulate this information, and to HELP Haitian groups who may want to apply but may not have the expertise to write these grants.
It's also important for Haiti watchers who are promoting transparency and equity and want to make sure Haitian community groups get a share of the pie to communicate with US officials and folks at the Federal Procurement Data System to ask that any Communication about contracts get sent to Haitian media.
Of course, Haitian media are in disarray, but we have enough websites and other sources already up for there to be no shortage of forums to post such critical information.
Happy Reading....
Contractors in Haiti, Readying to Profit from Disaster?
Tuesday, 16 February 2010 17:05
With the Inter-American Development Bank saying that the reconstruction of Haiti could cost upwards of $14 billion, and with billions in aid already coming in to Haiti, it is vitally important to keep a close eye on where that money is being spent.
The Federal Procurement Data System - Next Generation, has set up a function where you can track contracts awarded for Haiti related work. The list, however, is not exhaustive; there is a message on the site saying that the list only “represents a portion of the work that has been awarded to date.” For instance the US Agency for International Development lists only two contracts totaling just under $150,000. USAID, however, says that through the Office of Transition Initiatives they have already given $20 million to three companies: Chemonics, Internews, and Development Alternatives Inc. The reality may be that these companies have received even more money than that though. The Miami Herald reported on February 8 that:
The U.S. Agency for International Development has given two assignments for Haiti-related work to two beltway firms involved in international development: Washington, D.C.-based Chemonics International and Bethesda, Md.-based Development Alternatives Inc.
The emergency work assignments, which are worth $50 million each, are likely the first of many the agency will hand out to private firms to help Haiti get on its feet after the devastating quake Jan. 12.
The article also notes that these were non-competitive contracts.
Chemonics is a subsidiary of ERLY Industries, also the parent company of Comet Rice. According to a Washington Office on Haiti report, as reported by Food First:
RCH began operations in September 1992 when former World Bank official and post 1991 coup leader Marc Bazin's regime signed a nine year development aid contract with RCH. RCH's corporate parent is Comet Rice. Comet Rice has been the largest importer of rice in Haiti for many years. The flood of its imported "Miami rice" in the 1980s, much of it supported by U.S. tax dollars through various AID and USDA programs, drove thousands of small scale Haitian rice farmers out of business. Corn and other grain production also declined due to the importer's marketing techniques.
Development Alternatives Inc., in coordination with the USAID Office of Transition Initiatives, has been involved in shady political activities in various countries where the US was opposing democratically elected governments.
Shortly after the earthquake, investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill wrote for The Nation about defense contractors heading to Haiti. He made the following observation:
The Orwellian-named mercenary trade group International Peace Operations Association didn't waste much time in offering the "services" of its member companies to swoop down on Haiti for some old-fashioned "humanitarian assistance" in the form of disaster profiteering. Within hours of the massive earthquake in Haiti, the IPOA created a special webpage for prospective clients, saying: "In the wake of the tragic events in Haiti, a number of IPOA's member companies are available and prepared to provide a wide variety of critical relief services to the earthquake's victims."
While some of the companies specialize in rapid housing construction, emergency relief shelters and transportation, others are private security companies that operate in Iraq and Afghanistan, such as Triple Canopy, the company that took over Blackwater's massive State Department contract in Iraq. For years, Blackwater played a major role in IPOA until it left the group following the 2007 Nisour Square massacre.
Many members of the IPOA have already secured work in Haiti. HART Security is in Haiti “supporting clients from the fields of media, consultancy and medical.” Agility Logistics teamed up with the International Medical Corps last year and is currently working in Haiti. Agility Logistics was indicted in November by a U.S. grand jury in Atlanta for overcharging the US Army $60 million on supply contracts. Reuters reports that:
The six counts of the indictment charge PWC with crimes against the United States including: conspiracy to defraud, committing major fraud, making false statements, making false, fictitious or fraudulent claims and wire fraud.
Agility said in November that it had been suspended, but not debarred, from new U.S. government contracts pending the outcome of the indictment.
Another member of IPOA that is apparently active in Haiti is the Canadian company SkyLink Aviation. SkyLink has been involved in controversy before as well. In a series of reports on the UN Task Force charged with investigating fraud and abuse in peacekeeping operations, the Washington Post made several revelations. In 2006 the Washington Post reported that:
Peacekeepers, for example, spent $10.4 million to lease a helicopter for use in East Timor that could have been secured for $1.6 million
While the article says the names of companies were not released, in 2007 the Post reported that:
[Andrew] Toh is the target of a lengthy investigation into whether he improperly helped two Peruvian generals and a Canadian company, Skylink Aviation, secure a multimillion-dollar contract to lease two MI-26 Peruvian government helicopters for the U.N. mission in East Timor. The task force has been unable to prove that Toh accepted bribes, but it says it cannot close the case until it gets access to Skylink's Swiss bank account used in the helicopter deal.
The Post also reported that $65 million “or more was spent for fuel that was not needed for missions in Sudan and Haiti,” and that “it identified SkyLink Aviation Inc., a Canadian firm, as the company that supplied fuel to the U.N. mission in Sudan.”
Another contractor that has secured work in Haiti is Fluor, which “is currently working with the Army to optimize the response approach.” Fluor is active in the Middle East, but was also active in relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina. USA Today reported in 2005 that:
Federal court records show Fluor agreed to pay $3.2 million in 1997 to settle allegations that its FD Services division padded repair bills for cleaning up U.S. Navy bases in South Carolina after the 1989 strike of Hurricane Hugo. Fluor also agreed to pay $8.5 million in 2001 to settle allegations that it billed the government for work done for other clients, court records show.
