Community

Below are remarks made by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the Haiti Donors' Conference today.  While the United States provides in kind contributions of food, she notes that this is not the answer to Haiti's hunger.  She instead emphasizes the importance of environmental rehabilitation, agriculture, livelihoods, and infrastructure.  She also highlights the potential of alternative energy.  After the conclusion of the conference, Secretary Clinton will visit Haiti en route to the Summit of the Americas.

The Miami Herald ran an article concerning Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's upcoming visit to Haiti, which will take place shortly after the International Donors' Conference.  While the visit will be brief, we take this as a welcome sign that Secretary Clinton, whose responsibilities include overseeing the foreign assistance programs of both the State Department and USAID, is interested in and committed to Haiti's development. 

The Haiti Micah Project (HMP) is a non profit organization which is providing one meal per day for 150 vulnerable children in the town of Mirebalais, plus uniforms and tuition for their education and medical care.  Recently, HMP rented a two-building compound to house up to 25 of the most vulnerable, most of whom are street children.  The opening of this facility is scheduled for mid to late April 2009.  In order to expand the program, HMP recently announced the creation of a Child Sponsorship Initiative.

Nicholas Kristof wrote an article on the importance of family planning to poverty reduction. The article revolves around the lives of a woman named Nahomie, her ten children, and the grinding poverty they are facing.  I've copied the article below but you can also read it on his excellent blog ""On the Ground."  After, take a look at the +250 comments posted and consider adding your own.  It is my hope that Nahomie's children will fare better.  With the United States supporting the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) again, perhaps we can yet make that a reality.  

The French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF) in partnership with S.O.B.’S, PEN World Voices and The Maysles Institute will be holding a number of Haitian cultural events in New York City this May.  There will be musical performances by well known bands such as RAM, screenings of Haitian films, and discussions on different aspects of Haitian culture.  More information is below. 

President Obama is in the United Kingdom this week as part of the  G20 Summit.  As Nicholas Kristof wrote an op-ed, more is at stake than banks.  According to World Bank estimates, the global economic crisis will cause an additional 22 children to die per hour, throughout all of 2009.  Robert Zoellick, President of the World Bank, stated, “In London, Washington and Paris, people talk of bonuses or no bonuses...In parts of Africa, South Asia and Latin America, the struggle is for food or no food.”

World Water Day has come and gone.  About 1.1 billion people still do not have access to safe drinking water, and two in every five people on the planet still have no access to a proper toilet.   The international community has become increasingly aware of the disastrous consequences of the status quo for public health and economic growth.  It will take more than awareness to change the current situation - it will also take political will, long term committment, and a new approach.

Usually when you read an article about peacekeepers in Haiti, it concerns how many are on the ground.  In a bit of a role reversal, the Miami Herald reported that the United Nations will deploy a group of Haitian police as peacekeepers to Chad.  The yearlong assignment involves monitoring Chadian police responsible for refugees from the war in neighboring Darfur.

The Haitian Education and Leadership Program (HELP) provides merit based scholarships to high performing students, no matter their socio-economic status.  Many graduates have gone on to be health care providers, educators, and community organizers.  Last week, former President Bill Clinton and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon visited the HELP Haiti Center.  Both Clinton and Ki-Moon said they were impressed and inspired by what they saw at HELP and pledged to remain engaged.  As Clinton put it, programs such as this one show success is possible in Haiti.

Thank you to Lindsay Poulton for sending us this investigative video footage by the London Guardian concerning sexual violence in Haiti.  The piece notes how gender based violence has often been used as  a weapon, especially in the slums and during periods of conflict.  Protecting women and children is absolutely essential for countering a culture of impunity and promoting a society that respect human rights - not just for some of us, but for all of us.