We have made several trips to the University of Miami/Project Medishare tent hospital located on the airport grounds. They have helped save many lives. In the past it was always a struggle finding help for people but now when we have an emergency we know that this hospital is one that we can run to and get good medical care. What better way to see the work of this hospital in action then to the music of "We are the World". Thank you to all the medical staff who are donating their time to help the Haitian people. Pray for the work of this organization here in Haiti. To watch the video follow the link to:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QE9sONwjPz8
Monday, May 31, 2010
ARTICLE - UNIVERSITY EDUCATION
HAITI: SECTOR WAS A DISASTER PRIOR TO QUAKE
(University World News) - By Philip Fine
Before the devastating earthquake struck Haiti on 12 January, the country had no ministry dedicated to higher education, no funding agency for research, around 90% of its university professors did not possess a doctorate and three quarters of its universities operated without government accreditation.
"The situation in Haiti was disastrous before the quake hit," said George Haddad, Director of Unesco's Division of Higher Education, in an interview with University World News.
While the quake killed many in the university community, flattened scores of classrooms, ruined libraries and laboratories, the rebuilding of Haiti's universities, the theme of the recent two-day meeting in Montreal, remains a misnomer: Haiti's university system was yet to achieve the standards most nations would expect of their institutions of higher learning.
The interview took place at the meeting hosted by the French-speaking university association, Agence universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF). In its mobilization of aid for Haiti, AUF hopes to use Unesco's vast networks of expertise in higher education.
Jean-Vernet Henry, Rector of the Université d'État d'Haïti which enrols 25,000 students, knows his institution was wanting before the quake. Henry says his university was not receiving any public funds for research. "There was no basic research funding. The Haitian government didn't even fund applied research." He says his agriculture and veterinary faculty did have partners whose funds helped in its operation but the facility was devastated by the quake.
The root of Haiti's poor higher education sector began in the 19th century and continued into the mid-20th century, when the country's elite eschewed local efforts to build local universities and opted instead to train in Europe.
In the era of President Duvalier, university jobs became patronage positions and the religious sector controlled a large part of education. Since the Duvalier overthrow in 1986, there has been an explosion in Haitian university enrolments by local students. But this has happened in a growing number of substandard institutions.
While the rebuilding efforts are aimed at restoring the country's university efforts, an AUF document on the state of its universities sets out some disturbing facts about the pre-quake Haitian university system:*
A university professor earns, on average, less than a bricklayer. *
Only 11% of Haiti's university teachers hold a doctorate.*
Only two professors in the entire country are qualified to oversee a doctoral thesis. *
More than 15,000 Haitians are enrolled in Dominican Republic universities.*
The government allocates only 0.4% of its budget to higher education.*
Of the 200 higher education institutions in Haiti only 47 can issue government-approved diplomas.
While many in Haiti see the value of universities in the rebuilding effort, there are some glimmers of hope the government, too, will start to value university education.
AUF Rector Bernard Cerquiglini met with René Préval in April 2009 and says the Haitian president was open to the changes his organisation was proposing, including setting up a ministry dedicated to higher education.
"He said this was all wonderful for higher education. Though nine months later our office was flattened."AUF's Port au Prince offices have since reopened in a new location.
(University World News) - By Philip Fine
Before the devastating earthquake struck Haiti on 12 January, the country had no ministry dedicated to higher education, no funding agency for research, around 90% of its university professors did not possess a doctorate and three quarters of its universities operated without government accreditation.
"The situation in Haiti was disastrous before the quake hit," said George Haddad, Director of Unesco's Division of Higher Education, in an interview with University World News.
While the quake killed many in the university community, flattened scores of classrooms, ruined libraries and laboratories, the rebuilding of Haiti's universities, the theme of the recent two-day meeting in Montreal, remains a misnomer: Haiti's university system was yet to achieve the standards most nations would expect of their institutions of higher learning.
The interview took place at the meeting hosted by the French-speaking university association, Agence universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF). In its mobilization of aid for Haiti, AUF hopes to use Unesco's vast networks of expertise in higher education.
Jean-Vernet Henry, Rector of the Université d'État d'Haïti which enrols 25,000 students, knows his institution was wanting before the quake. Henry says his university was not receiving any public funds for research. "There was no basic research funding. The Haitian government didn't even fund applied research." He says his agriculture and veterinary faculty did have partners whose funds helped in its operation but the facility was devastated by the quake.
The root of Haiti's poor higher education sector began in the 19th century and continued into the mid-20th century, when the country's elite eschewed local efforts to build local universities and opted instead to train in Europe.
In the era of President Duvalier, university jobs became patronage positions and the religious sector controlled a large part of education. Since the Duvalier overthrow in 1986, there has been an explosion in Haitian university enrolments by local students. But this has happened in a growing number of substandard institutions.
While the rebuilding efforts are aimed at restoring the country's university efforts, an AUF document on the state of its universities sets out some disturbing facts about the pre-quake Haitian university system:*
A university professor earns, on average, less than a bricklayer. *
Only 11% of Haiti's university teachers hold a doctorate.*
Only two professors in the entire country are qualified to oversee a doctoral thesis. *
More than 15,000 Haitians are enrolled in Dominican Republic universities.*
The government allocates only 0.4% of its budget to higher education.*
Of the 200 higher education institutions in Haiti only 47 can issue government-approved diplomas.
While many in Haiti see the value of universities in the rebuilding effort, there are some glimmers of hope the government, too, will start to value university education.
AUF Rector Bernard Cerquiglini met with René Préval in April 2009 and says the Haitian president was open to the changes his organisation was proposing, including setting up a ministry dedicated to higher education.
"He said this was all wonderful for higher education. Though nine months later our office was flattened."AUF's Port au Prince offices have since reopened in a new location.
ARTICLE - EDUCATION
ONLINE ENGLISH CLASSES HELP HAITIANS RECOVER
(Los Angeles Times) - By Ken Ellingwood
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti Two dozen Haitian students manage a ragged unison in their stab at English.
"Today we go to school," they pronounce, more or less as one. Their instructor approves and gives the next cue.
"In school I will learn to write."
"In school I will learn to write," the students echo.
"The teacher will help me."
"The teacher will help me," the Haitians offer in return.