Of course, none of this is evidence of current wrong-doing. However in times of crisis contracts and companies with checkered pasts will inevitably slip through the cracks. Only a watchful eye will prevent possible widespread abuse and fraud.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
WHO /PAHO Special Report on Haiti quake
Special Report: Update on the Health Response to the Earthquake in Haiti 16 February 2010
Source: Pan American Health Organization (PAHO); World Health Organization (WHO)
Date: 16 Feb 2010
According to official statistics from Haiti's Civil Protection, the 12 January earthquake killed more than 200,000 people, caused approximately 300,000 injuries and displaced more than one million Haitians. At one point, more than 600 organizations were providing humanitarian aid to Haiti, and currently, 274 organizations are conducting health activities in at least 15 communities. Immediately following the quake, the most pressing need was to rescue people buried in the rubble and provide immediate emergency care for trauma patients. Needs have now changed and focus is on post-operative care and follow-up of patients who have already had surgery as well as basic primary health care services, such as maternal child health, rehabilitation services, and chronic diseases including diabetes, heart disease, HIV, and tuberculosis, among others. The Health Cluster liaises with other clusters, as many specialties have implications on the health of the population. Some of the major issues are as follows:
- The World Food Programme (WFP) reports that 16 food distribution sites have been activated across metropolitan Port reached 2 million people in and around Port-au-Prince since the earthquake struck. In a surge operation that began on 31 January, 1.4 million people received two weeks work of rice. The target population is two million.
- According to the CCCM Cluster, there are now ten organized settlements that are being managed by cluster partners with a total of 42,569 people. A list of all spontaneous temporary settlements contains 315 sites occupied by 468,075 people (91,112 families). Sanitation is becoming a major concern at many of the temporary sites
- The WASH Cluster continues to provide safe drinking water (5 litres per person per day) to over 780,000 people through 300 sites across Port au Prince, Leogane, and Jacmel. In Jacmel, over 260 temporary settlement sites are receiving water through the distribution efforts of cluster partners. The highest priority for the cluster remains sanitation and the strengthening of monitoring systems for sanitation activities.
- IOM is working with some 40 partners to provide mental health and psychosocial support to tens of thousands of earthquake survivors living in spontaneous settlements in Haiti; = provide comprehensive psychosocial first aid to some 150,000 individuals and follow-up counselling for up to 10,000 distressed individuals over the coming months. Six psychosocial mobile teams consisting of Haitian psychologists, social workers, educators, art therapists and cultural animators will deploy in settlements where needs have been identified
- Some 87 community outpatient care centers/mobile units for the treatment of severely acute malnutrition are open or have re-opened throughout Haiti. Nutrition Cluster partners have indicated plans to open 52 additional sites within the next 2-3 weeks. Within the 2 most affected Departments, OUEST and SUD'EST, there are an estimated 577,246 infants, children and pregnant and lactating women have been affected. Women in the informal settlements are also being trained as breastfeeding counselors.
- UNICEF says some 23 large-sized tents have been installed in Port-au-Prince to give children a place to seek refuge and play. Families are wary of sending children to school because they fear that another earthquake could strike. UNICEF is working with the Government to distribute messages to Haitians encouraging them to send their children back to school. Schools in unaffected regions opened on 1 February, while the Government of Haiti says the remaining will open by 1 March. Forty-percent of the population of Haiti is under 14 years of age and child protection is also an area of grave concern.
See full report (PDF format) here.
Source: Pan American Health Organization (PAHO); World Health Organization (WHO)
Date: 16 Feb 2010
According to official statistics from Haiti's Civil Protection, the 12 January earthquake killed more than 200,000 people, caused approximately 300,000 injuries and displaced more than one million Haitians. At one point, more than 600 organizations were providing humanitarian aid to Haiti, and currently, 274 organizations are conducting health activities in at least 15 communities. Immediately following the quake, the most pressing need was to rescue people buried in the rubble and provide immediate emergency care for trauma patients. Needs have now changed and focus is on post-operative care and follow-up of patients who have already had surgery as well as basic primary health care services, such as maternal child health, rehabilitation services, and chronic diseases including diabetes, heart disease, HIV, and tuberculosis, among others. The Health Cluster liaises with other clusters, as many specialties have implications on the health of the population. Some of the major issues are as follows:
- The World Food Programme (WFP) reports that 16 food distribution sites have been activated across metropolitan Port reached 2 million people in and around Port-au-Prince since the earthquake struck. In a surge operation that began on 31 January, 1.4 million people received two weeks work of rice. The target population is two million.
- According to the CCCM Cluster, there are now ten organized settlements that are being managed by cluster partners with a total of 42,569 people. A list of all spontaneous temporary settlements contains 315 sites occupied by 468,075 people (91,112 families). Sanitation is becoming a major concern at many of the temporary sites
- The WASH Cluster continues to provide safe drinking water (5 litres per person per day) to over 780,000 people through 300 sites across Port au Prince, Leogane, and Jacmel. In Jacmel, over 260 temporary settlement sites are receiving water through the distribution efforts of cluster partners. The highest priority for the cluster remains sanitation and the strengthening of monitoring systems for sanitation activities.
- IOM is working with some 40 partners to provide mental health and psychosocial support to tens of thousands of earthquake survivors living in spontaneous settlements in Haiti; = provide comprehensive psychosocial first aid to some 150,000 individuals and follow-up counselling for up to 10,000 distressed individuals over the coming months. Six psychosocial mobile teams consisting of Haitian psychologists, social workers, educators, art therapists and cultural animators will deploy in settlements where needs have been identified
- Some 87 community outpatient care centers/mobile units for the treatment of severely acute malnutrition are open or have re-opened throughout Haiti. Nutrition Cluster partners have indicated plans to open 52 additional sites within the next 2-3 weeks. Within the 2 most affected Departments, OUEST and SUD'EST, there are an estimated 577,246 infants, children and pregnant and lactating women have been affected. Women in the informal settlements are also being trained as breastfeeding counselors.
- UNICEF says some 23 large-sized tents have been installed in Port-au-Prince to give children a place to seek refuge and play. Families are wary of sending children to school because they fear that another earthquake could strike. UNICEF is working with the Government to distribute messages to Haitians encouraging them to send their children back to school. Schools in unaffected regions opened on 1 February, while the Government of Haiti says the remaining will open by 1 March. Forty-percent of the population of Haiti is under 14 years of age and child protection is also an area of grave concern.
See full report (PDF format) here.
Feb 24 UN NY Conf: Rebuilding Haiti: Against All Odds: Fostering Partnership
The UN Haitian Association has pulled together a conference on Rebuilding Haiti that will take place on Feb 24 at the UN. Registation is at their website - click here.
United Nations Association Haiti
777 UN Plaza
New York, NY 10017
mailbox@unahaiti.org
Haiti Re-Building Against All Odds: Fostering Partnerships
Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | 2:45PM - 6:00PM | Location: United Nations, New York
Reception to Follow | 6:15 – 9:00PM | Location: Turkish Mission, New York
Organization: United Nations Association Haiti in Collaboration with the Permanent Mission of Haiti to the United Nations
Other Collaborators / Sponsors to include:
Corporate Donors, Member States, Non-Governmental Organizations, United Nations Offices, Universities, and Business Associations.
