It is Kanaval season in Haiti! This is not a time to dwell on one’s sorrows but a time to focus on living. It is a loud, vibrant, and wonderful time of the year. No matter how bad things get, Kanaval will always be for friendships, relationships, music, dancing, tradition (and drinking.) But as another proverb goes, after the dance the drum is heavy. When Kanaval is over, it’s back to work for all. Achieving food security is task #1.
Below is a CNN-Money article on a company which has received exclusive rights for household electricity monitors in Haiti. It made me remember when I visited the local electricity bureau (EDH) in Hinche. The officials said they would set up my house for electricity but never came. Because of the wait, a friend insisted on getting a ladder, cutting open the line, and splicing a wire to my house. It worked. The EDH officials say people are stealing electricity. The consumer says EDH is slow and unresponsive. Both are right. Perhaps these new devices can help make both parties happy? Time will tell.
Konbit Sante is a non profit organization based in Portland, Maine. Their focus is improving the physical infrastructure of Cap Haitian’s Justinian Hospital and building the capacity of its staff. Konbit Sante has helped to upgrade facilities, water supply, electricity, medical equipment, and computer information systems. In addition, it has set in place numerous training opportunities for health care providers. The attached annual report provides background on their accomplishments in 2008. Especially exciting is the new Women’s Initiative, dedicated to improving maternal health.
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?
Today is the second Sunday into Carnival season and all the antics are already in full swing and from now on they will build and build each Sunday up until Mardi Gras. Bourik (BOS) had a chance to get up close and personal with an original karnaval troupe in Cayes Jacmel.
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.
January 1st in Haiti is Independence Day and everywhere in the country Haitians drink pumpkin soup. Bourik (BOS) asks a few Haitian's about pumpkin soup's significance on this day.
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).
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.
The New York Times recently carried an article on the Carter Center's joint Haiti/Dominican Republic initiative to eliminate malaria and lymphatic filariasis from the island of Hispaniola, which both countries share. Given that infectious diseases do not respect borders, this initiative seems an excellent opportunity for collaboration between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Hopefully, it can open doors for much needed collaboration in other areas as well.
