State Department Releases 2009 TIP Report: Haiti and the DR

  • Posted on: 22 June 2009
  • By: Bryan Schaaf

Human trafficking is a global problem that affects every country in the world.  Last week, the U.S. State Department released its 2009 annual report on how well partner governments are preventing and responding to human trafficking. Understanding trafficking in Haiti requires understanding the situation in the Dominican Republic.  Neither country complies with minimum standards for eliminating trafficking, although both governments acknowledge the need to do more. This is an issue that clearly requires cross-border collaboration.

The Prime Minister's New Paradigm For Haiti

  • Posted on: 22 June 2009
  • By: Bryan Schaaf

Copied below is a strategy paper that Prime Minister Pierre Louis recently released on how the Haitian government intends to meet its short term goals.  I was pleased to see the attention devoted to agriculture, the private sector, and infrastructure development.  Unfortunately, the Haitian government has yet to receive one gourde from the Haiti Donors' Conference.  Hopefully, Special Envoy Clinton has not lost his touch and will be able to encourage Friends of Haiti to honor their pledges.  The paper is brief but balanced and well thought out.  Please feel free to post your thoughts about it in the comments section. 

Kenscoff Environmental Summer Camp (7/12/09 - 7/19/09)

  • Posted on: 17 June 2009
  • By: Bryan Schaaf

We first blogged about the Wynne Farm way back in December 2005.  In that blog, Matt noted how important it is for children, in a country that depends on agriculture for survival, to understand the environment.  Each Summer, COHEF (Children of Haitian Enhancement Foundation), the Unity Church of Miami, and the Wynne Farm Ecological Preserve hold a two week, nature intensive summer camp. If you would like to lend a hand, volunteers are needed as well as in kind and cash contributions. More information is below.     

H.E.L.P Second Annual Washington DC Fundraiser (7/10/2009)

  • Posted on: 10 June 2009
  • By: Bryan Schaaf

The Haitian Education and Leadership Program (HELP), which provides merit and need based scholarships for Haiti’s top high school graduates, will hold its second annual fundraising event in Washington, DC on Friday, July 10th. The event will feature music, cocktails, Haitian food, and speeches from HELP alumni.  If you’d like to be a part of this event, please register here by July 1st.  Copied below is a recent IPS article on HELP's efforts to recruit talented students in rural areas and attached is an invite and fact sheet.

Paving the Way for Economic Recovery in Haiti

  • Posted on: 6 June 2009
  • By: Bryan Schaaf

Dialogue concerning Haiti's development is changing.  First, there is more discussion than ever before about Haiti's private sector, and a sense that trade will do more for Haiti in the long run than aid.  Second, there is a growing emphasis on integrating Haiti economically and socially with the rest of the Caribbean and Latin America.  Finally, donors are increasingly helping the Haitian government to address its own priorities.  There are many challenges but also many possibilities.  As Haitian say, little by little birds make their nests...

InterIntel Releases First Quarterly Update

  • Posted on: 1 June 2009
  • By: Bryan Schaaf

InterIntel, an organization devoted to the diffusion of alternative energy technology in Haiti, recently released its first quarterly report, copied below. InterIntel has developed a number of interesting, new partnerships with the private sector and other non profit organizations operating in Haiti.  If you would like to learn more after reading the update, take a look at the InterIntel website/blog, which covers a number of issues related to alternative energy in low resource settings.

Storm Weary Haiti Braces for the Rains

  • Posted on: 1 June 2009
  • By: Bryan Schaaf

Hurricane season has begun.  Flooding  will be inevitable each year until environmental degradation is reversed.  Still, leadership, preparation, and coordination can mitigate the human and economic costs.  Jacqueline Charles describes, in the Miami Herald, the last minute efforts of the Haitian government to bolster infrastructure in Haiti's most vulnerable cities, yet to recover from the consequences of last year's storms.  Haiti is more ready than it was last year, but still has a long way to go. 

SVI Seeking Haitian Children In Need of Cleft Lip/Palate Surgery

  • Posted on: 28 May 2009
  • By: Bryan Schaaf

Surgical Volunteers International (SVI) is an organization that specializes in treating clefts, burns and urological problems.  SVI visited Haiti in March and worked with Haitian counterparts to reconstruct, without charge, 67 cleft lips and palates.  SVI will travel to Haiti in June and again in September.  If you know of a Haitian child in need of surgery for a cleft lip or palate, please pass on the contact information contained in the attached flyer (in Kreyol) to his/her family.  Below is a summary of their last visit from the SVI Blog.  

Introducing the Haiti Pro Online Business Community

  • Posted on: 28 May 2009
  • By: Bryan Schaaf

Haiti Pro is new website for entrepreneurs interested in private sector solutions to Haiti's developmental challenges.  Haiti Pro Members can easily share videos of their ideas and efforts.  There are already a number of interesting clips on topics including dairy franchising, wood charcoal alternatives, reforestation, and women's groups.  Below are summaries of the clips that are in Kreyol and/or French.  Consider joining if you are interested in small business development in Haiti.

Paul Farmer to Coordinate U.S. Global Health Programs?

  • Posted on: 27 May 2009
  • By: Bryan Schaaf

Below is a post from "The Cable", confirming rumors that Paul Farmer is considering a position in the Obama Administration.  The position is as of yet unclear.  It may be USAID Administrator or a new position coordinating U.S. Global Health programs.  Partners in Health has had a tremendous impact in Haiti, Latin America, Africa, and elsewhere.  As a champion of health and human rights, Farmer's vision and expertise would be an asset to the Obama Administration.  

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