On this day, the teacher, Justin Purnell, sits 1,300 miles away in Asheville. The students are packed into a bare-bones classroom in Port-au-Prince, watching and answering via video on a laptop computer propped in front of them. The steamy air carries the whine of a generator running in the makeshift tent camp outside.
The adult students, some of whom have lived in tents since the Jan. 12 earthquake, are studying English as part of a fledgling project that uses Internet technology, faraway volunteer teachers, donated laptops and an earthquake-themed storybook written especially for the Haitians.
The long-distance English classes are the brainchild of Justin's father, Karl Purnell, a 76-year-old author and former journalist who has used the Internet and video hookups to teach young people in Nepal.
The elder Purnell brought his project, which he calls Teach the World Online, to Haiti in February. He got involved after a longtime friend and fellow journalist, Jurate Kazickas, suggested that he hop a flight there with her husband, Roger Altman, a former deputy Treasury secretary who was flying in supplies for quake victims.
"The next day I was on the way with two laptops, not having any idea if they had broadband," Purnell said by telephone from his home in Mifflinburg, Pa.
Internet service in Haiti was by then restored, and the remaining question was whether to teach English or French. Camp dwellers answered it.
"They said, 'Please teach us English,'" Purnell said.
A tool for recovery
Haiti is a Creole-speaking former colony of France, but English has also mattered, given the history of U.S. interventions and involvement here, and because 800,000 Haitians and their descendants live in the United States. Anglophone pop artists such as 50 Cent are big in Haiti, though few Haitians speak English fluently.
The aftermath of the earthquake has drawn legions of foreign aid workers, religious volunteers, contractors, journalists and others, and English often sounds like the unofficial language of the international relief and rebuilding effort, which is expected to last for years.
Many Haitians say mastering English may offer the best path to getting back on their feet.
So far, 150 people have joined the video English classes, which are free and held in three locations: next to the improvised tent camp; in the earthquake-cracked home of Purnell's Haitian assistant, Stanley Simon; and in a sprawling slum called Cite Soleil.
The project offers learning when many schools and universities remain closed and countless workplaces lie in ruins. Forty people showed up for one recent class, more than triple the target size. The classes have attracted some teenagers, but most of the students so far are older than 20.
Patrick Etienne, 24, said he would like to learn English so he can land a job with an international aid agency.
Emmanuella Fortunat, a 21-year-old college student attending her first class, needed only rudimentary English to explain why she was there.
"For finding job," she said. "A good job."
Technological snags
The class textbook, "A New House in Haiti," is a fictional story about a Haitian family that lost its home in the quake. The tale, written by Purnell and Kazickas, highlights terms much in evidence these days: Rubble. Shovel. Destroy.
Students take turns reading dialogue in front of the Web cam, grappling with the alien sounds. The word "earthquake," for example, comes out as if it began with a hard "h," as in "hurt."
It is no easy feat to teach online when connections are often balky and power supplies spotty. Simon, the assistant, loads the router and computers into his weathered Toyota to move them from one classroom site to another. He charges laptop batteries by generator every two days.
Instruction is sometimes interrupted by dropped video calls and technological hiccups that leave the teachers on the monitor frozen and mute for minutes at a time.
But such hurdles are minor irritations to students who for months have slept under tarps near their smashed homes.
(Los Angeles Times) - By Ken Ellingwood
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti Two dozen Haitian students manage a ragged unison in their stab at English.
"Today we go to school," they pronounce, more or less as one. Their instructor approves and gives the next cue.
"In school I will learn to write."
"In school I will learn to write," the students echo.
"The teacher will help me."
"The teacher will help me," the Haitians offer in return.
On this day, the teacher, Justin Purnell, sits 1,300 miles away in Asheville. The students are packed into a bare-bones classroom in Port-au-Prince, watching and answering via video on a laptop computer propped in front of them. The steamy air carries the whine of a generator running in the makeshift tent camp outside.
The adult students, some of whom have lived in tents since the Jan. 12 earthquake, are studying English as part of a fledgling project that uses Internet technology, faraway volunteer teachers, donated laptops and an earthquake-themed storybook written especially for the Haitians.
The long-distance English classes are the brainchild of Justin's father, Karl Purnell, a 76-year-old author and former journalist who has used the Internet and video hookups to teach young people in Nepal.
The elder Purnell brought his project, which he calls Teach the World Online, to Haiti in February. He got involved after a longtime friend and fellow journalist, Jurate Kazickas, suggested that he hop a flight there with her husband, Roger Altman, a former deputy Treasury secretary who was flying in supplies for quake victims.
"The next day I was on the way with two laptops, not having any idea if they had broadband," Purnell said by telephone from his home in Mifflinburg, Pa.
Internet service in Haiti was by then restored, and the remaining question was whether to teach English or French. Camp dwellers answered it.
"They said, 'Please teach us English,'" Purnell said.
A tool for recovery
Haiti is a Creole-speaking former colony of France, but English has also mattered, given the history of U.S. interventions and involvement here, and because 800,000 Haitians and their descendants live in the United States. Anglophone pop artists such as 50 Cent are big in Haiti, though few Haitians speak English fluently.
The aftermath of the earthquake has drawn legions of foreign aid workers, religious volunteers, contractors, journalists and others, and English often sounds like the unofficial language of the international relief and rebuilding effort, which is expected to last for years.
Many Haitians say mastering English may offer the best path to getting back on their feet.
So far, 150 people have joined the video English classes, which are free and held in three locations: next to the improvised tent camp; in the earthquake-cracked home of Purnell's Haitian assistant, Stanley Simon; and in a sprawling slum called Cite Soleil.
The project offers learning when many schools and universities remain closed and countless workplaces lie in ruins. Forty people showed up for one recent class, more than triple the target size. The classes have attracted some teenagers, but most of the students so far are older than 20.
Patrick Etienne, 24, said he would like to learn English so he can land a job with an international aid agency.
Emmanuella Fortunat, a 21-year-old college student attending her first class, needed only rudimentary English to explain why she was there.
"For finding job," she said. "A good job."
Technological snags
The class textbook, "A New House in Haiti," is a fictional story about a Haitian family that lost its home in the quake. The tale, written by Purnell and Kazickas, highlights terms much in evidence these days: Rubble. Shovel. Destroy.
