HAITI CAN'T FEED ITSELF ON CHEAP IMPORTS
(AP) By Jonathan M. Katz
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Mar 20 (AP) -- The earthquake not only smashed markets, collapsed warehouses and left more than 2.5 million people without enough to eat. It may also have shaken up the way the developing world gets food.
Decades of inexpensive imports - especially rice from the U.S. - punctuated with abundant aid in various crises have destroyed local agriculture and left impoverished countries such as Haiti unable to feed themselves.While those policies have been criticized for years in aid worker circles, world leaders focused on fixing Haiti are admitting for the first time that loosening trade barriers has only exacerbated hunger in Haiti and elsewhere.
They're led by former U.S. President Bill Clinton - now U.N. special envoy to Haiti - who publicly apologized this month for championing policies that destroyed Haiti's rice production. Clinton in the mid-1990s encouraged the impoverished country to dramatically cut tariffs on imported U.S. rice.
"It may have been good for some of my farmers in Arkansas, but it has not worked. It was a mistake," Clinton told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on March 10. "I had to live everyday with the consequences of the loss of capacity to produce a rice crop in Haiti to feed those people because of what I did; nobody else.
"Clinton and former President George W. Bush, who are spearheading U.S. fundraising for Haiti, arrive Monday in Port-au-Prince. Then comes a key Haiti donors' conference on March 31 at the United Nations in New York.
Those opportunities present the country with its best chance in decades to build long-term food production, and could provide a model for other developing countries struggling to feed themselves."
A combination of food aid, but also cheap imports have ... resulted in a lack of investment in Haitian farming, and that has to be reversed," U.N. humanitarian chief John Holmes told The Associated Press. "That's a global phenomenon, but Haiti's a prime example. I think this is where we should start."
Haiti's government is asking for $722 million for agriculture, part of an overall request of $11.5 billion.That includes money to fix the estimated $31 million of quake damage to agriculture, but much more for future projects restoring Haiti's dangerous and damaged watersheds, improving irrigation and infrastructure, and training farmers and providing them with better support.
Haitian President Rene Preval, an agronomist from the rice-growing Artibonite Valley, is also calling for food aid to be stopped in favor of agricultural investment.
Today Haiti depends on the outside world for nearly all of its sustenance. The most current government needs assessment - based on numbers from 2005 - is that 51 percent of the food consumed in the country is imported, including 80 percent of all rice eaten.
The free-food distributions that filled the shattered capital's plazas with swarming hungry survivors of the Jan. 12 earthquake have ended, but the U.N. World Food Program is continuing targeted handouts expected to reach 2.5 million people this month. All that food has been imported - though the agency recently put out a tender to buy locally grown rice.
Street markets have reopened, filled with honking trucks, drink sellers clinking bottles and women vendors crouched behind rolled-down sacks of dry goods. People buy what's cheapest, and that's American-grown rice.
The best-seller comes from Riceland Foods in Stuttgart, Arkansas, which sold six pounds for $3.80 last month, according to Haiti's National Food Security Coordination Unit. The same amount of Haitian rice cost $5.12.
"National rice isn't the same, it's better quality. It tastes better. But it's too expensive for people to buy," said Leonne Fedelone, a 50-year-old vendor.
Riceland defends its market share in Haiti, now the fifth-biggest export market in the world for American rice.
But for Haitians, near-total dependence on imported food has been a disaster.
Cheap foreign products drove farmers off their land and into overcrowded cities. Rice, a grain with limited nutrition once reserved for special occasions in the Haitian diet, is now a staple.
Imports also put the country at the mercy of international prices: When they spiked in 2008, rioters unable to afford rice smashed and burned buildings. Parliament ousted the prime minister.
Now it could be happening again. Imported rice prices are up 25 percent since the quake - and would likely be even higher if it weren't for the flood of food aid, said WFP market analyst Ceren Gurkan.
Three decades ago things were different. Haiti imported only 19 percent of its food and produced enough rice to export, thanks in part to protective tariffs of 50 percent set by the father-son dictators, Francois and Jean-Claude Duvalier.
When their reign ended in 1986, free-market advocates in Washington and Europe pushed Haiti to tear those market barriers down. President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, freshly reinstalled to power by Clinton in 1994, cut the rice tariff to 3 percent.
Impoverished farmers unable to compete with the billions of dollars in subsidies paid by the U.S. to its growers abandoned their farms. Others turned to more environmentally destructive crops, such as beans, that are harvested quickly but hasten soil erosion and deadly floods.
There have been some efforts to restore Haiti's agriculture in recent years: The U.S. Agency for International Development has a five-year program to improve farms and restore watersheds in five Haitian regions. But the $25 million a year pales next to the $91.4 million in U.S.-grown food aid delivered just in the past 10 weeks.
