CLINTON BUSH HAITI FUND ANNOUNCES $1.4 MILLION IN FUNDS FOR INNOVATIVE REBUILDING PROJECTS
(MarketWatch) - Source - Clinton Bush Haiti Fund
Funding to Boost Construction Sector, Promote Vocational Training and Increase Access to Sustainable Energy
WASHINGTON (BUSINESS WIRE) - In its continued effort to support Haiti as the country builds its own prosperous future, the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund today announced $1.4 million in new commitments for three new projects: a franchise-based housing program, a vocational training program, and a sustainable energy initiative.
As part of this announcement, $1.08 million in traditional and recoverable grants is committed to GaMa Entreprises, S.A., a Haitian company that will use the money to implement a franchise-based housing solution. This new GaMa venture plans to take advantage of unprecedented opportunity in the construction sector while meeting Haiti's critical housing needs. Under the brand name KayTek ("House Technology" in Haitian Creole), GaMa's housing enterprise will manufacture steel-frame housing kits at a factory in Port-au-Prince. KayTek will provide a selection of ready-made and custom designs for homes in a range of markets, as well as a one-stop materials solution for buyers to customize their homes. The program will train engineers and general contractors, who can in turn train general tradesmen. With this technical training in steel home construction and entrepreneurship, those selected as franchisees will be prepared to start and manage their own home-building businesses throughout Haiti.
"Together, GaMa/KayTek and the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund are supporting long-term reconstruction by promoting jobs, cultivating entrepreneurship, and building capacity in construction -- forecast to be the nation's predominant sector over the next five years. Simultaneously, we are addressing the needs of more than 800,000 individuals still seeking permanent housing," according to GaMa President, Mathias Pierre, named a 2010 Digicel "Entrepreneur of the Year" and a Caribbean "Pioneer of Prosperity" in 2009.
The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund is also announcing its commitment to grant up to $225,000 to equip temporary classrooms at the earthquake-devastated Salesiens Professional School, immediately benefiting 620 at-risk youth who will be trained and certified in construction trades. Salesiens is the oldest and largest vocational training school in Haiti and among the few to hold accredited status and a strong reputation in the job market. This grant gives students the equipment they need to resume their studies, complete their certification, and enter jobs in a sector vital to Haiti's rebuilding.
The Fund's third announcement addresses Haiti's lack of access to sustainable energy, an impediment to economic opportunity and educational achievement. The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund will provide $150,000 in seed funding to Arc Finance, a global nonprofit organization whose mission is to build the income and assets of poor people around the world through promotion of and access to financing for energy, clean water, and other basic needs. This new program, undertaken in partnership with the Multilateral Investment Fund, a member of the Inter-American Development Bank Group, will allow members of the Haitian diaspora living in the US to directly purchase low-cost and energy efficient products, such as stoves and lamps, to send to Haiti. Haitian-owned goods-remittance company FoodExpress will then deliver the products. This innovative remittance transfer program will make sustainable sources of electricity more widely available throughout Haiti, decrease energy costs, and reduce pollution currently caused by the use of charcoal, diesel, kerosene, and wood in both urban and rural areas.
"These investments create the economic opportunities required for successful reconstruction. Today, we are fulfilling current needs with lasting solutions," said the Fund's Executive Vice President, Ambassador (Retired) Tim Carney. "These programs will help provide housing, job training and access to clean energy right now. What's more, these are sustainable business models that will provide jobs and invigorate Haiti's economy for the long term."
Clinton Bush Haiti Fund
The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded after Haiti's January 12, 2010 earthquake, when President Barack Obama asked former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush to lead a major fundraising effort to assist the Haitian people to "build back better." The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund initially responded to the catastrophe with millions in humanitarian relief. By the time the Fund began independent operations in May 2010, it transitioned to primarily serving its longer-term mission of sustainable reconstruction efforts designed to promote job growth and economic opportunity, and enabling Haiti to chart its own successful future. To learn more visit www.ClintonBushHaitiFund.org .
Thursday, September 1, 2011
ARTICLE - IN DEFENCE OF MODULAR BUILDINGS
IN DEFENCE OF MODULAR BUILDINGS
(Montreal Gazette) -
The Gazette's story on emergency classrooms in Haiti called into question the quality and durability of modular classrooms.
The reporters cited issues such as "incredible heat, unsatisfactory sanitation facilities, lack of ventilation, leaks, mould and, in one case, high levels of formaldehyde," as well as questioning whether they are, as billed, hurricane-proof.