Students take turns reading dialogue in front of the Web cam, grappling with the alien sounds. The word "earthquake," for example, comes out as if it began with a hard "h," as in "hurt."
It is no easy feat to teach online when connections are often balky and power supplies spotty. Simon, the assistant, loads the router and computers into his weathered Toyota to move them from one classroom site to another. He charges laptop batteries by generator every two days.
Instruction is sometimes interrupted by dropped video calls and technological hiccups that leave the teachers on the monitor frozen and mute for minutes at a time.
But such hurdles are minor irritations to students who for months have slept under tarps near their smashed homes.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
haiti update - may 30, 2010
“…what is impossible with men is possible with God.” Luke 18:27
Hi! The earthquake that hit Haiti surprised a lot of people around the world but it didn’t surprise everyone here in Haiti. A month before the earthquake Marie (who is the cook here at Coram Deo) came up to me with a handout that a Haitian pastor had written. He wrote that in 2008 a bucket was poured on Haiti (referring to the tropical storms/hurricanes that caused massive flooding and damage here in Haiti). He mentioned that a “barrel” would soon be poured on Haiti and that it would be in the form of an earthquake that would be fatal for Port-au-Prince. He pleaded with people to turn to God. Reading this touched Marie’s heart and she asked me if I would photocopy 50 copies for her to hand out to people she knew. I did this and she handed out all the papers. Marie got this handout from someone and she in turn shared it with others. I don’t know how many people read the handouts but when the earthquake hit Marie was relieved that she had warned some people that she knew. Looking back I should have posted a copy of the handout on our gates for people to read as they walked by our gate.
My father and sister Tanya are visiting Haiti along with Marlene, Teresa and Teresa. They have been busy helping out here at Coram Deo. The dormitory is finished with the painting of the rooms. The ceramic tiles will be installed hopefully on Monday and then the electrician will come in next. After we get some more beds everyone can move into the dorms.
They have also been busy organizing all the boxes from the P.E.I donation in the living room/pharmacy. We distributed some clothing and bedding to a couple of the refuge camps near us.
The hydrocephalus surgeries started today and we will also be able to give some care packages to the mothers whose babies are receiving surgeries. Today 7 surgeries were performed over at Bernard Mevs Hospital. We supply the breakfast and supper meals at the hospital and the visitors have also been helping out with the food distribution there as well. It is great to have helping hands and to spend time with family as well! Pray for all the hydrocephalus babies that will be receiving surgeries and for the medical team from the University of Miami that is performing the surgeries. Project Medishare together with Healing Hands and Bernard Mevs Hospital are co-coordinating the surgeries. It is great to see people working well together. The University of Miami/Project Medishare Tent Hospital will be transferring from the airport grounds to Bernard Mevs Hospital on June 6th. Pray for the transition and that many people can continue to be helped at the new location.
Tanya, Marlene, Teresa and Teresa all helped out at some of the clinics after the earthquake. It was good that they could meet some of the people that they got to know at the prior clinics again. Junior has been sick recently and we have given him medicine and he was seen by a couple of doctors at recent clinics but he isn’t improving much. We are going to send him to International Child Care to get him evaluated for TB. Pray that the doctors can find out what is wrong with him.
Today was Mother’s Day here in Haiti and it was a difficult day for those who lost mothers and parents in the earthquake. Junior’s sister Dolly had a difficult day today. Keep all the earthquake orphans in prayer.
There was a double murder that took place on Airport Rd. this week. We got there after the shooting was done. They both died of their wounds instantly and there was nothing that could be done to help them. A well-known Haitian pastor, David Charles who had a church in the Delmas 24 area was gunned down along with a security guard of a parking lot by some motorcycle thieves. The pastor had left the bank after making a large withdrawal to purchase a vehicle. He had hidden the money in his socks. The thieves ambushed him by the Nissan/Land Rover dealerships on Airport Rd. We don’t know if they wanted to kidnap him or just rob him but it appears that he tried to defend himself. The chain from the barrier of the parking lot was in his hand. The thieves got away. Pray the thieves are caught and that justice will be done. It looks like whoever did this act either knew that the pastor was on his way to purchase the vehicle or worked with someone inside the bank who let people know that a large withdrawal had been made.
Post-earthquake changes in Haiti have been very, very slow and people are frustrated. We don’t see any progress on repairs at the airport. The temporary location site is not ideal for arriving passengers. A short walk on Airport Rd. is necessary to go to waiting vehicles. We have seen people being harassed for money by groups of young men pressuring people further down the road. The other week a motorcycle hit a man waiting by the arrival area. We transported him to the University of Miami/Project Medishare Hospital with a lower leg injury. He was not seriously injured and is now doing alright. Pray that repairs at the airport are made and that people don’t have to wait by the side of Airport Rd. too much longer.
Anti-government protests continue here in Port-au-Prince. These protest groups are determined to continue on with them. Another protest is planned for June 1st according to “word on the street”. Things are very political right now. Pray for peace and that elections can be organized for November 2010. People are seeing all the rubble lying around and they are frustrated. People in the camps sit there not knowing how long they will be living in these conditions. A lot of streets have rubble on them and some streets are blocked because of the rubble or tents.
A lot of bodies remain under rubble. The Haitian people as a culture want to bury their dead but the severity of the devastation causes people to just ignore them. Bodies are now bones and we have seen bones appear in areas where they weren’t before due to dogs moving them. When people find them now they just toss them in the garbage like any other bones. People who we have tried to remove from the rubble but couldn’t because of the large slabs of concrete blocking removal are now bones that have been carried off by dogs and disappeared. Pray that one day all the broken buildings are removed.
That is all the news for today. Have a good week!
Karen Bultje, Coram Deo
Hi! The earthquake that hit Haiti surprised a lot of people around the world but it didn’t surprise everyone here in Haiti. A month before the earthquake Marie (who is the cook here at Coram Deo) came up to me with a handout that a Haitian pastor had written. He wrote that in 2008 a bucket was poured on Haiti (referring to the tropical storms/hurricanes that caused massive flooding and damage here in Haiti). He mentioned that a “barrel” would soon be poured on Haiti and that it would be in the form of an earthquake that would be fatal for Port-au-Prince. He pleaded with people to turn to God. Reading this touched Marie’s heart and she asked me if I would photocopy 50 copies for her to hand out to people she knew. I did this and she handed out all the papers. Marie got this handout from someone and she in turn shared it with others. I don’t know how many people read the handouts but when the earthquake hit Marie was relieved that she had warned some people that she knew. Looking back I should have posted a copy of the handout on our gates for people to read as they walked by our gate.