The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization also distributed 28 tons of bean seeds in mountainous areas this month, with plans this week to distribute 49 tons of corn.
The G8 group of the world's wealthiest nations pledged $20 billion for farmers in poor countries last year. The head of the FAO called this week for some to be given to Haiti.
President Barack Obama's administration has pledged to support agriculture in developing nations. U.S. Republican Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana has sponsored legislation to create a White House Global Food Security coordinator to improve long-term agriculture worldwide, with a budget of $8.5 billion through 2014.
Even Haiti's most powerful food importers have joined the push for locally produced food.
"I would prefer to buy everything locally and have nothing to import," said businessman Reginald Boulos, who is also president of Haiti's chamber of commerce.
But one group staunchly opposes reducing food exports to Haiti: the exporters themselves.
"Haiti doesn't have the land nor the climate ... to produce enough rice," said Bill Reed, Riceland's vice president of communications. "The productivity of U.S. farmers helps feed countries which cannot feed themselves."
Friday, April 23, 2010
ARTICLE - HAITIAN HOSPITALS
HAITIAN HOSPITALS SUFFERING FROM EARTHQUAKE LOSSES
The catastrophic earthquake in Haiti is still leaving victims: private hospitals struggling to stay open.
(Miami Herald) - By Jacqueline Charles
PORT-AU-PRINCE -- One closed its doors, forcing 177 nurses, doctors and staff out of work. Another slashed staff in half. A third resumed charging fees.
Many employees and suppliers haven't been paid since the end of last year.
The hospitals of Haiti are in critical condition, their bottom lines bleeding as patients receive free medical care after the earthquake.
``It's a catastrophe,'' said Dr. Michel Théard, who sits on the board of one struggling hospital, and operates a cardiology practice across the street from another that recently closed.
``A private hospital that now wants to survive is facing [competition from] free medical care, which is OK. But it's a new challenge for survival.''
For months, Haitians in this quake-ravaged capital have received free medical care courtesy of foreign doctors, the government-run hospital and several private hospitals that suspended charging patients after the Jan. 12 quake. The impact is painfully visible in the empty operating rooms and idle equipment at Sacred Heart/CDTI.
``We cannot pay our employees,'' said Dr. Reynold Savain, whose hospital, Sacred Heart/CDTI was the site of Haiti's first organ transplant a year ago and today is the first post-quake hospital casualty.
On March 31, as the last of the foreign doctors packed up, Haiti's most modern hospital shut down.
``Before Jan. 12, we were surviving,'' said Savain as he recounted stepping over crushed bodies in a chaotic scene in his parking lot hours after the quake.
``After the earthquake, we gave free healthcare to everybody who came.''
With the first foreign medical teams still three days away, the 22-bed hospital emptied its supply cabinets and ``gave away everything we had.''
All of the high-tech equipment -- digital X-ray, respirators, sterilization and CT Scan machines -- were put at the disposal of patients. By the time the last team of foreign doctors left, CDTI had treated 12,250 patients and performed nearly 3,000 surgeries -- all for free.
``Everything was financed by the hospital. That means me,'' said Savain, who has unsuccessfully lobbied the U.S. Agency for International Development and various nongovernmental organizations for financial help. ``The foreign doctors came. They gave the medicine. But what about the employees who were working 24 hours, what about the equipment . . . ?
Unable to pay bank loans and three-months of salaries, Savain closed the hospital, which he built to honor his 15-year-old son who died of brain cancer five years ago.
Across town in Pétionville's Frères neighborhood, the 75-bed Haitian Community Hospital remains open -- but barely.
``The only reason we're still operating is because we were able to ask people in the U.S. to donate to our foundation,'' said Josiane Hudicourt-Barnes, whose mother first opened the hillside hospital as an outpatient clinic in 1984.
Recently, a benefactor loaned the hospital $60,000 to pay January's salaries for its 200 staffers. And last week, after painful consideration, operators began charging patients: $3.75 for a doctor's consultation, a bit more for medical care.
``Every time a person is sick in Haiti they have to weigh on their own whether the sickness is grave enough to warrant spending $3.75 for a consultation,'' Hudicourt-Barnes said.
And then there is the increased competition from aid groups. Already luring away Haitian nurses before the quake by offering to double their $350-a-month salary, some are now advertising free care in local newspapers. They are also poised to benefit from nearly $5.3 billion in promised international aid toward Haiti's rebuilding.
Théard, who sits on the board of the 30-bed Canape Vert Hospital, which has slashed its staff from 150 to 75, said the problem is beyond the almost $500,000 that three functioning hospitals estimate they are owed in reimbursements.
