Given Opportunity, Students Thrive at Louverture Cleary School

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

Below is an article in the Catholic Sentinel about the Louverture Cleary School, a respected institution in Port au Prince that admits students based  solely on merit, not their ability to pay.  When we think of development, too often we just think about physical infrastructure.  In terms of human development, education is essential.  The graduates of Louverture Cleary, many of whom grew up in the most "hopeless" parts of Port au Prince, have gone on to be doctors, engineers, and community organizers.  Bélimaire Emmanuel's story below illustrates how critical education is to cultivate a new generation of leadership in Haiti.

Don't Give up on Haiti!

  • Posted on: 19 January 2009
  • By: Bryan Schaaf

The past year has been hard for Haiti.  As usual, an emergency occurred that galvanized the attention of the international community temporarily. Humanitarian responders ramped up operations to deal with the crisis at hand. Commitments were made from donors, some of which were even kept.  But other emergencies happened around the world in other countries, and the political will to help Haiti make it from emergency to development mode fades.  Below is a Miami Herald article by Jacqueline Charles, touching on the issue of "Haiti Fatigue."  Has the world grown tired of Haiti?

Smile Train and Surgical Volunteers International To Repair Clefts in Haiti

  • Posted on: 19 January 2009
  • By: Bryan Schaaf

Below is a blog concerning Smile Train, an organization that works with health care providers throughout the developing world to repair cleft lips and palates.  Smile Train will send a Surgical Volunteers International Team to Port au Prince from February 27- March 7.  While there, the team will both perform surgeries and teach local surgeons to do the same. This approach is cost-effective and builds local capacity. If you or a colleagues knows of a Haitian child with a cleft, please contact Smile Train and Surgical Volunteers International prior to the trip.

Wyclef on 60 Minutes: "I Will Make A Dent So Others Can Break Walls"

  • Posted on: 11 January 2009
  • By: Bryan Schaaf

Wyclef Jean is a talented and electic musician whose message has always been one of non-violence, unity, and triumphing over adversity.  He has become a roving ambassador for both Haiti and hip hop alike.  As a philanthropist, his Yele Foundation is a positive force for change in Cite Soleil, Gonaives, and elsewhere.  During an interview today on 60 minutes he spoke about how he seeks to make a difference for and give hope to Haiti's urban youth. Click here to learn more about his music and here to learn about Yele. A summary of the interview is below.

Experiencing Haitian Art

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

Art is the medium through which some first come to know Haiti, and for others, to know Haiti better.  Haitian art is too expansive to be confined to shops and galleries – it is found on public transport, on the walls, in churches and Vodoun peristyles alike.  Art is Haiti's only inexhaustible resource.  When others use the tired phrase "Haiti - the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere", let us counter that Haiti is the culturally richest country in the Western Hemisphere instead.

UNICEF Photo of the Year Features Haiti

  • Posted on: 22 December 2008
  • By: Bryan Schaaf

There is a Haitian proverb that says what the eyes can't see, the heart cannot feel. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has selected their photo of the year, taken in Haiti. Below is an article Barbara Hans wrote about the photo in Der Spiegel Online.  If you would like to see more photos of Haiti, take a look at the Haiti Innovation Flickr Site or a list of Haiti Photo Blogs (part 1 and part 2).

Haiti Food Security Update (12/22/2008)

  • Posted on: 22 December 2008
  • By: Bryan Schaaf

What a year. The soaring costs of food and fuel, political unrest, and natural disasters prevented any real progress toward food security. The international community tunes in and tunes out to Haiti’s struggle to feed itself.  For now, there is attention. Two of the main tasks of the Haitian government and civil society in 2009 will be to begin reversing environmental degradation and reinvigorating the Haitian agricultural system. The challenges remain daunting, but are not insurmountable. There is much that we, as friends of Haiti, can do for a better year in 2009.  

Project Medishare Receives PEPFAR Support for HIV/AIDS Prevention

  • Posted on: 20 December 2008
  • By: Bryan Schaaf

Project Medishare, an NGO supporting medical and public health programming on Haiti's Central Plateau, has been awarded a $1.25 million grant through the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). The award, which is focused on HIV/AIDS prevention activities, is part of a $4.8 million grant to Cross International, a South Florida-based interdenominational Christian humanitarian agency. Cross International has posted an announcement on their website as well.

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