Conference Committee:
Chair and Co-Chair: H.E. Mr. Leo Merores & Mark Hyman, MD.
Team: Emmanuel Francois MD, Carmelita Francois, Kherlyn Veillard-Marcel, Anushay Anjum, Olivia Sybille Desinor, Staci Alziebler, Richard Jordan, Daryl Wilson Randolph Saint Leger, Lawanda Kamara, Jean Louis Dupiton MD, Nadege Fleurimond, Alana Marsili, Harvey Dupiton, Sanaa Himani, Chris Panzica, Michelle Leberfeld, Margot D. Prendergast, Darly Coupet, Dr. Elaine Valdov, Michael Collins
Context: Currently, there is a worldwide mobilization effort to provide assistance to the people and nation of Haiti. A majority of the world’s governments, private sector donors, and private citizens are seeking ways to address the urgent needs and challenges facing Haiti and its people. Unfortunately, there are a number of international initiatives waiting to be launched with little or no information on how to take action on the ground.
We are faced with the question: Can Haiti offer viable opportunities to the investment community? While many will point to Haiti’s challenges, we of UNA Haiti look at Haiti as a tremendous opportunity. Moreover, UNA Haiti believes the current environment in Haiti presents long-term opportunities for public and private sector investments which can serve as a catalyst for real changes that will lead to prosperity for the Haitian people. More importantly, the Association believes that now more than ever, members of the Haitian Diaspora community have a real opportunity to share their visions for the future of Haiti with the world.
Objective: The conference, to be the first of its kind at the United Nations, aims to bring together a variety of initiatives across sectors, including the private sector, professional and technical (education, health, medicine, and engineering), NGOs, and local communities, among others, to foster partnerships for strengthening short- to long-term projects and programs for Haiti. The goal is to mobilize Haitian Americans in the United States, especially the youth, to voice their ideas and vision for Haiti. The sessions will focus on specific areas of growth and existing opportunities. There will also be an interactive exchange of ideas on how individuals can get involved both from abroad and on the ground in Haiti. The conference will be followed by similar conferences in the coming months. It is the hope of UNA Haiti that the results of this initial conference will shape some of the discussions that will take place at—and the initiatives that will emerge from--a major donors’ conference on Haiti in March.
Audience: Haitian American communities across the U.S. in general, and those in the Tri-State in particular; United Nations Member States and Staff; Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs); Academic and Independent Research Organizations; Students; Business/Private Sector Associations; and Religious and Secular Organizations.
Registration: The Conference is Free of Charge. However, we ask a minimum donation of $25 for those who wish to attend the reception. Register on-line at www.unahaiti.org, or send an email to mailbox@unahaiti.org.
Tentative Program Agenda
2:45-3:05PM Session I: Opening Remarks
2:45-2:55PM Introduction
Who:
Harvey Dupiton, Secretary General (elected)
UNA Haiti
Guest UNA: H.E. Francis Lorenzo, Ambassador,
Permanent Mission of the Dominican Republic to
the UN & Founder of United Nations Association of
the Dominican Republic.
What: Introduction to conference, the role of a
UNA in community level participation.
2:55-3:15PM Chair Opening Address
Who:
H.E. Mr. Leo Merores, Permanent
Representative of the Republic of Haiti to the UN.
Dr. Mark Hyman, Volunteer, Partners in Health.
What: A personal message, What’s Going on Now?
Shelter, Relief, Future Plans etc. The high-
level/national approach focusing on the short &
long term challenges;
Special Acknowledgment from the Haitian
community of CNN’s media team of
Anderson Cooper & Dr. Sanjay Gupta
3:15-4:00PM Session II: Community Level Participation
4:00-4:30PM Areas of Growth and Opportunity:
Partnerships in Education and Health
What: Getting communities engaged in educating
and caring for Haiti’s Children (virtual classrooms,
ICT, etc.). Medium - to - long term projects and
programs for re-building Haiti.
Panelists:
Jean Louis Dupiton, MD, Critical Care Specialist,
Graduate Fellow Mount Sinai Hospital.
Emmanuel Francois, MD, MPH, Chairman of
Association des Medecins Haitiens a l’Etranger.
Senior Level Government Official on
Education of Uganda (to be announced).
Chair: To be Announced
Discussant: Anushay Anjum, International
Community Development Consultant
4:30-4:40PM Q&A
4:40-4:50PM Coffee Break
4:50-5:35PM Session III: Getting Haiti’s Economy Going
5:15-5:25PM Areas of Growth and Opportunity:
Partnerships in Microfinance and Diaspora-
originated Investment Fund for Haiti
What: Programs for re-building Haiti. Getting the
financial community involved in investments that
promotes Small and Medium-size Enterprises
(SMEs).
Who:
Alexandre de Lesseps, Founder & President of
Blue Orchard Finance S.A. of Geneva (tbc)
Zvi Chalamish, Chief Fiscal Officer of Israel’s
Ministry of Finance for North America;
Senior Representative of Investment Group,
Launching Fund on Haiti (tba)
Chair: Hon. Mr. Felix Augustin, General Consul
of the Consulate General of Haiti of New York.
Discussant: Kherlyn Veillard-Marcel
5:25-5:35PM Q&A
5:35-6:00PM Session IV: How Can Haiti’s Dynamic Music
and Art Culture Boost Development?
Areas of Growth and Opportunity: Crossover
of Haitian Arts & Culture
What: Crossover of Young Haitian Talents &
Arts – crossing boundaries and promoting change
Who:
Yves Joseph, Tabou Combo (tbc)
Artists to Be Announced
Chair: Wycleff Jean, Artist (tbc)
Discussant: To be Determined
6:00-6:10PM Q&A
6:10-6:20PM Wrap-up Session: Closing Address
Who:
H.E. Mr. Leo Merores, Permanent Representative
of Haiti to the UN, Chair of the Conference
Harvey Dupiton, Secretary General, UNA Haiti,
Wrap Up
6:30-9:00PM Reception: Performance & Social Hour at
Turkish Mission
Haitian Folkloric Dance; performance by
Stephan Said, an Iraqi-American artist promoting
a socioeconomic culture of change through music;
Haitian Art Exhibit
Social hour!