``The system can't go back to the way it was before,'' he said. ``The population has no money to go to the medical facilities. The government cannot offer all of the needs.''
Théard fears doctors -- who make $590 a month in public hospitals, and supplement income by working at various private hospitals -- will soon abandoned the private hospitals, or even Haiti.
``They rather be a nurse in the States than a doctor in Haiti,'' he said.
Patients are beginning to feel the impact.
``I went to three hospitals and we could not get treatment,'' said Francoise Jean, who finally got help at Canape Vert Hospital for her husband, who was suffering from high blood pressure.
Dr. Ariel Henry, chief of staff for the minister of health, said officials are looking at a pay-for-services package to help keep doors open, and Haitian medical staff employed. Cost of the program: at least $10 million.
The free medical care and medicine has affected all hospitals, including government-run facilities, which were ordered to remove all fees shortly after the quake, Henry said. The result is that hospital usage has gone up 10 fold.
``That shows money was a barrier,'' said Henry, a Haitian neurosurgeon. ``We have to think about financing the healthcare of the population, and how people can have better access to healthcare.''
Miami Herald special correspondent Jean-Cyril Pressoir contributed to this report from Port-au-Prince.
The catastrophic earthquake in Haiti is still leaving victims: private hospitals struggling to stay open.
(Miami Herald) - By Jacqueline Charles
PORT-AU-PRINCE -- One closed its doors, forcing 177 nurses, doctors and staff out of work. Another slashed staff in half. A third resumed charging fees.
Many employees and suppliers haven't been paid since the end of last year.
The hospitals of Haiti are in critical condition, their bottom lines bleeding as patients receive free medical care after the earthquake.
``It's a catastrophe,'' said Dr. Michel Théard, who sits on the board of one struggling hospital, and operates a cardiology practice across the street from another that recently closed.
``A private hospital that now wants to survive is facing [competition from] free medical care, which is OK. But it's a new challenge for survival.''
For months, Haitians in this quake-ravaged capital have received free medical care courtesy of foreign doctors, the government-run hospital and several private hospitals that suspended charging patients after the Jan. 12 quake. The impact is painfully visible in the empty operating rooms and idle equipment at Sacred Heart/CDTI.
``We cannot pay our employees,'' said Dr. Reynold Savain, whose hospital, Sacred Heart/CDTI was the site of Haiti's first organ transplant a year ago and today is the first post-quake hospital casualty.
On March 31, as the last of the foreign doctors packed up, Haiti's most modern hospital shut down.
``Before Jan. 12, we were surviving,'' said Savain as he recounted stepping over crushed bodies in a chaotic scene in his parking lot hours after the quake.
``After the earthquake, we gave free healthcare to everybody who came.''
With the first foreign medical teams still three days away, the 22-bed hospital emptied its supply cabinets and ``gave away everything we had.''
All of the high-tech equipment -- digital X-ray, respirators, sterilization and CT Scan machines -- were put at the disposal of patients. By the time the last team of foreign doctors left, CDTI had treated 12,250 patients and performed nearly 3,000 surgeries -- all for free.
``Everything was financed by the hospital. That means me,'' said Savain, who has unsuccessfully lobbied the U.S. Agency for International Development and various nongovernmental organizations for financial help. ``The foreign doctors came. They gave the medicine. But what about the employees who were working 24 hours, what about the equipment . . . ?
Unable to pay bank loans and three-months of salaries, Savain closed the hospital, which he built to honor his 15-year-old son who died of brain cancer five years ago.
Across town in Pétionville's Frères neighborhood, the 75-bed Haitian Community Hospital remains open -- but barely.
``The only reason we're still operating is because we were able to ask people in the U.S. to donate to our foundation,'' said Josiane Hudicourt-Barnes, whose mother first opened the hillside hospital as an outpatient clinic in 1984.
Recently, a benefactor loaned the hospital $60,000 to pay January's salaries for its 200 staffers. And last week, after painful consideration, operators began charging patients: $3.75 for a doctor's consultation, a bit more for medical care.
``Every time a person is sick in Haiti they have to weigh on their own whether the sickness is grave enough to warrant spending $3.75 for a consultation,'' Hudicourt-Barnes said.
And then there is the increased competition from aid groups. Already luring away Haitian nurses before the quake by offering to double their $350-a-month salary, some are now advertising free care in local newspapers. They are also poised to benefit from nearly $5.3 billion in promised international aid toward Haiti's rebuilding.
Théard, who sits on the board of the 30-bed Canape Vert Hospital, which has slashed its staff from 150 to 75, said the problem is beyond the almost $500,000 that three functioning hospitals estimate they are owed in reimbursements.