In 2004, four hurricanes hit Florida, causing over $50 billion in property damage. What went underreported was the fact that 1,600 manufactured homes built to the 1994 wind standards of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development were hit by those hurricanes.
How many were blown off their foundations? None.
How many were destroyed? Zero. Based on reading The Gazette's story, would readers know that those classrooms, if properly installed, could withstand 140-mile-per-hour hurricane winds?
The story also said that the modular classrooms did not have running water and latrines. Imagine Haiti's devastation. There are problems with infrastructure, transportation, shortages of materials and a host of other things.
Bathrooms in classrooms require hookups to sewer lines. There is no failure in design or construction if proper utility hookups were not done.
On the reported issues with air quality and mould: no air conditioning was evident in the photos, and it was not mentioned in the story. These modular units were probably designed to have air conditioning installed on site. Without air conditioning in a highly humid climate, mould could form. Blame nature, but not the builder or those who provided humanitarian relief.
Formaldehyde exists in most construction. It is found in building materials, resins and fabrics. It is also part of your body chemistry. Energy-efficient construction is "tighter," so formaldehyde's effects on the eyes in hot conditions are more acute. Air conditioning is a solution.
Can we believe that those involved wanted to do a bad job for Haitians? We do not know enough to cast blame on anyone or anything, other than the difficult conditions in Haiti.
Modular and pre-fab construction is used worldwide in commercial, office and residential housing. More than 20 million people in the U.S. and Canada live in factory-built homes.
Hundreds of thousands are employed by the industry and its suppliers. The article does an injustice to builders of manufactured and modular homes and those who dwell in them by using derogatory terms like "trailer." The media should use proper terminology and avoid outdated stereotypes.
L.A. (Tony) Kovach Publisher, Manufactured Home Marketing Sales Management (MHMSM.com) Chicago
(Montreal Gazette) -
The Gazette's story on emergency classrooms in Haiti called into question the quality and durability of modular classrooms.
The reporters cited issues such as "incredible heat, unsatisfactory sanitation facilities, lack of ventilation, leaks, mould and, in one case, high levels of formaldehyde," as well as questioning whether they are, as billed, hurricane-proof.
In 2004, four hurricanes hit Florida, causing over $50 billion in property damage. What went underreported was the fact that 1,600 manufactured homes built to the 1994 wind standards of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development were hit by those hurricanes.
How many were blown off their foundations? None.
How many were destroyed? Zero. Based on reading The Gazette's story, would readers know that those classrooms, if properly installed, could withstand 140-mile-per-hour hurricane winds?
The story also said that the modular classrooms did not have running water and latrines. Imagine Haiti's devastation. There are problems with infrastructure, transportation, shortages of materials and a host of other things.
Bathrooms in classrooms require hookups to sewer lines. There is no failure in design or construction if proper utility hookups were not done.
On the reported issues with air quality and mould: no air conditioning was evident in the photos, and it was not mentioned in the story. These modular units were probably designed to have air conditioning installed on site. Without air conditioning in a highly humid climate, mould could form. Blame nature, but not the builder or those who provided humanitarian relief.
Formaldehyde exists in most construction. It is found in building materials, resins and fabrics. It is also part of your body chemistry. Energy-efficient construction is "tighter," so formaldehyde's effects on the eyes in hot conditions are more acute. Air conditioning is a solution.
Can we believe that those involved wanted to do a bad job for Haitians? We do not know enough to cast blame on anyone or anything, other than the difficult conditions in Haiti.
Modular and pre-fab construction is used worldwide in commercial, office and residential housing. More than 20 million people in the U.S. and Canada live in factory-built homes.
Hundreds of thousands are employed by the industry and its suppliers. The article does an injustice to builders of manufactured and modular homes and those who dwell in them by using derogatory terms like "trailer." The media should use proper terminology and avoid outdated stereotypes.
L.A. (Tony) Kovach Publisher, Manufactured Home Marketing Sales Management (MHMSM.com) Chicago
ARTICLE - IDB - INCREASE AGRO PRODUCTIVITY
INCREASING OF THE AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY WITH IDB SUPPORT
(Haiti Libre) -
Haiti will increase agricultural productivity for nearly 30,000 small-scale farmers in the north and northeastern part of the country through a Technology Transfer Program that will be financed by non-reimbursable financing of US$15 million from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and US$25 million from the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP).
The program, which will be launched early in 2012 by Haiti's Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development (MARNDR), will facilitate access to improved seeds and modern agricultural technologies. Through the program, producers will boost yields of subsistence and cash crops, including cereals, tubers, coffee and cocoa. The project will help generate income in rural areas and improve the country's food security.