Please RSVP
*First Name:*Last Name:*Organization:*Email:*Phone:*Reason for your interest in Haiti:SubmitReset
United Nations Association Haiti
777 UN Plaza
New York, NY 10017
mailbox@unahaiti.org
Haiti Re-Building Against All Odds: Fostering Partnerships
Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | 2:45PM - 6:00PM | Location: United Nations, New York
Reception to Follow | 6:15 – 9:00PM | Location: Turkish Mission, New York
Organization: United Nations Association Haiti in Collaboration with the Permanent Mission of Haiti to the United Nations
Other Collaborators / Sponsors to include:
Corporate Donors, Member States, Non-Governmental Organizations, United Nations Offices, Universities, and Business Associations.
Conference Committee:
Chair and Co-Chair: H.E. Mr. Leo Merores & Mark Hyman, MD.
Team: Emmanuel Francois MD, Carmelita Francois, Kherlyn Veillard-Marcel, Anushay Anjum, Olivia Sybille Desinor, Staci Alziebler, Richard Jordan, Daryl Wilson Randolph Saint Leger, Lawanda Kamara, Jean Louis Dupiton MD, Nadege Fleurimond, Alana Marsili, Harvey Dupiton, Sanaa Himani, Chris Panzica, Michelle Leberfeld, Margot D. Prendergast, Darly Coupet, Dr. Elaine Valdov, Michael Collins
Context: Currently, there is a worldwide mobilization effort to provide assistance to the people and nation of Haiti. A majority of the world’s governments, private sector donors, and private citizens are seeking ways to address the urgent needs and challenges facing Haiti and its people. Unfortunately, there are a number of international initiatives waiting to be launched with little or no information on how to take action on the ground.
We are faced with the question: Can Haiti offer viable opportunities to the investment community? While many will point to Haiti’s challenges, we of UNA Haiti look at Haiti as a tremendous opportunity. Moreover, UNA Haiti believes the current environment in Haiti presents long-term opportunities for public and private sector investments which can serve as a catalyst for real changes that will lead to prosperity for the Haitian people. More importantly, the Association believes that now more than ever, members of the Haitian Diaspora community have a real opportunity to share their visions for the future of Haiti with the world.
Objective: The conference, to be the first of its kind at the United Nations, aims to bring together a variety of initiatives across sectors, including the private sector, professional and technical (education, health, medicine, and engineering), NGOs, and local communities, among others, to foster partnerships for strengthening short- to long-term projects and programs for Haiti. The goal is to mobilize Haitian Americans in the United States, especially the youth, to voice their ideas and vision for Haiti. The sessions will focus on specific areas of growth and existing opportunities. There will also be an interactive exchange of ideas on how individuals can get involved both from abroad and on the ground in Haiti. The conference will be followed by similar conferences in the coming months. It is the hope of UNA Haiti that the results of this initial conference will shape some of the discussions that will take place at—and the initiatives that will emerge from--a major donors’ conference on Haiti in March.
Audience: Haitian American communities across the U.S. in general, and those in the Tri-State in particular; United Nations Member States and Staff; Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs); Academic and Independent Research Organizations; Students; Business/Private Sector Associations; and Religious and Secular Organizations.
Registration: The Conference is Free of Charge. However, we ask a minimum donation of $25 for those who wish to attend the reception. Register on-line at www.unahaiti.org, or send an email to mailbox@unahaiti.org.
Tentative Program Agenda
2:45-3:05PM Session I: Opening Remarks
2:45-2:55PM Introduction
Who:
Harvey Dupiton, Secretary General (elected)
UNA Haiti
Guest UNA: H.E. Francis Lorenzo, Ambassador,
Permanent Mission of the Dominican Republic to
the UN & Founder of United Nations Association of
the Dominican Republic.
What: Introduction to conference, the role of a
UNA in community level participation.
2:55-3:15PM Chair Opening Address
Who:
H.E. Mr. Leo Merores, Permanent
Representative of the Republic of Haiti to the UN.
Dr. Mark Hyman, Volunteer, Partners in Health.
What: A personal message, What’s Going on Now?
Shelter, Relief, Future Plans etc. The high-
level/national approach focusing on the short &
long term challenges;
Special Acknowledgment from the Haitian
community of CNN’s media team of
Anderson Cooper & Dr. Sanjay Gupta
3:15-4:00PM Session II: Community Level Participation
4:00-4:30PM Areas of Growth and Opportunity:
Partnerships in Education and Health
What: Getting communities engaged in educating
and caring for Haiti’s Children (virtual classrooms,
ICT, etc.). Medium - to - long term projects and
programs for re-building Haiti.
Panelists:
Jean Louis Dupiton, MD, Critical Care Specialist,
Graduate Fellow Mount Sinai Hospital.
Emmanuel Francois, MD, MPH, Chairman of
Association des Medecins Haitiens a l’Etranger.
Senior Level Government Official on
Education of Uganda (to be announced).
Chair: To be Announced
Discussant: Anushay Anjum, International
Community Development Consultant
4:30-4:40PM Q&A
4:40-4:50PM Coffee Break
4:50-5:35PM Session III: Getting Haiti’s Economy Going
5:15-5:25PM Areas of Growth and Opportunity:
Partnerships in Microfinance and Diaspora-
originated Investment Fund for Haiti
What: Programs for re-building Haiti. Getting the
financial community involved in investments that
promotes Small and Medium-size Enterprises
(SMEs).
Who:
Alexandre de Lesseps, Founder & President of
Blue Orchard Finance S.A. of Geneva (tbc)
Zvi Chalamish, Chief Fiscal Officer of Israel’s
Ministry of Finance for North America;
Senior Representative of Investment Group,
Launching Fund on Haiti (tba)
Chair: Hon. Mr. Felix Augustin, General Consul
of the Consulate General of Haiti of New York.
Discussant: Kherlyn Veillard-Marcel
5:25-5:35PM Q&A
5:35-6:00PM Session IV: How Can Haiti’s Dynamic Music
and Art Culture Boost Development?