``The system can't go back to the way it was before,'' he said. ``The population has no money to go to the medical facilities. The government cannot offer all of the needs.''
Théard fears doctors -- who make $590 a month in public hospitals, and supplement income by working at various private hospitals -- will soon abandoned the private hospitals, or even Haiti.
``They rather be a nurse in the States than a doctor in Haiti,'' he said.
Patients are beginning to feel the impact.
``I went to three hospitals and we could not get treatment,'' said Francoise Jean, who finally got help at Canape Vert Hospital for her husband, who was suffering from high blood pressure.
Dr. Ariel Henry, chief of staff for the minister of health, said officials are looking at a pay-for-services package to help keep doors open, and Haitian medical staff employed. Cost of the program: at least $10 million.
The free medical care and medicine has affected all hospitals, including government-run facilities, which were ordered to remove all fees shortly after the quake, Henry said. The result is that hospital usage has gone up 10 fold.
``That shows money was a barrier,'' said Henry, a Haitian neurosurgeon. ``We have to think about financing the healthcare of the population, and how people can have better access to healthcare.''
Miami Herald special correspondent Jean-Cyril Pressoir contributed to this report from Port-au-Prince.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
VIDEO - GOD OF THIS CITY
Chris Tomlin has a song called "You're the God of this City". This song is applicable for Haiti. "For greater things have yet to come; and greater things are still to be done in this city." To see the video follow the link to:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=d61LamkXfwk
www.youtube.com/watch?v=d61LamkXfwk
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
photos - various - part 1
Life is moving forward here in Port-au-Prince. The Delmas 2000 building was severely damaged during the earthquake. Now they have opened up again in another building across the street that wasn't damaged.
People are scared to be in buildings. The City Med medical building in the Delmas 19 area has a tent set up that is used as their clinic.
Rothschild is Rudy's youngest brother. It is easier to call him "Rocky". Rocky is going to school again. He is cute in his school uniform and loves to go to a school in our neighborhood!
Rudy's family continues to live in a tent in our yard. Here are 3 of Rudy's siblings.
Dieula is doing well in school considering she is 14 years old and has never gone to school. She has an opportunity now to be literate.photos - henfrasa refuge camp - part 2
The College Daniel Jeudy private school on Delmas 31 was destroyed in the earthquake. Classes are resuming outside under a large tarp. Pray for all schools throughout the city struggling to continue providing an education for their students.
The Henfrasa fitness center grounds on Delmas 33 is now a refuge camp. The owners have asked the people to leave this refuge camp and some have left but others have nowhere else to go. This refuge camp is one that will have to be transferred to another area.
We saw a small "pot-belly" wood stove being used to cook a family's meal. This is the first one I have seen in all my years in Haiti!
In the Henfrasa refuge camp we have been visiting the Philistin family. We have known the family for several years. The mother is almost blind. Several years ago she came to us with her youngest child and asked us to find someone to look after her. A missionary couple has adopted her and she is now living in the United States. The young boy in the picture is Bertony and he is a sponsor student of Adoration Christian School. This mother's husband died a couple of years ago and she now has another man. Pray for this family in their struggles.
In the Henfrasa camp some people make their living by selling things. This grandmother has quite the selection for sale. Her granddaughter fell and hurt her hand. The hand isn't broken but it is sore and swollen.photos - st. louis refuge camp - part 3
On Delmas 31 the Tele/Radio Guinen station was destroyed in the earthquake. The rubble has now been removed and a new structure built of wood is in place.
Behind the tele/radio station is the St. Louis de Gonzague school grounds which is now a refuge camp. Tents cover all the open space areas on the large grounds.
People have settled into life in a tent community.
This young girl was walking with her mother. She wasn't happy to see me and was a little scared.
We also met Tyra Leigh Ladouceur and her mother. Her brother Youby has hemiplegia on one side and is a sponsor student of Adoration Christian School. They had sponsored him to attend St. Vincent's school for the handicapped. The earthquake destroyed the school and now Youby is attending our school program at Coram Deo for the time being. It is good to see missions co-operating to help the haitian people!photos - st. louis refuge camp - part 4
This area of the camp is where the latrines are located. It is good to see that they are maintained.
The Haitian Red Cross is responsible for supplying water to the camp. This "water bladder" holds 10,000 liters of water.
Throughout the day people of the camp come for water at the tap that is set up for them connected from the water bladder.
The pipe has a bit of a leak so Amos refreshed himself with it. Water trucks come to St. Louis 7 times a day to regularly fill up the water bladder.
UN security is in place. These soldiers are from Pakistan.
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