If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
The Blog
We found a group of Haitians rebuilding their country in a sustainable, scalable model through decentralization. Unfortunately, foreign aid tends to overlook this in favour of short-term, surface relief.
Today, we have an opportunity to assess the progress that we have made in rebuilding Haiti, the extraordinary challenges that remain, and the areas in which improvement is greatly needed.
On this, the one year anniversary of the earthquake, we find time to reflect on what has been and what's to come.
I learned of a blog that has been maintained by citizens living in the refugee camps where the availability of clean water, electricity and security can mean the difference between life and death.
One year later we've managed to reunify more than 1300 children with their families, and one year later I continue to be deeply impressed with the courage displayed by Haiti's youngest citizens.
A revolutionary, coordinated information response program in Haiti has elevated how aid organizations talk with -- and listen to -- populations.
Expanding midwifery and family planning programs to women across Haiti can yield long-term gains that will benefit all Haitians. Let's give the next generation a chance.
The former Haitian ruler Jean Claude Duvalier once said, "It is the destiny of the people of Haiti to suffer." The quote sounds fatalistic and unfair. How can an entire population be destined to suffer?
The problem is bigger than any one organization, any single government or universal remedy, but there have already been heroes amid the chaos -- heroes that may surprise some.
Sheer numbers never convey the magnitude of a disaster. For me, the Haiti disaster really hit home when I got word that an old friend had died.
In order to get a better perspective of what was happening on the ground, on January 11, 2011 I interviewed the President of Yele Foundation International, Hugh Locke while he was in Haiti.
The continuing magnitude of distress in Haiti should not fail to respect Haitians' fortitude. The destructive conditions which have weighed upon the vast majority of the Haitian people continue.
One year ago today we witnessed one of the greatest human tragedies in recent world history, the horrific earthquake and its ugly aftermath in Haiti.
Despite the frustrations of the relief process and the ravages of cholera, there is reason to find hope in Haiti. And that reason is its people.
Throughout my time spent in Haiti this year, I have seen more work done by micro-NGOs and regular Haitian folks living in shacks with little to no funding than most of the big organizations.
The international community has pledged $5 billion in aid, yet much of that money has not made its way into the country.