Areas of Growth and Opportunity: Crossover
of Haitian Arts & Culture
What: Crossover of Young Haitian Talents &
Arts – crossing boundaries and promoting change
Who:
Yves Joseph, Tabou Combo (tbc)
Artists to Be Announced
Chair: Wycleff Jean, Artist (tbc)
Discussant: To be Determined
6:00-6:10PM Q&A
6:10-6:20PM Wrap-up Session: Closing Address
Who:
H.E. Mr. Leo Merores, Permanent Representative
of Haiti to the UN, Chair of the Conference
Harvey Dupiton, Secretary General, UNA Haiti,
Wrap Up
6:30-9:00PM Reception: Performance & Social Hour at
Turkish Mission
Haitian Folkloric Dance; performance by
Stephan Said, an Iraqi-American artist promoting
a socioeconomic culture of change through music;
Haitian Art Exhibit
Social hour!
Please RSVP
*First Name:*Last Name:*Organization:*Email:*Phone:*Reason for your interest in Haiti:SubmitReset
Eight Baptists Freed; Puello in Panama?
Advance apologies to Corbett list readers for any duplication of news...
See a link/and a bit of a clip from today's Reuters story, followed by a Christian Science Monitor blog posting(below) regarding the release of 8 members of US Baptist group that has been jailed for some time on charges of possible trafficking, following the group's attempts to pick up Haitian children to transport them to the Dominican Republic.
This blog has posted extensively on the Laura Silsby- New Life Children's Refuge orphanage project - and on the ongoing manhunt for Jorge Torres Puello (also named Orellana) who posed as a Dominican lawyer helping the Baptist group. Interpol has an arrest warrant out for Puello, who called into the Associated Press earlier today to say he was now in Panama, and planned to return to El Salvador to fight against charged of trafficking.
"The whole world will know I am innocent," he told the AP. He also repeated his claim that he never met the Silsby group before offering his help after they were detained in jail in Haii. He just wanted to help, he told reporters the week before his own identity came to light -- as a wanted trafficker, not a lawyer.
In Haiti, investigating Judge Bernard Sainvil decided to release the 8 Americans but hold Silsby and her assistant, Charisa Coulter in order to look more deeply into any prior possible link with Puello. The Idaho duo had been working for nine months to establish an orphanage in the Dominican Republic. Silsby had visited Haiti before and had contacts in the Haitian missionary community that she's been communicating with about her orphanage plans.
Meanwhile, the CSM blog post confirms what Haiti's teledjol (gossip mill) has been saying: that US-based Christian groups, including Christian Defense Coalition, have been intensvely lobbying for release the Baptist group, while US government officials have supported Haiti's right to pursue the rule of law without running interference into the invesigation. Haiti's lawyers responded to the appeal for 'compassion' in releasing the 8 Americans who were deemed, if not innocent, then naive and possibly manipulated by Silsby and her colleague, regarding their knowledge and intentions in the Haiti rescue-the-children affair.
Haiti to Free Eight Americans
By REUTERS
Published: February 17, 2010
Filed at 5:46 p.m. ET
PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - Eight American missionaries left a Haitian jail on Wednesday after a judge signed an order freeing them, but two of their colleagues were detained for further questioning on charges of kidnapping children.
The 10 Americans, most of whom are members of a Baptist Church in Idaho, were arrested last month on charges that they tried to take 33 Haitian children out of the country without proper documentation after the devastating January 12 earthquake in Haiti.
The judge found no evidence of criminal intent among the eight who were freed. But he ordered group leader Laura Silsby and another woman, Charisa Coulter, held for further questioning about their previous trips to Haiti.
The Americans were released one by one and were headed to the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince.
(full story here)
and The Christian Science Monitor recap of the Reuters story, plus a few comments by people on the release...
Haiti judge frees 8 missionaries, keeps 2
02.17.10
The Christian Science Monitor global news blog
Blog: Haiti ambassador: 'compassion' for 10 American missionaries Haiti judge advises release of Americans charged with kidnapping Haiti 'orphan' rescue mission:
Adoption or child trafficking? “I am extremely disturbed that two of the missionaries are being left behind,” says Patrick Mahoney of the Christian Defense Coalition, which has been lobbying the Haitian government on the missionaries’ behalf. “They operated as a group, they worked as a group – it almost seems punitive or some kind of a payback to hold two and release the eight.”
Charisa Coulter and Laura Silsby, the financially troubled leader of the group, are being kept for further investigation, Judge Bernard Sainvil said. It was unclear if they still faced charges of child abduction and criminal conspiracy, which can carry prison terms of up to 15 years.
“Eight of my clients will be set free,” lawyer Aviol Fleurant told AFP. “The judge wants to question two of my clients because they were in Haiti before the earthquake.”
[....]
The eight freed today will be allowed to return to the US immediately but are required to return for any legal proceedings if required, the BBC reports.
[....]
In a bizarre twist to the case. it was revealed that a man who briefly served as the group's legal adviser is wanted on people smuggling charges in the US and El Salvador. Jorge Puello has since disappeared, telling the Associated Press today that he was in Panama, and the group's Haitian attorney has accused him of absconding with most of the money relatives of the Americans gave to Mr. Puello for his legal fees.
"He was supposed to give me $40,000 and he gave me $10,000 and he stole $30,000 and he disappeared," Aviol Fleurant, the Haitian attorney, told the AP.
The group also has been embarrassed by reports that Ms. Silsby recently defaulted on a $358,000 home and had outstanding complaints from employees over unpaid wages, state liens on a company bank account, and lawsuits in small claims court, the New York Times reported.
“I think that if it was publicly known to all involved that Ms. Silsby had some of these issues in her past, I do not think she would have been the spokesperson and leader of the group,” says the Christian Defense Coalition’s Rev. Mahoney, who has had regular contact with the missionaries’ families in Idaho.
“The issue is not that these were kidnappers, but that they did not have the proper paperwork. Do you put someone in jail and threaten them with 15 years’ prison because they don’t have proper paperwork?”
**************
Meantime: where is Puello?
In DR, the best sources think, despite his statements to AP. But I personally think only his Mama knows for sure....
Meantime, one must ask: if our modern-day ability to track suspected criminals using high tech and GPS means has improved so much, can't the NSA monitors who constantly review computer and cell phone traffic tell law enforcement officials looking for Puello track the phone calls to reporters?
Earlier, he was answering his call phone. He must have realised that wasn't too smart. He called the AP earlier today to say, hey, I'm in Panama now - and, hey, I'm innocent.
Sheesh!