My father and sister Tanya are visiting Haiti along with Marlene, Teresa and Teresa. They have been busy helping out here at Coram Deo. The dormitory is finished with the painting of the rooms. The ceramic tiles will be installed hopefully on Monday and then the electrician will come in next. After we get some more beds everyone can move into the dorms.
They have also been busy organizing all the boxes from the P.E.I donation in the living room/pharmacy. We distributed some clothing and bedding to a couple of the refuge camps near us.
The hydrocephalus surgeries started today and we will also be able to give some care packages to the mothers whose babies are receiving surgeries. Today 7 surgeries were performed over at Bernard Mevs Hospital. We supply the breakfast and supper meals at the hospital and the visitors have also been helping out with the food distribution there as well. It is great to have helping hands and to spend time with family as well! Pray for all the hydrocephalus babies that will be receiving surgeries and for the medical team from the University of Miami that is performing the surgeries. Project Medishare together with Healing Hands and Bernard Mevs Hospital are co-coordinating the surgeries. It is great to see people working well together. The University of Miami/Project Medishare Tent Hospital will be transferring from the airport grounds to Bernard Mevs Hospital on June 6th. Pray for the transition and that many people can continue to be helped at the new location.
Tanya, Marlene, Teresa and Teresa all helped out at some of the clinics after the earthquake. It was good that they could meet some of the people that they got to know at the prior clinics again. Junior has been sick recently and we have given him medicine and he was seen by a couple of doctors at recent clinics but he isn’t improving much. We are going to send him to International Child Care to get him evaluated for TB. Pray that the doctors can find out what is wrong with him.
Today was Mother’s Day here in Haiti and it was a difficult day for those who lost mothers and parents in the earthquake. Junior’s sister Dolly had a difficult day today. Keep all the earthquake orphans in prayer.
There was a double murder that took place on Airport Rd. this week. We got there after the shooting was done. They both died of their wounds instantly and there was nothing that could be done to help them. A well-known Haitian pastor, David Charles who had a church in the Delmas 24 area was gunned down along with a security guard of a parking lot by some motorcycle thieves. The pastor had left the bank after making a large withdrawal to purchase a vehicle. He had hidden the money in his socks. The thieves ambushed him by the Nissan/Land Rover dealerships on Airport Rd. We don’t know if they wanted to kidnap him or just rob him but it appears that he tried to defend himself. The chain from the barrier of the parking lot was in his hand. The thieves got away. Pray the thieves are caught and that justice will be done. It looks like whoever did this act either knew that the pastor was on his way to purchase the vehicle or worked with someone inside the bank who let people know that a large withdrawal had been made.
Post-earthquake changes in Haiti have been very, very slow and people are frustrated. We don’t see any progress on repairs at the airport. The temporary location site is not ideal for arriving passengers. A short walk on Airport Rd. is necessary to go to waiting vehicles. We have seen people being harassed for money by groups of young men pressuring people further down the road. The other week a motorcycle hit a man waiting by the arrival area. We transported him to the University of Miami/Project Medishare Hospital with a lower leg injury. He was not seriously injured and is now doing alright. Pray that repairs at the airport are made and that people don’t have to wait by the side of Airport Rd. too much longer.
Anti-government protests continue here in Port-au-Prince. These protest groups are determined to continue on with them. Another protest is planned for June 1st according to “word on the street”. Things are very political right now. Pray for peace and that elections can be organized for November 2010. People are seeing all the rubble lying around and they are frustrated. People in the camps sit there not knowing how long they will be living in these conditions. A lot of streets have rubble on them and some streets are blocked because of the rubble or tents.
A lot of bodies remain under rubble. The Haitian people as a culture want to bury their dead but the severity of the devastation causes people to just ignore them. Bodies are now bones and we have seen bones appear in areas where they weren’t before due to dogs moving them. When people find them now they just toss them in the garbage like any other bones. People who we have tried to remove from the rubble but couldn’t because of the large slabs of concrete blocking removal are now bones that have been carried off by dogs and disappeared. Pray that one day all the broken buildings are removed.
That is all the news for today. Have a good week!
Karen Bultje, Coram Deo
ARTICLE - RUBBLE IN THE STREETS
RUBBLE OF A BROKEN CITY STRAINS HAITIANS' PATIENCE
(New York Times) - By Damien Cave
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — With graffiti and protests, from sweltering tents to air-conditioned offices, Haitians are desperately trying to get a message to their government and the world: enough with the status quo.
The simple phrase “Aba Préval” (Down with Préval, a reference to Haiti's president, Rene Preval has become shorthand for a long list of frustrations, and an epithet expressing a broader fear — that Haitians will be stuck in limbo indefinitely, and that the opportunity to reinvent Haiti is being lost.
While few have given up entirely on the dream that a more efficient, more just Haiti might rise from the rubble, increasingly, hope is giving way to stalemate and bitterness. “Is this really it?” Haitians ask. They complain that the politically connected are benefiting most from reconstruction work that has barely begun. They shake their heads at crime’s coming back, unproductive politicians and aid groups that are struggling with tarpaulin metropolises that look more permanent every day.
“We’re going to be in this position forever,” said Patrick Moussignac, the owner of Radio Caraïbes, a popular station broadcasting from a tent downtown. “We could be living on the streets for 10 or 20 years.”
Government officials have repeatedly called for patience. And among American and United Nations officials, there is a sense that Mr. Préval and his deputies have become more engaged, putting in long days at an annex behind the damaged presidential palace.
United Nations officials now calmly predict that elections will take place by the end of the year, but no clear alternative to Mr. Préval has emerged.
But in the meantime, until the next government takes office? “We are in a period of perilous stagnation,” said Robert Fatton Jr., a historian at the University of Virginia who was born in Haiti but is now an American citizen.
Parliament is now essentially disbanded; power lies with Mr. Préval, his cabinet and a reconstruction commission led by the Haitian prime minister and former President Bill Clinton.
