Haitians may yet have a stadium to match their passion for soccer. Below is a New York Times blog about a stadium scheduled for construction in Cite Soleil. The majority of the $5 million dollar project will be financed by Delos LLC as part of the Clinton Global Initiative. The stadium will seat 12,000 but could be expanded to 20,000 over time. Best of all, it will be built with local materials and by local workers, maximizing the economic impact.
Kathie Klarreich, who has been covering Haiti since 1986, recently wrote a Miami Herald article on the many small yet promising signs that Port au Prince is becoming calmer, better governed, and more stable. Challenges abound, including improving the delivery of health services and reforming the justice system, but these visible signs of progress contribute to a growing sense of optimism and a belief that things can and will continue to improve.
The Clinton Global Initiative has concluded and committments were made totalling 258 million. This includes the three-year, $2 million pledge by actor Matt Damon's Water.org to get water and sanitation to 50,000 people, a $4.5 million pledge by USAID and Habitat for Humanity to repair 1,500 family homes cities wrecked by last year's hurricanes. The Green Family Foundation pledged $280,000, as part of a five year $680,000 commitment, to help fight poverty on the Central Plateau through its Millennium Village Project. Without a doubt, a great event for Haiti.
