The much discussed and fretted over rainy season has arrived in Haiti. No, you didn’t miss it—there hasn’t been an official hurricane yet, and all fingers are crossed that it does not arrive. But storms too small to be named, but big enough to tear down trees and tents and scatter rubble and garbage have […]
The situation in Haiti is quietly, exhaustedly unstable. People I talk to in camps complain of flooding when it rains, and children get fevers and diarrhea for lack of clean water. Port-au-Prince has never had universal potable water, but now that over a million people are homeless and unemployed, many cannot afford to buy clean […]
In late July Haitian activists organized rallies in cities across the country to mark the 95th anniversary of the start of the US occupation of Haiti in 1915. Among the protestors’ concerns is the contingent of 11,000 uniformed UN personal – including 9,000 military troops – stationed in Haiti as part the United Nations Stabilization […]
I am now writing from Port-au-Prince, Haiti. I arrived here on Sunday and am freelancing for several organizations for the next few months. While I will try to keep a broad lens for the blog, I thought I would kick it off with a post on human rights in Haiti, as the human rights situation […]
After noting the U.S. response to the Haiti earthquake on this blog, I thought it would be good to follow-up and note that the U.S. response is continuing, even as Haiti no longer dominates the headlines. This report in The Washington Post describes the visit to Haiti yesterday by former Presidents Clinton and Bush: Former […]
Nicolas Sarkozy made the first visit ever by a French president to Haiti, once his nation’s richest colony — offering aid to a country laid to waste after a catastrophic earthquake.
In follow-up to my Haiti post, Transparency International has just released a handbook on humanitarian aid. Very interesting and worth checking out.
In the first days following the 7.0 earthquake in Haiti, American media failed the public by misreporting or omitting entirely Cuba’s involvement in the relief efforts. Only two mainstream media outlets reported on Cuba’s response. One was Fox News, which claimed (incorrectly) that among the neighboring Caribbean countries providing aid, Cuba was absent. The other […]
What is the human instinct when tragedy strikes outside of your immediate circle? (I use the term ‘circle’ quite loosely and encourage self definition). For the past two weeks, I’ve been in keen observation mode. Watching Anderson Cooper on CNN, reading various and varied thoughts on Haiti in my Google Reader, and monitoring the various […]
Can Brazil find its proper role in the long term efforts to rebuild Haiti and send it along a path to peace and prosperity
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has moved quickly to connect with and help Haitian journalists impacted by the recent earthquake there. CPJ has responded with direct assistance for basic daily needs to “get them on their feet again”, according to the organization. CPJ’s Journalist Assistance program is cooperating with Jean Roland Chery. He is […]
As millions of dollars in aid and other resources flow to Haiti, it is inevitable that someone will raise the specter of waste through corruption. Often such words come from those who oppose aid on ideological grounds, swaying public opinion by exploiting our natural aversion to corruption. But genuine abuses unfortunately do occur, and their […]
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