Haiti's 1.3 Million Displaced People -- In Their Own Words

Nine months after the catastrophic earthquake which killed 230,000 to 300,000 people and left 1.3 million homeless, most of the refugees continue to live under plastic tarps and tents in horrific and dangerous conditions in Haiti's 1,354 squalid refugee camps. [See the related blog for more details.]

What's in store for the 1.3 million displaced people?

A new, Haiti-based grassroots "reconstruction watch" effort, a partnership between AlterPresse, Sosyete Animasyon Kominikasyon Sosyal, and two associations - REFRAKA and AMEKA - took on the last question for its first investigation.

A dozen interviews, scores of documents and many telephone calls later, Ayiti Kale Je/Haiti Grassroots Watch discovered there actually does seem to be a plan...

However,

• it is not readily accessible to the media or the Haitian public,
• it is only very loosely coordinated,
• it has not been openly approved by the Haitian government, nor is it overseen by any Haitian agency or ministry, making accountability difficult, if not impossible,
• and it is likely impossible to turn into reality.

Watch these videos prepared by the Ayiti Kale Je/Haiti Grassroots Watch team to see and hear what Haitians have to say.

Video 1 - What is the plan? Where did it come from?

Video 2 - What is the solution? Who can pull it off?

Video 3 - A visit to the home of François Delouis

Please visit http://www.haitigrassrootswatch.org to read the accompanying articles.

 

Follow Jane Regan on Twitter: www.twitter.com/jvbregan

Comments

[48marriedwhitemalewkids]

09:32 AM on 10/19/2010

Why is Haiti poor? Because Haiti won't let the rich white people do business in Haiti. There are 30 Haitian families who have a monopoly on every industry. Their cousins who run the government keep things corrupt with high import taxes and don't allow foreign corporations in to do business with their families. Haitians can't buy food at Wal-Mart, Lumber at Home Depot, or buy anything over the Internet and have it shipped tax free by UPS.

[teefal]

08:51 AM on 10/19/2010

Wonderful videos. I'm preparing for another trip in two week, hoping to spread the work we started last Spring (elementary education, haiti.waveplace.org) to more areas of Haiti. The long term solution is always education, particularly in a country where only 5% of children graduate from high school. Given the stress of the last few weeks, seeing these videos has really helped.