Community

According to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Climate change is making it harder for many people to access clean water and food, and widening the spread of infectious diseases, which include malaria and its dangerous cousin dengue fever.  If the past few years have become the new normal, we need to do a better job of adapting. This means preventing, rather than just responding to disasters.

Tequila Minsky is one of the newest members of the Haiti Innovation community.  She is a long time Haiti hand who is both a photographer and a frequent commentator on Haitian issues.   You can view her photographs by clicking here. Below are some blogs that she has written lately.  Enjoy!

So I've been thinking about joining Rotary Club.  Rotary is a worldwide organization of business and professional leaders interested in humanitarian service, encouraging high ethical standards, and promoting peace and goodwill around the world.  There are about 1.2 million Rotarians belonging to more than 31,000 Rotary clubs in 166 countries.  There are plenty of programs financed by Rotary International, but are there Haitian Rotary Clubs?  Turns out that there are.

Thanks to Frontline World for sending us a link to a well done piece on Belo, a young Haitian musician with a message of peace and unity.  Belo wants the world to judge Haiti by its good qualities as well.  We wholeheartedly agree. Haiti is unique and its music and art reflect this. Without music and art, Haiti would not be Haiti.

When someone says 'philanthropy', I am concerned that it conjures up images of celebrities and investors. All who support social causes are philanthropists.  Some prefer to support established organizations with a global reach.  Others like to support smaller organizations with the potential to grow.   Haiti Micah Project (HMP), serving vulnerable children in Mirebalais, is an organization poised to expand significantly in 2008.

Haiti made the USA Today. The article begins by noting Preval's annual sppech before a joint session of parliament where he said the country loses badly needed revenue by allowing contraband in while charging exorbitant fees to businesses that import merchandise legally. 

Haitians say that what the eyes do not see, the heart cannot feel.  There is much to that.  Considering how numb many of us have become to violence, it is difficult to convey the enormity of the humanitarian crisis in Darfur without images.  Without photos, it is also hard to show the beauty of a long maligned country like Haiti.  Below are some more sites (and a link to a book) that convey the beauty of Haiti and Haitians in a way that writing cannot.  Enjoy!

In the mass media, when one sees photos of Haiti, it usually involves one of two things - a natural disaster or a protest.  Though deforestation has damaged much of the country, Haiti remains beautiful.  If photographs speak a thousand words, photoblogs are able to convey that much more.  Below are some websites that feature either photo blogs or collections of photos from Haiti.  If you know of others, we can post them as well.