The IDB-GASFP program will provide non-reimbursable financial support to eligible farmers who adopt technological packages from a list provided by MARNDR. The program will also support the strengthening of the National Seed Service, including assistance for capacity building for control and regulation of seeds.
The technologies to be promoted have been tested in previous agricultural projects financed by the Bank or other institutions such as United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Brazilian Enterprise for Agricultural Research (EMBRAPA), the World Bank, and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The program will promote technologies for reestablishing Creole gardens, land preparation, and pest control, among others.
(Haiti Libre) -
Haiti will increase agricultural productivity for nearly 30,000 small-scale farmers in the north and northeastern part of the country through a Technology Transfer Program that will be financed by non-reimbursable financing of US$15 million from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and US$25 million from the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP).
The program, which will be launched early in 2012 by Haiti's Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development (MARNDR), will facilitate access to improved seeds and modern agricultural technologies. Through the program, producers will boost yields of subsistence and cash crops, including cereals, tubers, coffee and cocoa. The project will help generate income in rural areas and improve the country's food security.
The IDB-GASFP program will provide non-reimbursable financial support to eligible farmers who adopt technological packages from a list provided by MARNDR. The program will also support the strengthening of the National Seed Service, including assistance for capacity building for control and regulation of seeds.
The technologies to be promoted have been tested in previous agricultural projects financed by the Bank or other institutions such as United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Brazilian Enterprise for Agricultural Research (EMBRAPA), the World Bank, and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The program will promote technologies for reestablishing Creole gardens, land preparation, and pest control, among others.
ARTICLE - AGRO PRODUCTION IN GASCOGNE
STRENGTHENING OF THE THE AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION IN GASCOGNE
(Haiti Libre) -
Two Quick Impact Projects (QIP), proposed by the Organization of Peasants of Gascogne (OPG) and funded by the United Nations Mission for Stabilization in Haiti (Minustah), now provide the peasants with greater crop yields; through the rehabilitation of 300 meters of an irrigation canal and additional revenue with the construction of two fish ponds.
The first project amounting to USD$25,000 helped to rehabilitate 300 meters of an irrigation canal, 2 km long, located between Marcelin and Marché Canard, two localities of Gascogne. Flooding of the river caused floods and water loss on ... of segments of the clay irrigation canal.
The second project, amounting to USD$50,000 concerns the construction of two fish ponds in Marcelin; 200 square meters each. Dug by the peasants, they will enter 10,000 fry, mainly tilapia (pink and black) and carp, that will delivered to the Association for the Development of Agricultural Production of the Centre (ADEPAC) based in Marmont, a communal section of Hinche.
Increased agricultural production, food security, transforming people's lives and reducing migration to the neighboring Dominican Republic by the increasing and the extension of the network, the optimization of water management, the control of the production and the marketing of products; these are among other objectives of both projects.
Particularly regarding the fish farming, in addition to generating food, jobs and other income for local residents, the exploitation of fish ponds will help preserve the environment by the reduction of "premature and destructive fishing" on Lake Peligre, the Artibonite River, and the river Fer-à-Cheval, says OPG.
As for Jean Rony Bien-Aimé, fish technician for CARITAS, he believes that "the peasant who wants to build a pond on his property will have the fry more easily and at a very low price [...] The fish will be fed with local products such as corn, sorghum, cassava peels and potatoes... since the imported fish food products are very expensive and we have no funds for this purpose."
(Haiti Libre) -
Two Quick Impact Projects (QIP), proposed by the Organization of Peasants of Gascogne (OPG) and funded by the United Nations Mission for Stabilization in Haiti (Minustah), now provide the peasants with greater crop yields; through the rehabilitation of 300 meters of an irrigation canal and additional revenue with the construction of two fish ponds.
The first project amounting to USD$25,000 helped to rehabilitate 300 meters of an irrigation canal, 2 km long, located between Marcelin and Marché Canard, two localities of Gascogne. Flooding of the river caused floods and water loss on ... of segments of the clay irrigation canal.
The second project, amounting to USD$50,000 concerns the construction of two fish ponds in Marcelin; 200 square meters each. Dug by the peasants, they will enter 10,000 fry, mainly tilapia (pink and black) and carp, that will delivered to the Association for the Development of Agricultural Production of the Centre (ADEPAC) based in Marmont, a communal section of Hinche.
Increased agricultural production, food security, transforming people's lives and reducing migration to the neighboring Dominican Republic by the increasing and the extension of the network, the optimization of water management, the control of the production and the marketing of products; these are among other objectives of both projects.