Haitians are not especially pleased. Freshly painted graffiti on main thoroughfares now declare “Aba Okipasyon” (Down With the Occupation) and call for the ouster of NGOs, or nongovernmental organizations.
Mostly, Haitians say they just want someone in charge, telling them what to expect. “The people need a response,” said Michèle Pierre-Louis, the prime minister under Mr. Préval until last year. Because the president has not told families in tents or business owners what they might receive to rebuild, she said, “they do not know where he is leading them.”
Missed opportunities are beginning to mount. Immediately after the earthquake, Ms. Pierre-Louis said, Haiti’s central bank should have guaranteed loans or loosened its collateral requirements to help small businesses trying to reopen.
Before Parliament closed, she added, lawmakers could have made it easier for members of the Haitian diaspora to invest — perhaps by easing rules requiring that joint ventures be 51 percent Haitian-owned.
That might have opened the country to more people like Alain Armand, 36, a Haitian-American lawyer from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., who is now trying to open several businesses here in Port-au-Prince, the capital, including a bed and breakfast.
Trying is the operative word, he said: “It costs $3,000, and it takes at least three months to get incorporated. There is no organized structure in which we, outsiders to NGO-land, can operate.”
Even within “NGO-land,” disappointment is settling in. Complaints about the government dragging its feet over decision-making are common. Reconstruction so far has mostly amounted to an emergency response in the form of plastic. About 564,000 tarpaulins had been distributed as of early May, enough to cover an estimated 1.7 million people; or laid out lengthwise, to run from New York City to past Albuquerque.
The tarpaulins are an enormous help, as the drenching afternoon rains begin, but they are not safe or strong homes. “In the beginning, we felt like it was fine for us,” said Gaela Rifort, 30, outside her tent in Pétionville, a suburb of Port-au-Prince. “But now, they are not enough.”
The urgent demand for more can also be seen in the perfectly formed piles of bricks that suddenly appear each day, like giant termite mounds, in the middle of major streets. Initially, rubble in the roads came from the earthquake; now it is a sign of property owners clearing their land.
Garnier Daudin, 69, a taxi driver who owns an apartment building tipped on its side in Carrefour-Feuille, a neighborhood in the capital, said he had no choice but to move it to the street. “I have renters,” he said. “It’s been five months, and the government hasn’t told me anything.”
Looking toward a nearby intersection, he added, “When we drop it there on the main street, the government will have to come get it.”
Or so he hopes. In many areas, piles that were once on the street have been pushed closer to the curb, and left there. One large mound on Route de Delmas has been walked over so many times in the past few months that bricks have been flattened into a dusty gray path — which runs by shoe sellers like Manoucheka Walker, 22, who said “the government left the pile with us” because “the government doesn’t care.”
Just behind her, on a rusty blue fence, a large “Aba Préval” had been painted in the bright red of the Haitian flag.
Reconstruction workers seem to be just as exasperated. The United Nations estimates that the quake destroyed 105,000 homes, and damaged 208,000 others, mostly in Port-au-Prince. That is a lot of rubble for the roads.
Indeed, when this reporter followed one of the new mango-colored dump trucks assigned to reconstruction, it rerouted around several of them, delaying its arrival at a canal where it collected trash pulled from the ravine to prevent flooding.
Haitian professionals like Frank St.-Juste, 48, an engineer who owns a construction company, had hoped for more. He said he thought the earthquake would lead to a more open, pragmatic government with stricter bidding procedures, urban planning and international standards.
Instead, he said he was being paid to clear damaged homes by a friend who has a contract with a nongovernmental organization that he declined to name. “It’s not the right way to do it,” he said.
At the time, he stood beside a backhoe that he owns, on a hilltop beside Fort National, which is one of the neighborhoods hardest hit by the quake. He said his company was the only one assigned to the area. It was nearly dark and he was still working, but his temporarily broken-down backhoe and four trucks were hardly adequate for the densely packed neighborhood with hundreds of pulverized homes.
Asked how he chose which property to clear first, he said, “We have to start somewhere.” Later, like so many others, his mood darkened.
“There is no sense of priorities or sequencing,” he said. “There is no master plan.”
(New York Times) - By Damien Cave
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — With graffiti and protests, from sweltering tents to air-conditioned offices, Haitians are desperately trying to get a message to their government and the world: enough with the status quo.
The simple phrase “Aba Préval” (Down with Préval, a reference to Haiti's president, Rene Preval has become shorthand for a long list of frustrations, and an epithet expressing a broader fear — that Haitians will be stuck in limbo indefinitely, and that the opportunity to reinvent Haiti is being lost.
While few have given up entirely on the dream that a more efficient, more just Haiti might rise from the rubble, increasingly, hope is giving way to stalemate and bitterness. “Is this really it?” Haitians ask. They complain that the politically connected are benefiting most from reconstruction work that has barely begun. They shake their heads at crime’s coming back, unproductive politicians and aid groups that are struggling with tarpaulin metropolises that look more permanent every day.
“We’re going to be in this position forever,” said Patrick Moussignac, the owner of Radio Caraïbes, a popular station broadcasting from a tent downtown. “We could be living on the streets for 10 or 20 years.”
Government officials have repeatedly called for patience. And among American and United Nations officials, there is a sense that Mr. Préval and his deputies have become more engaged, putting in long days at an annex behind the damaged presidential palace.
United Nations officials now calmly predict that elections will take place by the end of the year, but no clear alternative to Mr. Préval has emerged.
But in the meantime, until the next government takes office? “We are in a period of perilous stagnation,” said Robert Fatton Jr., a historian at the University of Virginia who was born in Haiti but is now an American citizen.
Parliament is now essentially disbanded; power lies with Mr. Préval, his cabinet and a reconstruction commission led by the Haitian prime minister and former President Bill Clinton.
Haitians are not especially pleased. Freshly painted graffiti on main thoroughfares now declare “Aba Okipasyon” (Down With the Occupation) and call for the ouster of NGOs, or nongovernmental organizations.
Mostly, Haitians say they just want someone in charge, telling them what to expect. “The people need a response,” said Michèle Pierre-Louis, the prime minister under Mr. Préval until last year. Because the president has not told families in tents or business owners what they might receive to rebuild, she said, “they do not know where he is leading them.”