See a link/and a bit of a clip from today's Reuters story, followed by a Christian Science Monitor blog posting(below) regarding the release of 8 members of US Baptist group that has been jailed for some time on charges of possible trafficking, following the group's attempts to pick up Haitian children to transport them to the Dominican Republic.
This blog has posted extensively on the Laura Silsby- New Life Children's Refuge orphanage project - and on the ongoing manhunt for Jorge Torres Puello (also named Orellana) who posed as a Dominican lawyer helping the Baptist group. Interpol has an arrest warrant out for Puello, who called into the Associated Press earlier today to say he was now in Panama, and planned to return to El Salvador to fight against charged of trafficking.
"The whole world will know I am innocent," he told the AP. He also repeated his claim that he never met the Silsby group before offering his help after they were detained in jail in Haii. He just wanted to help, he told reporters the week before his own identity came to light -- as a wanted trafficker, not a lawyer.
In Haiti, investigating Judge Bernard Sainvil decided to release the 8 Americans but hold Silsby and her assistant, Charisa Coulter in order to look more deeply into any prior possible link with Puello. The Idaho duo had been working for nine months to establish an orphanage in the Dominican Republic. Silsby had visited Haiti before and had contacts in the Haitian missionary community that she's been communicating with about her orphanage plans.
Meanwhile, the CSM blog post confirms what Haiti's teledjol (gossip mill) has been saying: that US-based Christian groups, including Christian Defense Coalition, have been intensvely lobbying for release the Baptist group, while US government officials have supported Haiti's right to pursue the rule of law without running interference into the invesigation. Haiti's lawyers responded to the appeal for 'compassion' in releasing the 8 Americans who were deemed, if not innocent, then naive and possibly manipulated by Silsby and her colleague, regarding their knowledge and intentions in the Haiti rescue-the-children affair.
Haiti to Free Eight Americans
By REUTERS
Published: February 17, 2010
Filed at 5:46 p.m. ET
PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - Eight American missionaries left a Haitian jail on Wednesday after a judge signed an order freeing them, but two of their colleagues were detained for further questioning on charges of kidnapping children.
The 10 Americans, most of whom are members of a Baptist Church in Idaho, were arrested last month on charges that they tried to take 33 Haitian children out of the country without proper documentation after the devastating January 12 earthquake in Haiti.
The judge found no evidence of criminal intent among the eight who were freed. But he ordered group leader Laura Silsby and another woman, Charisa Coulter, held for further questioning about their previous trips to Haiti.
The Americans were released one by one and were headed to the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince.
(full story here)
and The Christian Science Monitor recap of the Reuters story, plus a few comments by people on the release...
Haiti judge frees 8 missionaries, keeps 2
02.17.10
The Christian Science Monitor global news blog
Blog: Haiti ambassador: 'compassion' for 10 American missionaries Haiti judge advises release of Americans charged with kidnapping Haiti 'orphan' rescue mission:
Adoption or child trafficking? “I am extremely disturbed that two of the missionaries are being left behind,” says Patrick Mahoney of the Christian Defense Coalition, which has been lobbying the Haitian government on the missionaries’ behalf. “They operated as a group, they worked as a group – it almost seems punitive or some kind of a payback to hold two and release the eight.”
Charisa Coulter and Laura Silsby, the financially troubled leader of the group, are being kept for further investigation, Judge Bernard Sainvil said. It was unclear if they still faced charges of child abduction and criminal conspiracy, which can carry prison terms of up to 15 years.
“Eight of my clients will be set free,” lawyer Aviol Fleurant told AFP. “The judge wants to question two of my clients because they were in Haiti before the earthquake.”
[....]
The eight freed today will be allowed to return to the US immediately but are required to return for any legal proceedings if required, the BBC reports.
[....]
In a bizarre twist to the case. it was revealed that a man who briefly served as the group's legal adviser is wanted on people smuggling charges in the US and El Salvador. Jorge Puello has since disappeared, telling the Associated Press today that he was in Panama, and the group's Haitian attorney has accused him of absconding with most of the money relatives of the Americans gave to Mr. Puello for his legal fees.
"He was supposed to give me $40,000 and he gave me $10,000 and he stole $30,000 and he disappeared," Aviol Fleurant, the Haitian attorney, told the AP.
The group also has been embarrassed by reports that Ms. Silsby recently defaulted on a $358,000 home and had outstanding complaints from employees over unpaid wages, state liens on a company bank account, and lawsuits in small claims court, the New York Times reported.
“I think that if it was publicly known to all involved that Ms. Silsby had some of these issues in her past, I do not think she would have been the spokesperson and leader of the group,” says the Christian Defense Coalition’s Rev. Mahoney, who has had regular contact with the missionaries’ families in Idaho.
“The issue is not that these were kidnappers, but that they did not have the proper paperwork. Do you put someone in jail and threaten them with 15 years’ prison because they don’t have proper paperwork?”
**************
Meantime: where is Puello?
In DR, the best sources think, despite his statements to AP. But I personally think only his Mama knows for sure....
Meantime, one must ask: if our modern-day ability to track suspected criminals using high tech and GPS means has improved so much, can't the NSA monitors who constantly review computer and cell phone traffic tell law enforcement officials looking for Puello track the phone calls to reporters?
Earlier, he was answering his call phone. He must have realised that wasn't too smart. He called the AP earlier today to say, hey, I'm in Panama now - and, hey, I'm innocent.
Sheesh!
Repost - UNDP's Cash-for-Work Program
Wednesday, Feb 17 - 3 pm --
Putting Haitians to Work....
Next week I hope to give a reported update on progress in the UN's Cash for Work program, which is managed by UNDP. As noted below, approximately 35,000 Haitians have been employed via this program to date, with a target of 100,000 people who will be recruited. A major part of the work involves rubble removal/clearing debris from the streets. The wage is 180 gourdes (US $5) for six hours of work. This amounts to $175,000 a day being paid out and recirculating into the local economy, says UNDP.
Some readers have emailed to ask if this program is benefiting men more than women -- since HARD LABOR to remove rubble is one of the key activities? I haven't gotten numbers from UDNP. I understand that men and women are both hired, but given the hard manual labor, more men appear to be engaged in the rubble removal effort of this program. My information is based on conversations with Haitians I met in Port-au-Prince who were hired to remove rubble. As the program expands and other jobs become available, there may be less of a possible gender bias favoring men.