Particularly regarding the fish farming, in addition to generating food, jobs and other income for local residents, the exploitation of fish ponds will help preserve the environment by the reduction of "premature and destructive fishing" on Lake Peligre, the Artibonite River, and the river Fer-à-Cheval, says OPG.
As for Jean Rony Bien-Aimé, fish technician for CARITAS, he believes that "the peasant who wants to build a pond on his property will have the fry more easily and at a very low price [...] The fish will be fed with local products such as corn, sorghum, cassava peels and potatoes... since the imported fish food products are very expensive and we have no funds for this purpose."
ARTICLE - REFUGEES OF CITE TOLE
THE REFUGEES OF CITE TOLE THREATEN TO TAKE TO THE STREETS
(Hait Libre) -
Last Tuesday, at around 12:30pm, the inhabitants of Cité Tôle, one of the refuge camps on Avenue Simmond's, a popular neighborhood of Petit-Goâve, which was damaged by the earthquake of January 2010, walked under a blazing sun to "Radio Preference FM" to express their claims of and explain their poor living conditions.
Visibly shocked and angry, they claim a need for housing, while denouncing the unfair manner in which NGO workers are distributing shelters in the area. According to them, NGO workers who had registered their names on a list, would favor their own families and would neglect the "real homeless and the real victims [...] We who are poor, do not have a shelter, while those who already have significant privileges, contrary to us, receive a shelter... These people do not live in the shelters... Most of these shelters offered are rented..."
The Refugees of Cité Tôle complain about their fate... they face all the hardships: no shelter, no food, no toilets, no drinking water... Their situation is deteriorating day by day... Each night they are attacked by snakes... They pray to God, so that the rain does not fall. When it rains, they sleep in the water because they have nowhere to go. They are now threatening to take to the streets if the NGOs and local officials refuse to give to each of them a shelter.
(Hait Libre) -
Last Tuesday, at around 12:30pm, the inhabitants of Cité Tôle, one of the refuge camps on Avenue Simmond's, a popular neighborhood of Petit-Goâve, which was damaged by the earthquake of January 2010, walked under a blazing sun to "Radio Preference FM" to express their claims of and explain their poor living conditions.
Visibly shocked and angry, they claim a need for housing, while denouncing the unfair manner in which NGO workers are distributing shelters in the area. According to them, NGO workers who had registered their names on a list, would favor their own families and would neglect the "real homeless and the real victims [...] We who are poor, do not have a shelter, while those who already have significant privileges, contrary to us, receive a shelter... These people do not live in the shelters... Most of these shelters offered are rented..."
The Refugees of Cité Tôle complain about their fate... they face all the hardships: no shelter, no food, no toilets, no drinking water... Their situation is deteriorating day by day... Each night they are attacked by snakes... They pray to God, so that the rain does not fall. When it rains, they sleep in the water because they have nowhere to go. They are now threatening to take to the streets if the NGOs and local officials refuse to give to each of them a shelter.
ARTICLE - SECURITY FORCE & INTEL AGENCY
A NATIONAL SECURITY FORCE AND AN INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
(Haiti Libre) -
Senator Youri Latortue explained that the weakness of Haiti is due to the absence of two of the three entities essential to security in Haiti; A national security force and an Intelligence Agency. Regarding the police, he refuses to describe it as a professional police for various reasons.
"...Haiti is very weak, and when you are in a transitional government as at present, the country becomes weaker. The security structure is based on three entities that there are not in the country; an intelligence service, a national security force and a professional police force.
Currently we have a police force, that I can not qualify as professional. Perhaps the police officers know how to react according to their training, but they have no equipment or not all the equipment that they should have. Their wages are not decent and the staffing is insufficient.
You have the Minustah, which due to a series of rules of engagement, does not help the police as it should. So with a weak structure, and a lack of government leadership, there are people who think that they can do what they want.
The solution is a phased withdrawal of the Minustah, the creation of another security force [defense] and a general national system of intelligence in the country. [...] It is necessary that the solution is structural [...] Today we are in a situation where there are no results, because the system which is in place does not allow to have a rapid reaction of the police [...]"
(Haiti Libre) -
Senator Youri Latortue explained that the weakness of Haiti is due to the absence of two of the three entities essential to security in Haiti; A national security force and an Intelligence Agency. Regarding the police, he refuses to describe it as a professional police for various reasons.