Missed opportunities are beginning to mount. Immediately after the earthquake, Ms. Pierre-Louis said, Haiti’s central bank should have guaranteed loans or loosened its collateral requirements to help small businesses trying to reopen.
Before Parliament closed, she added, lawmakers could have made it easier for members of the Haitian diaspora to invest — perhaps by easing rules requiring that joint ventures be 51 percent Haitian-owned.
That might have opened the country to more people like Alain Armand, 36, a Haitian-American lawyer from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., who is now trying to open several businesses here in Port-au-Prince, the capital, including a bed and breakfast.
Trying is the operative word, he said: “It costs $3,000, and it takes at least three months to get incorporated. There is no organized structure in which we, outsiders to NGO-land, can operate.”
Even within “NGO-land,” disappointment is settling in. Complaints about the government dragging its feet over decision-making are common. Reconstruction so far has mostly amounted to an emergency response in the form of plastic. About 564,000 tarpaulins had been distributed as of early May, enough to cover an estimated 1.7 million people; or laid out lengthwise, to run from New York City to past Albuquerque.
The tarpaulins are an enormous help, as the drenching afternoon rains begin, but they are not safe or strong homes. “In the beginning, we felt like it was fine for us,” said Gaela Rifort, 30, outside her tent in Pétionville, a suburb of Port-au-Prince. “But now, they are not enough.”
The urgent demand for more can also be seen in the perfectly formed piles of bricks that suddenly appear each day, like giant termite mounds, in the middle of major streets. Initially, rubble in the roads came from the earthquake; now it is a sign of property owners clearing their land.
Garnier Daudin, 69, a taxi driver who owns an apartment building tipped on its side in Carrefour-Feuille, a neighborhood in the capital, said he had no choice but to move it to the street. “I have renters,” he said. “It’s been five months, and the government hasn’t told me anything.”
Looking toward a nearby intersection, he added, “When we drop it there on the main street, the government will have to come get it.”
Or so he hopes. In many areas, piles that were once on the street have been pushed closer to the curb, and left there. One large mound on Route de Delmas has been walked over so many times in the past few months that bricks have been flattened into a dusty gray path — which runs by shoe sellers like Manoucheka Walker, 22, who said “the government left the pile with us” because “the government doesn’t care.”
Just behind her, on a rusty blue fence, a large “Aba Préval” had been painted in the bright red of the Haitian flag.
Reconstruction workers seem to be just as exasperated. The United Nations estimates that the quake destroyed 105,000 homes, and damaged 208,000 others, mostly in Port-au-Prince. That is a lot of rubble for the roads.
Indeed, when this reporter followed one of the new mango-colored dump trucks assigned to reconstruction, it rerouted around several of them, delaying its arrival at a canal where it collected trash pulled from the ravine to prevent flooding.
Haitian professionals like Frank St.-Juste, 48, an engineer who owns a construction company, had hoped for more. He said he thought the earthquake would lead to a more open, pragmatic government with stricter bidding procedures, urban planning and international standards.
Instead, he said he was being paid to clear damaged homes by a friend who has a contract with a nongovernmental organization that he declined to name. “It’s not the right way to do it,” he said.
At the time, he stood beside a backhoe that he owns, on a hilltop beside Fort National, which is one of the neighborhoods hardest hit by the quake. He said his company was the only one assigned to the area. It was nearly dark and he was still working, but his temporarily broken-down backhoe and four trucks were hardly adequate for the densely packed neighborhood with hundreds of pulverized homes.
Asked how he chose which property to clear first, he said, “We have to start somewhere.” Later, like so many others, his mood darkened.
“There is no sense of priorities or sequencing,” he said. “There is no master plan.”
Saturday, May 29, 2010
VIDEO - LIFE IN REFUGE CAMPS
To watch an AFP video on life in a haitian refuge camp follow the link to:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOSnbWJvgms
www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOSnbWJvgms
photos - various - part 1
Here is my dad putting on the "good coat" of paint on the inside of one of the dorm rooms.
Everyone was up early to beat the heat of the day.
The outside of the dorm was primed as well. The rains then came and the focus then switched to painting the inside of the house!
Johnny gave a helping hand after he came home from school.
The children did too. Not all the paint ended up on the walls though. Good thing the prime coat is washable to get off the doors and floor. The good coat is going to be done by the "pros" on the team!photos - various - part 2
The younger children like to help.
There are different painting styles. Jefftay painted the ceiling from the top of the cupboard.
William put on his "painting face"!
The guys helped out with organizing the clothes and also picked out some clothes for themselves too.
Everyone did a good job at organizing the boxes into care packages for a couple of the refuge camps on Delmas 31.photos - various - part 3
Friday morning we went with Wichtarline's family to get a cat scan done in preparation for the visit of the Miami neurosurgery team that will be arriving on May 29th.
We went to the Centre de Scanner Computarise which is located in the downtown area on Rue Marcelin. Project Medishare sponsored the cost of the cat scan.
The technician who works there is a nice guy who knows his job well.
We also dropped off Amos, Altide and her son at Haitian Immigration. Altide is Darline Bertil's mother and we were applying for a passport for her mother. They will give her one in 2 weeks but we need to get it faster. Next week we are going to try and meet with the director to speed up the passport process!
There is a neat little business on Ave. Martin Luther King. Willy's Windows sells doors and windows. Notice up above. Everything is destroyed above but business continues. There was a heated discussion taking place. There was no line-up at Willy Windows door.photos - various - part 4
There is lots of rubble on the streets in Port-au-Prince. It is a good sign though. It means work is being done at taking down broken buildings.
Sometimes it makes for difficult driving competing with oncoming traffic to see who gets first through the narrow roads.
Even pedestrians have trouble manouvering some of the streets in the city.
This was the Ecole Coeurs Unis. Many schools are destroyed and damaged throughout the city.
Friday was a rainy day! I took some photos to prove it!photos - various - part 5
This mother walks in the rain while her daughter walks home from school under the umbrella.
It doesn't rain too often during the day here in Haiti.
People are recycling the rebar from broken buildings. This man is loading up this tap-tap with some.
The team had some fun too! We went and ate at Epi Dor.
