Community

Haiti recently celebrated Fet Gede, the Day of the Dead. As Matt notes, it is a time for honoring those who have come before and a reminder to love those who are still here.  November 18th marks the anniversary of the Battle of Vertieres, the historic battle which ensured Haiti’s place as the first free black republic and the only country to have led a successful slave rebellion.  The juxtaposition of these two holidays reminds us that life is both a gift and a struggle. In Haiti, the struggle against hunger, poverty, and instability continues.

The Florida Association of Volunteer Action in the Caribbean and the Americas (FAVACA), the Lambi Fund of Haiti, and Project Medishare would like to invite you to participate in a joint fundraiser that will be held at the Coral Gables Congregational Church on November 14th at 6:30.  The event will feature a keynote address by Calvin Hughes, WPLG Morning News Anchor.  There will also be music and a silent auction of Haitian art.  If you can attend, please RSVP at 304-448-7421. The address is 3010 De Soto Blvd in Coral Gables, Florida across from the Biltmore Hotel.

According to Caribbean 360, The Inter-American Development (IDB) has announced a US$25 million grant to improve the road network and road maintenance in Haiti's southwestern departments.  If you've travelled the Grande Anse by road, you know how important this is. The grant is part of a four-phase IDB program to provide Haiti with US$100 million to rehabilitate its roads.

During a recent visit to Haiti, World Bank President Robert Zoellick warned that Haiti is at a ''tipping point'' given the billion dollars of damage caused by flooding from tropical storms.  For the first time in years, Haiti has a legitimately democratic, albeit struggling, government.  Given the World Bank's problematic history in Haiti, the agency should help the government by forgiving its debt -with the caveat that funds would be subject to external oversight and directed to disaster preparedness and response as well as reviving the agricultural sector. 

The Annual National Congress & Convention of Haitian-Americans is a partnership between the Haitian League and the Haitian-American Leadership Council.  From October 10-12, members of the Haitian Diaspora came together to discuss how they could contribute to Haiti's development.  Topics discussed included remittances, direct investment, development assistance, dual citizenship, and adovcacy.  Below is a summary of the discussion and a list of next steps.  The Diaspora has much to offer and forums such as this help to keep Haitians abroad connected. 

Although the floodwaters have receeded, Haitians in hurricane affected communities are still at risk. Standing water creates an ideal breeding ground for mosquitos that carry malaria and other diseases.  For pregnant women and children, a mosquito net can be a life saving, yet cost effective, intervention. Partners in Health (PIH) has launched a campaign to purchase and then distribute 10,000 long lasted insecticide treated mosquito nets.  Supporting this effort is a tangible way to help Haiti during the recovery process. 

Below is a Miami Herald article on the relationship between environmental degradation in Haiti and natural disasters. Click here to see an audio slideshow of the consequences of deforestation.  The article also contains a link to an interview with Jane Wynne, who is intimately familiar with Haiti's environmental issues.  As she puts it, "There is hope but only if we have the will to change."  There is also a link to an interview with Prime Minister Pierre-Louis.  Though it will take all of Haitian society to reverse the deforestation, her role is to prepare and coordinate a governmental response.  It is long overdue.

Matt recently uploaded a new set of  photographs to the Haiti Innovation Flickr Account.  These photos were taken during emergency operations where Haitian Red Cross volunteers and American Red Cross staff worked hand in hand throughout the country.  Red Cross has considerably ramped up their programming over the past month.  These photos give a sense of how profound the damage was in a way that may be impossible to convey through writing. Other non-profits may use photographs from this set provided that they credit Matthew Marek and Haiti Innovation.

We frequently receive inquiries concerning the use of Jatropha as a biofuel in Haiti.  So far, cultivation has been limited to a handfull of pilot projects. This blog lists these organizations and summarizes several recent articles on the subject.  A previous blog on biodiesel resulted in over 225 comments from people throughout the world interested in Jatropha. If you are interested specifically in jatropha cultivation in Haiti, please post a comment describing your interests.  In that way, this blog can become a conversation about tapping the potential of Jatropha for Haiti.

Disabilities are part of the human condition.  It has been said that any of us lucky to live long enough will experience a disability.  However, disabled children and their families have unique needs that often go unmet, especially in the developing world.  PAZAPA is a school in Jacmel that provides support to more than 300 disabled children. On Saturday, November 8th a fundraiser will be held from 2:00 - 5:00 at  3181 Porter Street, NW 20008 in the Cleveland Park neighborhood of Washington DC.  If you can come, please RSVP to Anne Grimmer at aegrimmer@aol.com.  If not, please take a look at the PAZAPA website and consider donating to this unique organization.