Billions of Dollars in Aid.....Collecting Dust or Interest??

Bernard Jean-Pierre

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Oct 31, 2010
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Do you think it would be absurd to think that some of the Aid money promised to Haiti is somewhere collecting Interest?? Naturally, if you put any money in the Bank (in most cases) it collect interest, but HOW MUCH money is collecting Interest INSTEAD of going directly to where it can be used to benefit Haitians in need??? Reasonably speaking, it DOES take time to figure out where money will go, how, when, through what organization etc. But its almost been a year now, and needless to say not only is Haiti still in shambles, but the Aid that has been put to use is microscopic.

One can't help but to think that Aid money is being misplaced, mismanaged and perhaps most disturbing, stolen. It is beyond despicable to think that someone who is NOT is such dire straits to deprive those who are living one 'hour' at a time, in order improve their own financial situation. The Government fumbles and fights over the money while people live in unsanitary conditions in tents, and yet NON-profit organizations build over 1,000 small homes for families in need!! Worldwide Association of Jehovah (Awake! - December 2010, Earthquake in Haiti - Faith and Love in Action)

Whatever the case is, I REALLY hope that things get going in Haiti, that people can get back to living instead of just surviving. I hope that those in power do the right thing, and think about the PEOPLE first, instead of their respective Political interests.
 

mountainannie

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Dec 11, 2003
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elizabetheames.blogspot.com
Do you think it would be absurd to think that some of the Aid money promised to Haiti is somewhere collecting Interest?? Naturally, if you put any money in the Bank (in most cases) it collect interest, but HOW MUCH money is collecting Interest INSTEAD of going directly to where it can be used to benefit Haitians in need??? Reasonably speaking, it DOES take time to figure out where money will go, how, when, through what organization etc. But its almost been a year now, and needless to say not only is Haiti still in shambles, but the Aid that has been put to use is microscopic.

One can't help but to think that Aid money is being misplaced, mismanaged and perhaps most disturbing, stolen. It is beyond despicable to think that someone who is NOT is such dire straits to deprive those who are living one 'hour' at a time, in order improve their own financial situation. The Government fumbles and fights over the money while people live in unsanitary conditions in tents, and yet NON-profit organizations build over 1,000 small homes for families in need!! Worldwide Association of Jehovah (Awake! - December 2010, Earthquake in Haiti - Faith and Love in Action)

Whatever the case is, I REALLY hope that things get going in Haiti, that people can get back to living instead of just surviving. I hope that those in power do the right thing, and think about the PEOPLE first, instead of their respective Political interests.

I know that of the 1.2 billion promised to Haiti from the US has been held up in Congress
Haiti Still Waiting for Pledged U.S. Aid - CBS News

only a small portion of the money has been released
The Associated Press: Some US rebuilding money finally headed to Haiti

It is true that small NGOs are more nimble and can create small projects effectively... however, the larger sums are needed for large scale projects

and, no, certainly there is no interest that is being accumulated on funds which have not been released
 

pedrochemical

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Aug 22, 2008
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Firstly - the money does not exist as aid until it is given - up until that point it is just part of whatever country's coffers/debt obligation.

Secondly, if I am donating 100million bucks, then the first 60 million will be in debt forgiveness - which wouldn't have been paid anyway, nor the interest - so that is an accounting fiddle that makes me look generous but does nothing real for anybody.

Then I might fund various of my country's NGOs/charities. That menas I will pay their salary in euros in our home country. I will however pay them per diem in Haiti - tax free - but the contracts I have with suppliers will be enacted in the home country paid in Euros or Dollars.

Just a few of the scams going on.

I could give names of actual individuals, organisations and countries but I do not want to get in trouble.
 

Bernard Jean-Pierre

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Oct 31, 2010
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Its easy to forget all about the 'debt' issue when it comes to these type of situations. I bet it would be extremely for one Country to 'donate' a couple of Million dollars, but in reality it becomes some sort of self-sponsored 'debt relief' program. I 'give' you 10 Million, but in all actuality after some papers are pushed, and documents signed it really becomes you owe us 10 Million LESS than you did before. From the public's perspective it LOOKS like the money is buying Bottled Water, First Aid etc, but its really just an 'appearance' a 'scene' than one party is obligated to project in order to keep the terms of an agreement in tact. Que cosa!
 

pedrochemical

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Aug 22, 2008
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Its easy to forget all about the 'debt' issue when it comes to these type of situations. I bet it would be extremely for one Country to 'donate' a couple of Million dollars, but in reality it becomes some sort of self-sponsored 'debt relief' program. I 'give' you 10 Million, but in all actuality after some papers are pushed, and documents signed it really becomes you owe us 10 Million LESS than you did before. From the public's perspective it LOOKS like the money is buying Bottled Water, First Aid etc, but its really just an 'appearance' a 'scene' than one party is obligated to project in order to keep the terms of an agreement in tact. Que cosa!

I saw it calculated somwehere that 1 billion of the so clled aid promised to Haiti equated to around a couple hundred thousand US$ of actual benefit to Haiti through this very process.
 

RonS

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Oct 18, 2004
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I did not even consider the possibility that donor nations would deduct an amount for debt forgiveness from funds that they have pledged for Haitian relief and reconstruction and I think it is an outrage.

But it seems to me that what donor nations did was to pledge donations for the effort and I don't think there was any legal/political obligation on thier part to actually make/dispurse the donation(s). These are funds each government has in treasury, allocated in thier budgets, and must be appropriated and dispursed. They do not accrue interest.
 

pedrochemical

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Aug 22, 2008
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$1.2 Billion in Haitian Debt Cancellation: A Welcome Victory - Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation

debt cancellation was not part of the aid package

The bulk of Haiti's external debts were cancelled before the earthquake


A large part of the money pledged to Haiti is in the form of debt releif.

Mountainannie - you will probably have read the same article that I read on the Corbet list.

But this is undisputable - please do not make me go and find the article in the literally thousands of articles that I have read.

Countries are claiming this amoutn as a contribution - and I guess tachnically it is.