ARTICLE - VRBANOVIC - SIGNS OF HOPE

VRBANOVIC SEES SIGNS OF HOPE IN HAITI DURING POLITICAL MISSION
(The Record) - By Brent Davis

Poverty and despair have always found a home in Haiti.

The devastating earthquake 18 months ago that killed tens of thousands and displaced countless others only cemented their footing.

But, as Kitchener councillor and Federation of Canadian Municipalities president Berry Vrbanovic is discovering in his first visit to the country, there are signs of hope.

Earlier this week, Vrbanovic visited two relief camps. One holds 52,000 people in “substandard living conditions,” he said. The other, a newer one, has more permanent homes and a semblance of order.

“It was like night and day,” Vrbanovic said in a telephone interview.

For several months, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities has been working in Haiti with a number of partners, including the city of Montreal and the federation’s counterparts in Quebec, France and the Netherlands.

Various projects aim to help local governments in Haiti rebuild and better deliver essential services such as water and garbage collection. It’s hoped that the lessons learned on a park revitalization project or the restoration of a soccer field, for example, will continue to serve the Haitian municipalities down the road.

“Our focus is on sharing municipal expertise,” Vrbanovic said.

On this five-day trip, Vrbanovic is accompanying representatives from the various partners as they visit field offices and project locations, sign partnership agreements and participate in political meetings.

The Canadian contribution to the two-and-a-half-year partnership is valued at about $8.9 million, with $6.9 million coming from the Canadian International Development Agency and the rest coming in-kind from municipalities as they send elected officials and staff to assist.

“The legacy behind the projects is that they are sustainable,” Vrbanovic said.

The federation has been participating in “capacity-building” projects around the world for the past 25 years, he said. Some of the work comes in the wake of natural disasters, such as in Haiti and following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

“(The Federation) is not going to solve the problems of Haiti on its own,” Vrbanovic said. “But if we can make a small difference in a few communities, it will be a step forward.”