Associated Press

When I was living in Haiti many years ago, a friend's father passed away.  My friend was scraping by on odd jobs and needed to take out a large loan in order to finance the burial.  He felt that to do otherwise would be disrepecting his father's memory.  The poor, who can least afford it, are charged exorbitant rates for burial services in Haiti. What could change this?  Cultural change, such as accepting cremation or simplified burials, will take time. William Mellon (founder of Albert Schweitzer Hospital in Deschapelles) had himself buried in a cardboard box.  Government regulation and enforcement would help.  Below is an AP article on the hardships that burial costs place upon Haitian families.  

Charcoal production is a cause of deforestation in Haiti although the true extent is debatable.  Most Haitians in the countryside do not have affordable energy alternatives and many livelihoods are linked to making, transporting, and selling it.  Rather than lamenting the country's dependence on charcoal, an alternative approach would be to help charcoal producers switch to fast-growing trees and harvest them in a more environmentally responsible manner. The Haitian government, J/P Haitian Relief Organization, and the World Bank are promoting efforts to do so in rural areas. More information in the AP article below. 

The government of the Dominican Republic recently passed a nationality law which, by no means perfect, represents a step forward in addresssing statelessness.  The main difficulty now lies in its full implementation across the country.  Below is an article by Associated Press writers Ezequiel Abiu Lopez and Danica Coto that notes both positive and negative reactions to the nationality law.   

Tolerance for minorities - religious, political, sexual, and otherwise - is an important measure of a democracy.  It has never been easy for Haitians to be out but watchdog groups are particularly concerned by a series of threats against Haiti's gay community.  More information from the Associated Press follows.  If you are interested in local organizations promoting gay rights, the best known are Kouraj and Serovie. 

Below is an article by Trenton Daniel concerning the increasing use of Haitian Kreyol in schools - which is a good thing.  In a hemisphere dominated by Spanish and English, French remains the language of the Haitian elite.  While true that Haiti has produced artists of note who worked in French, countless children didn't have a chance at a good education because they were instructed in a language neither they nor their teachers were comfortable with.  Learning multiple languages makes sense - but so does being tought in (and proud of) your first language. 

Given the extent of internal displacement in Port-au- Prince and environmental degradation beyond, Haiti remains vulnerable to flooding.  You can see the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy in this Washington Post video clip.  There will be much reporting in the days ahead about the loss of lives, homes, and livelihoods.  Drawing on his experience living through the earthquake and reflecting upong Hurricane Sandy's impact, Jonathan Katz takes a moment to remind us of Haitian resilience and solidarity, qualities we can learn from.