"...Haiti is very weak, and when you are in a transitional government as at present, the country becomes weaker. The security structure is based on three entities that there are not in the country; an intelligence service, a national security force and a professional police force.
Currently we have a police force, that I can not qualify as professional. Perhaps the police officers know how to react according to their training, but they have no equipment or not all the equipment that they should have. Their wages are not decent and the staffing is insufficient.
You have the Minustah, which due to a series of rules of engagement, does not help the police as it should. So with a weak structure, and a lack of government leadership, there are people who think that they can do what they want.
The solution is a phased withdrawal of the Minustah, the creation of another security force [defense] and a general national system of intelligence in the country. [...] It is necessary that the solution is structural [...] Today we are in a situation where there are no results, because the system which is in place does not allow to have a rapid reaction of the police [...]"
ARTICLE - GARRY CONILLE - 3RD PICK FOR PM
BILL CLINTON AIDE NAMED AS HAITI'S 3RD PICK FOR PM
(AP) - By Trenton Daniel
PORT-AU-PRINCE — A recent top aide to former U.S. President Bill Clinton in his work as the U.N. special envoy for Haiti is being nominated to be Haitian prime minister, a legislative leader said Wednesday night.
Saurel Jacinthe, president of the Chamber of Deputies, told The Associated Press that Haitian President Michel Martelly picked Garry Conille as his third nominee for Haiti's head of government.
The decision comes more than three months after Martelly took office. The entertainer-turned-president has struggled to install a government because parliament has rejected his first two nominees for prime minister.
Martelly's first pick, an entrepreneur, was turned down because of questions over his citizenship and taxes. The second pick, a former justice minister, angered some lawmakers because he was accused of prosecuting supporters of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide when he oversaw the judiciary in the middle of the last decade.
The failure to install a prime minister has put reconstruction efforts from last year's devastating earthquake on hold.
Conille, 45, could meet opposition as he goes before parliament for approval.
Lawmakers are almost certain to raise questions over his eligibility because he has not lived in Haiti for five consecutive years, a constitutional requirement for the post. The Martelly administration will likely argue that he is exempt from the residency requirement because he has been working for the United Nations.
Conille is a seasoned development worker. With a master's degree from the University of North Carolina and a doctorate from the State University of Haiti, he began his career with the U.N. in 1999 and served in Ethiopia and, until June, in Niger.
After last year's earthquake, Conille worked as chief of staff for Clinton in his position as U.N. special envoy. The former U.S. leader also is co-chairman of the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission, which is in charge of coordinating earthquake reconstruction efforts.
If approved as prime minister, Conille would assume responsibilities as the other co-chairman on the reconstruction panel, which has drawn heavy criticism for making little visible progress since the January 2010 disaster.
Conille could not be immediately reached for comment Wednesday night.
(AP) - By Trenton Daniel
PORT-AU-PRINCE — A recent top aide to former U.S. President Bill Clinton in his work as the U.N. special envoy for Haiti is being nominated to be Haitian prime minister, a legislative leader said Wednesday night.
Saurel Jacinthe, president of the Chamber of Deputies, told The Associated Press that Haitian President Michel Martelly picked Garry Conille as his third nominee for Haiti's head of government.
The decision comes more than three months after Martelly took office. The entertainer-turned-president has struggled to install a government because parliament has rejected his first two nominees for prime minister.
Martelly's first pick, an entrepreneur, was turned down because of questions over his citizenship and taxes. The second pick, a former justice minister, angered some lawmakers because he was accused of prosecuting supporters of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide when he oversaw the judiciary in the middle of the last decade.
The failure to install a prime minister has put reconstruction efforts from last year's devastating earthquake on hold.
Conille, 45, could meet opposition as he goes before parliament for approval.
Lawmakers are almost certain to raise questions over his eligibility because he has not lived in Haiti for five consecutive years, a constitutional requirement for the post. The Martelly administration will likely argue that he is exempt from the residency requirement because he has been working for the United Nations.
Conille is a seasoned development worker. With a master's degree from the University of North Carolina and a doctorate from the State University of Haiti, he began his career with the U.N. in 1999 and served in Ethiopia and, until June, in Niger.
After last year's earthquake, Conille worked as chief of staff for Clinton in his position as U.N. special envoy. The former U.S. leader also is co-chairman of the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission, which is in charge of coordinating earthquake reconstruction efforts.
If approved as prime minister, Conille would assume responsibilities as the other co-chairman on the reconstruction panel, which has drawn heavy criticism for making little visible progress since the January 2010 disaster.
Conille could not be immediately reached for comment Wednesday night.
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