ARTICLE - AUSTRALIA REACHES OUT

AUSTRALIA REACHES OUT TO HAITI
(Trinidad Guardian) - By Michelle Loubon

Haiti is one of the unluckiest countries on earth, cursed by poverty, by the legacy of decades of corrupt dictatorship and a massive earthquake on January 12, 2010. In the aftermath of the disaster which claimed about 300,000 lives, Australia rallied to its support by donating US $50 million. They even sent Jedd Abad, donor laison officer/Interim Haiti Recovery Commission to assist in its reconstruction efforts. It is headed by former United States president Bill Clinton. A week ago, Australian High Commissioner Philip Kentwell paid kudos to Abad for his input into ameliorating the lives of poverty-stricken Haitians. Today, 1.3 million Haitians continue to live in tent cities and its attendant squalor. They continually eke out an existence for essentials like food, clothing and shelter. Kentwell said: “We entered into a US $50 million agreement. Shortly after Kevin Rudd (former Australian prime minister) heard Haiti had a major catastrophe, it committed US $24 million in development...Australia responded quickly and publicly through public fundraising.”

Kentwell boasted Australia was one of the few countries to follow through on its donor pledge. “I am pleased to say that part of Australia’s commitment is we do as we say. Australia is one of the few countries to make do on its pledge.” Kentwell noted it was important to reach out to Haitians since it had signed an MOU with Caricom countries in November 2009. First Secretary Hannah Bleby was responsible for overseeing the projects which would impact on 14 Caricom countries. Twelve small island states belong to the Commonwealth. Kentwell said: “I am pleased to report it is going very well. I think without exception the projects and programmes we are contributing to are worthwhile and drawing dividends.” He noted the thrust to assist Haiti coincided with its position as the 13th largest world economy. To compound it, Australia achieved a seat at the G20 and vowed to engage more actively with regions, hemispheres and countries, “where in the past we may have shown some neglect”. Kentwell said Australia moved to build stronger bridges and linkages between the Pacific and the Caribbean in areas like climate change, trade in arms, trade environment and a range of global issues such as World Trade Organisation (WTO) and work assiduously toward improving the circumstances of communities. Australia’s help is timely, since initially the international community rallied to Haiti’s side promising $8.75 billion in aid and a veritable Haitian renaissance. But progress has fizzled on practically all fronts.

Formation of Civilian Corps

In another concerted effort to continue reaching out to Haitians, Kentwell noted the Australian Civilian Corps was founded. Abad had the distinction of being the first civilian corp deployed by the Haitian government. He was charged with the responsibility of donor co-ordination. Kentwell said: “We have about 400 people deployed in various locations over the world. They had lost a lot of key top performing public servants at the time the earthquake struck. It was difficult for the Haitian government to get a handle. We are proud of Australia’s corp deployment to Haiti in a time of great need. While Kentwell visited Haiti twice, he felt having Abad on the ground “gave him first-hand knowledge, informed recommendations and kept him in touch with key people”. He paid kudos to Jedd for the sterling job he had done. Apart from Abad, he lauded the T&T input. “We are pleased to support Caricom’s response to Haiti and to respond to the cholera. Trinidad is doing some wonderful response efforts...putting together kits.” Prior to the destruction, Trinidadian missionary Avonelle Hector-Joseph and her team Is There Not A Cause (ITNAC) went into the heart of Haiti to bring relief.

Committed to Haiti’s recovery

Joining in the tete-a-tete, Abad said his sojourn to Haiti began in April 2011. He said: “I was committed to Haiti’s recovery primarily because of the magnitude of the earthquake and the inability of the government of Haiti to respond to dealing with an earthquake of that magnitude. I was working on putting policies in place for Haiti’s recovery. I went into the commission at a time critical time in its history.” He added: “The work that was done with donors was done on a more ad hoc basis. I worked closely with the donors to mobilise financial resources. “I went into a commission at a time when it was critical. There were very little structures and I helped donors to mobilise monies. I needed to understand what was being funded and what needed funding.” Abad likened the experience to “a very complex but rewarding three or four months”.

Patting himself on the back, Abad said he was proud to have contributed to overall funding of the recovery process. He said: “It taught me about funding projects on the ground and developed leadership with development partners and NGOs. I have been a focal point for the international community. It was the first time they had someone they could go to and communicate with.”

What Jedd saw

Arriving in Port-au-Prince, Abad said he was struck by the amount of rubble, lack of basic infrastructure and services and people living in tents. He said: “People are still living in tents. It is unacceptable after such a period of time, they must be experiencing great suffering. There is a movement to have them relocated to their neighbourhoods.” To truly rebuild a city, the detritus that has been left behind had to be cleared away. An excerpt from Newsweek (November 15, 2010) said: “If there is a single essential prerequisite to the reconstruction of Haiti, it is the removal of rubble from its capital city Port-au-Prince. The earthquake also left behind about 25 million cubic yards—six times the volume of Hoover Dam—in felled houses, schools and government buildings.” It added: “To date, only five per cent of the rubble has been removed, or slightly more than a million cubic yards, has been hauled off the streets. One million cubic yards is impressive when you consider the bulk of it is gathered and carted off by Haitians working with nothing more than pickaxes, wheelbarrows and their own bare hands. But it’s still less than 10 per cent of what officials had hoped to remove by now. So far, some $30 million has been devoted to clearing the debris and waste deposited by the quake.

Impressed by Haitian’s resilience

Amid prolonged suffering, Abad said he was struck by the way Haitians walk and their posture. He added: “The little girls who are playing in the evenings go to school during the day with crisp, white shirts and crisp, white ribbons in their hair.” “I was impressed by the overall resilience of the people to remain positive after all their calamities. It says something about their determination to make a real sense of survival.”

It was a learning experience. “As you become more experienced in the role, you begin to understand a little bit about the context and the global partners and the experiences you go through. You begin to develop context as to why we were where we were.”

Unemployment high

While Haitians have a good work ethic, unemployment remains incredibly high. Abad was struck by the creativity of Haiti’s artisans. He said: “They work with fire to mould the steel. Artists have got a lot of paintings.” Agriculture is another sector that shows some promise. “A lot of them are involved in agriculture. They go down to the market and purchase mangoes. They buy pork. Griot (fried pork) is a popular dish. They fry plantains. I don’t know what they would do without bananas.” Macy’s is selling home-décor products made by Haitian artisans. Coca-Cola is helping with mango production. But they have a burning ambition to improve themselves. Abad said: “Haitians are keen to better themselves and engage with internationals which is part of the learning process.” Chiming in, Kentwell added: “You don’t see faces with dejected looks.”

Potential in tourism sector

Quizzed on the input of international donors, Abad said: “They are building schools and hospitals. Different donors tend to have different interests. They have expertise in different sectors.” Abad noted since newly elected president Michel Martelly had assumed office, the government had pledged to build capacity in areas including energy, environment, rule of law and education. Abad felt private sector investment was welcome since it was an important pillar of Martelly’s administration. Another focus that has gained momentum was the tourism sector. On the flip side, Abad said: “Sometimes we neglect Haiti’s more positive attributes. There are beautiful beaches and areas where you can hike. There are excellent opportunities for ecotourism.” He felt a co-ordinated effort between development partners, civil society, and NGOs would facilitate the reconstruction of Haiti.