It was Dieula's 15th birthday this week and we got a birthday cake for her. Happy Birthday Dieula!photos - various - part 6
Luciano (the boy who lost his arm in the earthquake) has an older brother who needs some help with tuition. We are going to help him finish the year at the school he is attending.
2 people were killed by gunmen on Airport Rd. this week during an attempted robbery/kidnapping. A well known Haitian pastor, David Charles was killed in front of a car dealership. He had just come out of a bank after making a withdrawal to purchase a vehicle. The thieves knew this, and went after him on their motorcycle. We were at the site just after it happened.
The security guard on the car lot was killed also.
Pastor David Charles and the security guard died instantly from their wounds.
It didn't take long for a large crowd to form. Amos's family rushed to the site thinking that his father was the pastor who was killed. Pray that the killers are found and brought to justice.Friday, May 28, 2010
ARTICLE - SCHOOLS IN HAITI
HAITI'S STRUGGLE TO GET CHILDREN BACK TO SCHOOL
(New America Foundation) - By Kristie van de Wetering
Today we feature a guest post by Eric Tyler, a research assistant with the international programs unit at Plan USA, a non-profit organization that has been operating in Haiti since 1973. Early Ed Watch asked Eric to provide an update on how the January earthquake has affected Haitian children and their schooling.
The earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, 2010 crippled an already inadequate education system. Nearly half a million children were directly affected and still live in settlements where drinking water is limited, hygiene and sanitation levels are low, and few basic social services exist. An essential step in bringing back a sense of normalcy for these children is to get to them back to school.
The earthquake was the strongest to hit Haiti in more than 200 years, and its impact on the education sector was unprecedented. In the earthquake’s aftermath, Haiti’s Education Minister Joel Jean-Pierre declared “the total collapse of the Haitian education system” in which half of Haiti’s primary and secondary schools were damaged or destroyed. Not only were physical resources decimated but human resources as well, and in the West province alone, the Ministry of Education reported that more than 38,000 students and 1,300 educators perished.
The full destruction of Haiti’s education system wasn’t the result of one afternoon but rather the outcome of decades of negligence. The Chilean earthquake that occurred a month and half after the earthquake in Haiti recorded a magnitude of 8.8 on the Richter scale — 500 times stronger than the quake in Haiti; however, comparatively, the result of the earthquake was far less due to Chile’s developed infrastructure and disaster preparedness.
Prior to the earthquake, Haiti’s education system was in a fragile state with relatively little government investment and oversight, in which an estimated 90 percent of the schools were privately run. In 2007, more than 9,000 preschool classrooms were privately managed compared to 433 run by the government. To put this into context, according to the CIA World Fact Book, Haiti ranks in the bottom 10 countries for public expenditure on education as percentage of GDP. Despite this, there is recognition among Haitians that education is a powerful tool to escape poverty, and poor households will spend 15 to 25 percent of their income on private school fees with additional expenditures for books and uniforms.
According to Haiti's Ministry of Education, 54 percent of the population was enrolled in some sort of preschool before the earthquake, 76 percent were getting basic, or elementary, education services, and 22 percent were enrolled in the upper and lower secondary grades (similar to the American high school system). Because few daycare programs existed, preschools were often overloaded having to take on infants as young as one. This overcrowding and lack of regulation and formalization were the core challenges facing Haiti’s preschools prior to the earthquake. And these problems were not limited to preschool classrooms. According to the Haitian Foundation for Private Education, only 41 percent of children who started grade 1 reached grade 5, and learning outcomes revealed only very basic abilities – less than 5 percent of grade 6 pupils can pass a basic literacy and numeracy test.
An optimistic goal of reconstruction efforts is to not only regain access to schools but to expand access beyond previous levels. However, the issue of access is proving to be extremely complex. The capacity of the education system to cope with the rise of disabled and traumatized children is of serious concern. In addition, many families can no longer pay schools fees, and without this financial support, schools cannot afford salaries of teachers, who are in desperate need. To complicate things further, in many areas, schools grounds are being used to house temporary camps and settlements of displaced people, who are themselves in desperate need of help.
April 5th marked the official reopening for earthquake affected schools, an as of May 5th, the Ministry of Education reported that 75 percent of children enrolled prior to the earthquake have returned to school. However, these numbers are much lower in heavily affected areas. The Municipal Office for Education in Petit and Grand Goave – two areas hit hard by the earthquake – reported that only 58 out of 318 primary schools have reopened (approximately 18 percent), and 2 out of 67 secondary schools have reopened (3 percent).
To assist schools with teaching, the Haitian government has created and adapted curriculum which attempts to incorporate guidelines for psychosocial support and disaster risk reduction along with accelerated learning approaches.
Working alongside Haiti’s Ministry of Education is the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (ISAC) Education Cluster, a consortium of different organizations and groups including UNICEF, the Ministry of Education, teacher associations and international and local non-governmental organizations (including the organization I currently work for). The Education Cluster has provided nearly 2,500 school tents and created 200 learning spaces covering more than 200,000 children. These efforts have focused on providing a transitional solution to rebuilding the education system until more long-term services can be put into place.
It took only 35 seconds for an earthquake to demolish Haiti’s education system, but it will take years upon years to bring adequate education to Haiti.
Nevertheless, there is an opportunity to not only repair but to revitalize an education system that was broken long before the earthquake ever happened. Early education, in particular, should be a top priority and could benefit from a more balanced private-public system, in which the government should take on a larger role to provide more public oversight, incentives, and accountability. The hope in what will definitely be a long road to recovery remains in the guidance of the Haitian government, the continued commitment of the international community, and the resilience of the Haitian people.
(New America Foundation) - By Kristie van de Wetering
Today we feature a guest post by Eric Tyler, a research assistant with the international programs unit at Plan USA, a non-profit organization that has been operating in Haiti since 1973. Early Ed Watch asked Eric to provide an update on how the January earthquake has affected Haitian children and their schooling.
The earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, 2010 crippled an already inadequate education system. Nearly half a million children were directly affected and still live in settlements where drinking water is limited, hygiene and sanitation levels are low, and few basic social services exist. An essential step in bringing back a sense of normalcy for these children is to get to them back to school.
