photos - camp woodeden - ontario - part 6

"Set a Goal" - When yopu want what you've never had, you must do what you've never done.

"Extreme" - joy of competing!

bringing a smile to a child

giving children the opportunity to move and enjoy their surroundings. Thank you Camp Woodeden!...... I just finished updating this post. The rains are starting. Emily is here

CAN HAITI BUILD A DIFFERENT PORT-AU-PRINCE?

ARTICLE - PNH - SECOND QUARTER REPORT

MIXED RESULTS OF THE PNH FOR THE SECOND QUARTER
(Haiti Libre) -

Frantz Lerebours, spokesman of the Police Nationale d'Haiti (PNH) presented the latest statistics of the West Department, for the second quarter of this year [April to June]. These statistics reveal among other things, that 1,235 major violations have made 401 victims and 423 interpellations...

The armed robberies were down slightly in May, at the department level, from "230 in April to 200 in May and rised to 210 in June". 11 arrests were made in connection with these acts. "The Department is trying to draw a map of those robberies in particular so that this type of crime will drop significantly" clarified the spokesperson.

Moreover, these statistics indicate a significant drop in kidnappings, mostly between May and June. "Of the 10 cases that were registered in April, this figure rose to 12 in May and fell to 5 in June." However, Frantz Lerebours notes that the results "are less satisfactory in terms of murders." "There have been 118 victims [42 in April, 48 in May, and 47 in June], 49 people were arrested for these crimes [24 in April, 13 in May, and 12 in June]". In addition, concerning gender violence, he indicated that "113 rapes have been reported in the three recent months [39 in April, 41 in May, and 33 in June], and that the PNH had made a total of 80 arrests for these acts."

128 bandits have also been arrested during the same period for conspiracy, and 91 weapons were seized. 9 bandits were fatally wounded during exchanges of fire with police, and three others were wounded.

But, these figures can not be complete without mentioning the heavy toll paid again by the police in the exercise of their duties, at the service of the population.

During this second quarter, eight police officers were victims of armed aggressions, three of whom died.

ARTICLE - FOCUS ON REBUILDING NEIGHBORHOODS

HAITIAN PRESIDENT CALLS FOR CHANGES IN RECOVERY PANEL, PROMISES TO MAKE IT MORE EFFECTIVE
(Washington Post) - By AP

PORT-AU-PRINCE — President Michel Martelly announced changes to the makeup of a recovery commission Friday that he says will make it more effective as it tries to rebuild from Haiti’s devastating earthquake.

Haiti’s new leader also asked for a yearlong extension on the mandate of the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission, which was set up months after the January 2010 disaster to better coordinate reconstruction. It is led by the U.N. special envoy for Haiti, former U.S. President Bill Clinton, and Haiti’s outgoing Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive.

The mandate of the panel is due to expire in October and Martelly’s request for its extension could meet opposition when it goes before Haiti’s legislature for approval.

Since he took office in May, Martelly has been at odds with the opposition-controlled parliament. Lawmakers rejected his first pick for prime minister and seem ready to turn down his second.

At the commission’s meeting Friday, Martelly named Ann Valerie Timothee Milfort, former chief-of-staff for the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, to serve as interim executive director. He also named six members of his inner circle as board members, replacing members who recently resigned as the previous administration handed over power to Martelly.

The panel was set up to give international donors assurances that reconstruction would be orderly and free of the corruption that has long plagued Haiti. But it has come under heavy criticism for accomplishing little since its inception.

To date, the commission has approved 87 projects with a total value of $3.26 billion, of which $1.8 billion is secured, according to the U.N.’s Office of the Special Envoy.

Martelly advisers presented a proposal Friday that aims to move 30,000 people living in six tent camps back into 16 neighborhoods to be redeveloped from the quake’s destruction.

Among the six sites is a parking lot at a soccer stadium in downtown Port-au-Prince that was the center of controversy this week. The government drew criticism from the United Nations and rights groups after a mayor began to pay several hundred people to leave the parking lot without providing them a right to adequate housing.

“I want to reiterate that my government is against forced evictions that do not respect human rights,” Martelly said at the commission meeting.