Note however, that a gender bias exists that favors WOMEN getting food aid. The UN system switched to a coupoon system that is given to women after incidents of violence and riots in which young men were blamed for distrupting food deliveries of rice. Since many women are heads of households in Haiti, or cook for families, this system has allowed food assistance to benefit womena and families, including men affiliated with women. But single men have complained that they are excluded from the food aid.
Finally, not also that Women are being hired by NGOs and hospitals to COOK for patients and homeless communities - another link to food that may favor women as women are the bulk of vendors of food in the markets, and those who cook for others in Haitian society.
I hope to provide a reported update on the Cash-for-Work program soon, and will look at the issues of gender and also urban-rural: to know who is benefiting, where, and how to expand the program to assure that people in rural areas are also benefiting equitably, and based on needs assessments of impact of the quake.
From UNDP website:
Cash for Work
The cash-for-work programme is at the heart of UNDP’s efforts in Haiti. The project is putting thousands of Haitians to work, enabling them to earn an income as they help their country recover from the devastating earthquake that struck on 12 January 2010.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) mobilized rapidly to address the impact of the earthquake. We are focused on providing time-critical early recovery assistance in Haiti and supporting spontaneous recovery initiatives by affected communities to rebuild lives, livelihoods and rehabilitate essential social infrastructure.
In the context of the UN Flash Appeal, the primary focus is immediate governance and urban livelihoods support.
Early recovery assistance
Emergency livelihoods restoration through cash-for-work in Port-au-Prince affected communities: rubble clearance for streets, houses and public utilities;
Organization of labour-intensive emergency public works in support to humanitarian operations;
Support to early recovery strategic planning and coordination;
Emergency solid waste collection systems in affected urban areas; and
Shelter for technical support to Government and Municipal Recovery Coordinators.
A critical area of concentration for UNDP is strengthening the capacities of the Government, which have been reduced considerably as a consequence of the earthquake. This support is meant to include local capacity for crisis management and also the planning capacity of key ministries that would allow the Government of Haiti to plan and implement the reconstruction of the country.
Programmes already under implementation
Cash-for-work
The cash-for-work programme is at the heart of UNDP’s efforts in Haiti. The project is putting thousands of Haitians to work, enabling them to earn an income as they help their country recover from the devastating earthquake that struck on 12 January 2010.
Each worker is paid 180 gourdes, or about US$5 at current rates of exchange, for six hour’s labour. This is slightly more than Haiti’s minimum wage, which is important so as not to distort the local labour market and draw jobs away from the private sector that is critically important in ensuring long-term recovery.
Currently about 35,000 people are enrolled in this effort, with many more being indirect beneficiaries. The immediate target is to have 100,000 workers, eventually doubling that further, as conditions and funds allow.
The work includes removing building rubble from the streets, crushing and sorting of reusable material and disposal of debris and restoring essential public facilities to lay the foundations for mid-term recovery and development, such as access to water and protection of water sources, markets, communal washing areas and community centres.
Benefits of the cash-for-work programme
It puts cash into the pockets of Haitians, so they can purchase goods and services of their choosing, thereby having a positive impact on the local economy whilst directly benefiting families;
This money, currently about $175,000 a day, injected into the local economy, circulates from person to person, thereby contributing to local economic growth;
Instead of a hand-out, the cash-for-work programme offers a hand up. It reduces tension in the streets as previously unemployed people can now participate in the rebuilding of their country, whilst earning a wage;
Opens up areas of the city to access by emergency vehicles and public and private transportation;
Removes garbage and refuse that are a hazard to human health;
The fuel bricks provide an alternative fuel source and reduce reliance on wood harvesting, thereby promoting soil conservation and reduced erosion.
Currently, the cash-for-work programme is being implemented by UNDP, together with neighbourhood committees, DINEPA (Direction Nationale de l'eau Potable et de l'assainissement), DPC (Direction de la Protection Civile) and municipalities, so that the programme is for Haitians and according to the needs and priorities of Haitians, with ownership of the national institutions. In a further boost to the local economy, UNDP purchased more than $1.2 million worth of tools and equipment through local merchants, including 4,500 wheelbarrows, 10,000 shovels, 100,000 masks, and 120,000 t-shirts.
The programme is very flexible and can be implemented in localities outside of Port-au-Prince, to address the needs of increasing numbers of people who are leaving the capital to other areas of the country. In that sense, the programme uses a decentralized approach, building on UNDP’s presence in Jacmel, Gonaives, Les Cayes and Port-de-Paix.
Coordination
UNDP has been leading the in-country early recovery cluster since 22 January 2010. Cash–for-work activities and other early recovery efforts are coordinated at this level. Agreement has been reached to divide the affected neighbourhoods covered by the Government (DINEPA, municipality), non-governmental organizations and UNDP (under the direct implementation modality).
Budget
UNDP was able to quickly re-allocate its resources to support immediate cash-for-work initiatives for an initial amount of $3 million. Through the UN Flash Appeal, UNDP is requesting $35.6 million for this cash-for-work programme. To date, $27.4 million has been confirmed from a wide variety of donors but the funding gap for this cash-for-work programme is $8.2 million. Sustained donor support will be needed over the next months to ensure that the cash-for-work programme reaches the largest number of affected Haitians and is able to be scaled up.
In addition, the international community has contributed another $7.9 million to date through UNDP for other recovery activities.
Strengthening the Government’s capacities
A critical area of focus for UNDP is the strengthening of the Government’s capacities to address the crisis, which has been further weakened by the earthquake, and also the planning capacity of key ministries that would allow the Government of Haiti to plan and implement the reconstruction of the country. UNDP aims to support the Government on disaster management and to ensure that the Post-Disaster Needs Assessment— a multi-stakeholder exercise— that will take place over the next weeks, is nationally owned. Experts on disaster management were sent to work with the Department of Civil Protection and other experts will be deployed shortly.
Putting Haitians to Work....
Next week I hope to give a reported update on progress in the UN's Cash for Work program, which is managed by UNDP. As noted below, approximately 35,000 Haitians have been employed via this program to date, with a target of 100,000 people who will be recruited. A major part of the work involves rubble removal/clearing debris from the streets. The wage is 180 gourdes (US $5) for six hours of work. This amounts to $175,000 a day being paid out and recirculating into the local economy, says UNDP.