The earthquake was the strongest to hit Haiti in more than 200 years, and its impact on the education sector was unprecedented. In the earthquake’s aftermath, Haiti’s Education Minister Joel Jean-Pierre declared “the total collapse of the Haitian education system” in which half of Haiti’s primary and secondary schools were damaged or destroyed. Not only were physical resources decimated but human resources as well, and in the West province alone, the Ministry of Education reported that more than 38,000 students and 1,300 educators perished.
The full destruction of Haiti’s education system wasn’t the result of one afternoon but rather the outcome of decades of negligence. The Chilean earthquake that occurred a month and half after the earthquake in Haiti recorded a magnitude of 8.8 on the Richter scale — 500 times stronger than the quake in Haiti; however, comparatively, the result of the earthquake was far less due to Chile’s developed infrastructure and disaster preparedness.
Prior to the earthquake, Haiti’s education system was in a fragile state with relatively little government investment and oversight, in which an estimated 90 percent of the schools were privately run. In 2007, more than 9,000 preschool classrooms were privately managed compared to 433 run by the government. To put this into context, according to the CIA World Fact Book, Haiti ranks in the bottom 10 countries for public expenditure on education as percentage of GDP. Despite this, there is recognition among Haitians that education is a powerful tool to escape poverty, and poor households will spend 15 to 25 percent of their income on private school fees with additional expenditures for books and uniforms.
According to Haiti's Ministry of Education, 54 percent of the population was enrolled in some sort of preschool before the earthquake, 76 percent were getting basic, or elementary, education services, and 22 percent were enrolled in the upper and lower secondary grades (similar to the American high school system). Because few daycare programs existed, preschools were often overloaded having to take on infants as young as one. This overcrowding and lack of regulation and formalization were the core challenges facing Haiti’s preschools prior to the earthquake. And these problems were not limited to preschool classrooms. According to the Haitian Foundation for Private Education, only 41 percent of children who started grade 1 reached grade 5, and learning outcomes revealed only very basic abilities – less than 5 percent of grade 6 pupils can pass a basic literacy and numeracy test.
An optimistic goal of reconstruction efforts is to not only regain access to schools but to expand access beyond previous levels. However, the issue of access is proving to be extremely complex. The capacity of the education system to cope with the rise of disabled and traumatized children is of serious concern. In addition, many families can no longer pay schools fees, and without this financial support, schools cannot afford salaries of teachers, who are in desperate need. To complicate things further, in many areas, schools grounds are being used to house temporary camps and settlements of displaced people, who are themselves in desperate need of help.
April 5th marked the official reopening for earthquake affected schools, an as of May 5th, the Ministry of Education reported that 75 percent of children enrolled prior to the earthquake have returned to school. However, these numbers are much lower in heavily affected areas. The Municipal Office for Education in Petit and Grand Goave – two areas hit hard by the earthquake – reported that only 58 out of 318 primary schools have reopened (approximately 18 percent), and 2 out of 67 secondary schools have reopened (3 percent).
To assist schools with teaching, the Haitian government has created and adapted curriculum which attempts to incorporate guidelines for psychosocial support and disaster risk reduction along with accelerated learning approaches.
Working alongside Haiti’s Ministry of Education is the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (ISAC) Education Cluster, a consortium of different organizations and groups including UNICEF, the Ministry of Education, teacher associations and international and local non-governmental organizations (including the organization I currently work for). The Education Cluster has provided nearly 2,500 school tents and created 200 learning spaces covering more than 200,000 children. These efforts have focused on providing a transitional solution to rebuilding the education system until more long-term services can be put into place.
It took only 35 seconds for an earthquake to demolish Haiti’s education system, but it will take years upon years to bring adequate education to Haiti.
Nevertheless, there is an opportunity to not only repair but to revitalize an education system that was broken long before the earthquake ever happened. Early education, in particular, should be a top priority and could benefit from a more balanced private-public system, in which the government should take on a larger role to provide more public oversight, incentives, and accountability. The hope in what will definitely be a long road to recovery remains in the guidance of the Haitian government, the continued commitment of the international community, and the resilience of the Haitian people.
VIDEO - PROTESTS IN PORT-AU-PRINCE
Anti-government protests are becoming more frequent recently. On Thursday there was a protest and word on the street is that another protest is being planned for June 1st. Pray for togetherness for the country. It is difficult to rebuild otherwise. To see an AP video on the recent protest follow the link to:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=MH6tO1ZzmqY
www.youtube.com/watch?v=MH6tO1ZzmqY
Thursday, May 27, 2010
photos - various - part 1
The Angels to Haiti mission team is here and they are serious about getting down to business! Here is Marlene ready to paint the dorm rooms.
It wasn't all serious though. Everyone had fun too!
There were lots of volunteers to help.
First step was to prime the walls. Aldai is giving the thumbs up!
The prime coats are done now and ready tomorrow for the cover paint!photos - various - part 2
Everyone enjoyed painting. Manu is putting in a good effort in this photo too.
One of the projects we did was move the remainder of the cement blocks from one area of the yard to the other. The block pile was removed one by one.
Bertrand handed off the blocks to the "cross the yard carriers".
Reginald was one of them.
My dad was at the other side of the yard organizing a new cement block pile. Amos and my dad had fun!photos - various - part 3
The cement boss and Pastor Pierre are now done their work on the dorm. They did a great job!
This week they worked on finishing up the earthquake cracks on the outside of the house. There were a few!
Now they are parging the property walls that were built by the Canadian military.
The cement boss is very skilled. He makes parging look easy. I tried and gave up quickly!
We ordered the ceramic tiles for the dormitory today from Mosaique Gardere. They have some beautiful tiles there. These ones come from Brazil! The installation team from Mosaique Gardere will install the tiles on Monday hopefully. Thank you people of Sudbury for making it possible for us to rebuild our dormitory!photos - various - part 4
Teresa and Tanya are busy looking through all the boxes received from the P.E.I. shipment.
Marlene and Teresa are also helping to organize the boxes in preparation for a distribution to a local refuge camp and to the families in the school program here at Coram Deo.
Some of the shirts come from the "2009 Canada Games". They make a good uniform for the school children. Here are the students of the Coram Deo School!
The shirts are sturdy and should last a bunch of washings.
To the people of P.E.I "Thank you for helping out Haiti and the Coram Deo school!"
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