After the session, the Haiti Reconstruction Fund, a World Bank-run group that allocates funds to projects approved by the recovery commission, agreed to set aside $30 million for the government’s relocation effort.

“What’s important is that the international community is showing its support for the president,” Josef Leitmann, manager of the Haiti Reconstruction Fund, told The Associated Press. “They’re sending a signal to the president: We’re reserving the funds until we see a final proposal.”

The government’s relocation plan is part of a larger effort to resettle some of the estimated 634,000 quake survivors still living in hundreds of tent-and-tarp settlements that sprang up in the capital and surrounding cities after the quake. The goal is to redevelop neighborhoods by providing loans so that residents can repair quake-damaged homes.

The Haiti Reconstruction Fund also said Friday that it has allocated $237 million to pay for 14 reconstruction projects. The amount represents 71 percent of the $335 million given by donors.

ARTICLE - ECOSOC - GOV'T STALEMATE HINDERS AID

AID CHALLENGES AND GOVERNMENT STALEMATE HINDERS AID TO HAITI, UN REPORT FIND
(South Florida Caribbean News) -

NEW YORK – A United Nations advisory group on Haiti today reported improvements in the earthquake-torn country but said aid coordination remains a challenge, and a stalemate in the formation of the Government is delaying aid.

The Economic and Social Council’s (ECOSOC) Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Haiti, reporting on the results of a four-day visit to the Caribbean nation in June, said: “The first finding of the group is that the situation on the ground has improved since its visit at the same time in the previous year.”

“The progress made in clearing and reconstruction work in Port-au-Prince and neighbouring towns is visible and shows that Haitian society is mobilized and that the aid provided by the international community has been useful,” said the 12-member group.

The group cited accomplishments in recovery from the devastating earthquake of 12 January 2010, which resulted in more than 220,000 deaths and delivered a severe blow to country's already shaky infrastructure. It singled out successes in debris removal, resettlement of displaced persons, and the fight against cholera.

However, the group’s 19-page report added that “aid coordination is a major challenge on which the group has been focusing for several years.”

“It has become particularly urgent in view of the greater number of development partners providing aid to Haiti and the resources committed to the reconstruction process,” it said.

“Almost all of the interlocutors of the group held the view that aid is still not sufficiently coordinated, which creates duplication and reduces the effectiveness of interventions.”

Nigel Fisher, the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Haiti, told ECOSOC that the implementation of the Government’s priorities was “significantly delayed” because of an ongoing stalemate in a struggle between President Michel Martelly and Parliament over the confirmation of a new prime minister.

Ambassador Keith Morrill of Canada, which led the group, said “the inability of political actors to find a rapid solution to this stalemate is having detrimental consequences on international assistance, on Haiti’s prospects for development, and most importantly, on its people.”

The advisory group recommended a continued, strong UN presence on the ground but also suggested the international body should “pool the resources of United Nations entities on the ground, including in the provinces, and encourage all development partners to increase their share of the number of staff posted outside of Port-au-Prince, thereby increasing local capacities and supporting decentralization efforts.”

They also recommended that the Haitian Government improve agriculture productivity, create jobs through Government, business and union cooperation, and integrate disaster preparedness into its capacity-building.

ARTICLE - LETTER FROM ADIH

OPEN LETTER FROM THE ASSOCIATION OF INDUSTRIES OF HAITI
(Haiti Libre)-

The Association of Industries of Haiti (ADIH) expressed, in an open letter addressed to the Government, its concerns about the political deadlock in which our country is plunged.

[...] more than 60 days after the installation of the new President, our leaders have not yet managed to agree on the selection of a Prime Minister. This long delay, in the ratification process of the new Head of Government, creates a situation of confusion and affects the functioning of the State.

For several weeks, national industries have been faced with a growing rise in smuggling, especially along the border. Meanwhile, malfunctions of any kind at the level of customs hampers the port activities and delays the delivery of goods, causing heavy losses to importers. Some industrial companies can barely function. The upsurge in banditry, especially in the downtown, is throwing the population into disarray.