Some readers have emailed to ask if this program is benefiting men more than women -- since HARD LABOR to remove rubble is one of the key activities? I haven't gotten numbers from UDNP. I understand that men and women are both hired, but given the hard manual labor, more men appear to be engaged in the rubble removal effort of this program. My information is based on conversations with Haitians I met in Port-au-Prince who were hired to remove rubble. As the program expands and other jobs become available, there may be less of a possible gender bias favoring men.
Note however, that a gender bias exists that favors WOMEN getting food aid. The UN system switched to a coupoon system that is given to women after incidents of violence and riots in which young men were blamed for distrupting food deliveries of rice. Since many women are heads of households in Haiti, or cook for families, this system has allowed food assistance to benefit womena and families, including men affiliated with women. But single men have complained that they are excluded from the food aid.
Finally, not also that Women are being hired by NGOs and hospitals to COOK for patients and homeless communities - another link to food that may favor women as women are the bulk of vendors of food in the markets, and those who cook for others in Haitian society.
I hope to provide a reported update on the Cash-for-Work program soon, and will look at the issues of gender and also urban-rural: to know who is benefiting, where, and how to expand the program to assure that people in rural areas are also benefiting equitably, and based on needs assessments of impact of the quake.
From UNDP website:
Cash for Work
The cash-for-work programme is at the heart of UNDP’s efforts in Haiti. The project is putting thousands of Haitians to work, enabling them to earn an income as they help their country recover from the devastating earthquake that struck on 12 January 2010.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) mobilized rapidly to address the impact of the earthquake. We are focused on providing time-critical early recovery assistance in Haiti and supporting spontaneous recovery initiatives by affected communities to rebuild lives, livelihoods and rehabilitate essential social infrastructure.
In the context of the UN Flash Appeal, the primary focus is immediate governance and urban livelihoods support.
Early recovery assistance
Emergency livelihoods restoration through cash-for-work in Port-au-Prince affected communities: rubble clearance for streets, houses and public utilities;
Organization of labour-intensive emergency public works in support to humanitarian operations;
Support to early recovery strategic planning and coordination;
Emergency solid waste collection systems in affected urban areas; and
Shelter for technical support to Government and Municipal Recovery Coordinators.
A critical area of concentration for UNDP is strengthening the capacities of the Government, which have been reduced considerably as a consequence of the earthquake. This support is meant to include local capacity for crisis management and also the planning capacity of key ministries that would allow the Government of Haiti to plan and implement the reconstruction of the country.
Programmes already under implementation
Cash-for-work
The cash-for-work programme is at the heart of UNDP’s efforts in Haiti. The project is putting thousands of Haitians to work, enabling them to earn an income as they help their country recover from the devastating earthquake that struck on 12 January 2010.
Each worker is paid 180 gourdes, or about US$5 at current rates of exchange, for six hour’s labour. This is slightly more than Haiti’s minimum wage, which is important so as not to distort the local labour market and draw jobs away from the private sector that is critically important in ensuring long-term recovery.
Currently about 35,000 people are enrolled in this effort, with many more being indirect beneficiaries. The immediate target is to have 100,000 workers, eventually doubling that further, as conditions and funds allow.
The work includes removing building rubble from the streets, crushing and sorting of reusable material and disposal of debris and restoring essential public facilities to lay the foundations for mid-term recovery and development, such as access to water and protection of water sources, markets, communal washing areas and community centres.
Benefits of the cash-for-work programme
It puts cash into the pockets of Haitians, so they can purchase goods and services of their choosing, thereby having a positive impact on the local economy whilst directly benefiting families;
This money, currently about $175,000 a day, injected into the local economy, circulates from person to person, thereby contributing to local economic growth;
Instead of a hand-out, the cash-for-work programme offers a hand up. It reduces tension in the streets as previously unemployed people can now participate in the rebuilding of their country, whilst earning a wage;
Opens up areas of the city to access by emergency vehicles and public and private transportation;
Removes garbage and refuse that are a hazard to human health;
The fuel bricks provide an alternative fuel source and reduce reliance on wood harvesting, thereby promoting soil conservation and reduced erosion.
Currently, the cash-for-work programme is being implemented by UNDP, together with neighbourhood committees, DINEPA (Direction Nationale de l'eau Potable et de l'assainissement), DPC (Direction de la Protection Civile) and municipalities, so that the programme is for Haitians and according to the needs and priorities of Haitians, with ownership of the national institutions. In a further boost to the local economy, UNDP purchased more than $1.2 million worth of tools and equipment through local merchants, including 4,500 wheelbarrows, 10,000 shovels, 100,000 masks, and 120,000 t-shirts.
The programme is very flexible and can be implemented in localities outside of Port-au-Prince, to address the needs of increasing numbers of people who are leaving the capital to other areas of the country. In that sense, the programme uses a decentralized approach, building on UNDP’s presence in Jacmel, Gonaives, Les Cayes and Port-de-Paix.
Coordination
UNDP has been leading the in-country early recovery cluster since 22 January 2010. Cash–for-work activities and other early recovery efforts are coordinated at this level. Agreement has been reached to divide the affected neighbourhoods covered by the Government (DINEPA, municipality), non-governmental organizations and UNDP (under the direct implementation modality).
Budget
UNDP was able to quickly re-allocate its resources to support immediate cash-for-work initiatives for an initial amount of $3 million. Through the UN Flash Appeal, UNDP is requesting $35.6 million for this cash-for-work programme. To date, $27.4 million has been confirmed from a wide variety of donors but the funding gap for this cash-for-work programme is $8.2 million. Sustained donor support will be needed over the next months to ensure that the cash-for-work programme reaches the largest number of affected Haitians and is able to be scaled up.
In addition, the international community has contributed another $7.9 million to date through UNDP for other recovery activities.
Strengthening the Government’s capacities
A critical area of focus for UNDP is the strengthening of the Government’s capacities to address the crisis, which has been further weakened by the earthquake, and also the planning capacity of key ministries that would allow the Government of Haiti to plan and implement the reconstruction of the country. UNDP aims to support the Government on disaster management and to ensure that the Post-Disaster Needs Assessment— a multi-stakeholder exercise— that will take place over the next weeks, is nationally owned. Experts on disaster management were sent to work with the Department of Civil Protection and other experts will be deployed shortly.
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