This is a major obstacle to the resumption of economic activities as is desired, as well as the investment necessary for the creation of jobs. Even the relaunch envisaged through the reconstruction process is in danger, because some funds from the international community could be reassigned because of the growing economic crisis in the world.

Convinced that massive job creation is a priority, we stand ready to make concrete proposals to the Government to help it to reach its goals of economic growth. In our opinion, the establishment of a government team headed by a leader competent and responding to the criteria of morality and integrity recognized by all, will be a clear signal that our country wants to move forward.

We therefore urge the President of the Republic, members of Parliament and all relevant sectors, to make every effort to reach an agreement to provide the country with a government in the shortest time, and avoid a sliding back of the nation into instability.

The Board of Directors (ADIH)

Learn more about the ADIH :
The ADIH is an nonprofit association bringing together the manufacturing industries in Haiti. Its mission is the promotion and the development of the industrial sector in Haiti, on a globally competitive basis. Founded in 1980, the Association of Industries of Haiti (ADIH) is one of the most dynamic business associations. It now has nearly one hundred members in all sectors of the production of goods and services. The ADIH is recognized for its' public utility. It is administered by a Board of Directors and managed by an Executive Board. The monitoring of files is shared between several committees.

THE GOUSSE IS COOKED

NEW SETBACK FOR HAITI'S POP STAR TURNED PRESIDENT
(Reuters) - By Joseph Guyler-Delva

PORT-AU-PRINCE - Lawmakers rejected Haitian President Michel Martelly's new choice for prime minister on Tuesday, blocking his efforts to install a government and move ahead with rebuilding a country shattered by last year's earthquake.

Sixteen members of the 30-seat Haitian Senate voted to reject Bernard Gousse, a controversial lawyer and former justice minister. The vote capped a rancorous day-long debate in the upper house of the impoverished nation's parliament.

It was the second rejection of Martelly's choice for premier in less than two months and marked a messy start to his young presidency. His first choice for the prime minister's post, economist and businessman Daniel Rouzier, was rejected by the chamber of deputies on June 21.

Martelly, a former pop star, came to office with no previous political experience. He was elected in March on populist promises to turn Haiti into a Caribbean success story after decades of crushing poverty and dictatorship.

Martelly's background as an irreverent and successful star of Haiti's catchy Kompa carnival music helped bolster his support among voters fed up with politics as usual in Haiti.

The rejection of Gousse, who served in an interim government that came to power in the politically volatile nation in 2004, came as little surprise after 16 members of the Senate signed a recent public statement opposing his selection as prime minister.

The same 16 senators voted against Gousse on Tuesday night, dashing his chances to head Martelly's government.

Gousse has been accused by critics of once leading a crackdown against backers of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, a popular former Roman Catholic president seen as a champion of the poor.

'URGENT PROBLEMS'

The current parliament is dominated by supporters of former President Rene Preval, a one-time Aristide ally, and many still swear a loose allegiance to Aristide himself.

"We want to vote for a new government to address the population's urgent problems," said Senator Joseph Lambert, a leader of the INITE Party, which controls parliament.

"But we have to have a prime minister who is able to talk to all sectors and has not been accused of human rights violations," he said.

It was not immediately clear what Martelly might do next to gain the upper hand in his showdown with parliament. He has warned that a rejection of Gousse means it could take another six months to put a new government in place.

Diplomats and donors of international aid to Haiti, much of which has not yet been disbursed since pledges were made after the 2010 earthquake, say the Western Hemisphere's poorest country urgently needs to get a new administration up and running to advance its halting recovery.

The quake killed tens of thousands of people and wrecked much of the capital, Port-au-Prince.

Concern about political deadlock in Haiti is shared by major donor countries led by the United States, which has said a stable government in Port-au-Prince is key to forging ahead with future reconstruction and development projects.

Pressing tasks in Haiti include effectively fighting a cholera epidemic that has killed nearly 6,000 people since October, and providing shelter from life-threatening winds, floods and landslides as the annual hurricane season moves into full force later this summer.

(Reporting by Joseph Guyler-Delva; Writing by Tom Brown; Editing by Todd Eastham)