- Thread starter Hillbilly
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A good friend just got back
?? Warriors & peacekeepers. Or maybe contractors and profiteers?
Contractors in Haiti, Readying to Profit from Disaster?
See what Anne-Christine d'Adesky says:
'Since many Haitians (and others like me) aren't familiar with the Federal Procurement Data system for government and inter-agency contracts, it's important for us to widely circulate this information, and to HELP Haitian groups who may want to apply but may not have the expertise to write these grants.
It's also important for Haiti watchers who are promoting transparency and equity and want to make sure Haitian community groups get a share of the pie to communicate with US officials and folks at the Federal Procurement Data System to ask that any Communication about contracts get sent to Haitian media.'
Who's Getting Haiti Contracts? Check for yourself here....
'Since many Haitians (and others like me) aren't familiar with the Federal Procurement Data system for government and inter-agency contracts, it's important for us to widely circulate this information, and to HELP Haitian groups who may want to apply but may not have the expertise to write these grants.
It's also important for Haiti watchers who are promoting transparency and equity and want to make sure Haitian community groups get a share of the pie to communicate with US officials and folks at the Federal Procurement Data System to ask that any Communication about contracts get sent to Haitian media.'
Who's Getting Haiti Contracts? Check for yourself here....
great rock em sock em journalist!! Go get em Christine!
I heard from one friend who visited Gonaives last year that there was still a huge gang of NGOs up there, inside a comfortable Minustah compound, planning for the next ten years!! Of course, they did not have a plan for THIS year... nor had they figured out how to get the one third of the town that is still in the mud.. out of it!
I have not yet actually seen the work of any international NGOs that I could recommend. Well Medicins sans frontier.. yes..Most are rather, to my mind, in the business of poverty. But blame the game, not the players.. a lot of these people are really dedicated.. willing to risk their lives and health to make things better. or try to...
And even the USAID people complain about the "beltway bandits" who are the ones who are going to get the big contracts. They are the ones who are already USAID qualified and certified... very little chance for any of the small local NGOs to get a piece of that pie.. they may get some crumbs from the table.
The only hope that we have is to keep the spotlight shining bright on what is actually going to be PRODUCED from all the billions in aid...
foxes 2 Chickens 0
So we find that one of the first NO BID contracts that was awarded out of the gate by USAID was to Chemonics, a subsidiary of Erly .. owner of Comet Rice
"Chemonics International--Consulting, meanwhile, completed its first year as an independent entity in 1995, after having completed consulting contracts in 92 countries since its formation by ERLY in 1975. As the ERLY subsidiary prepared for the late 1990s, it was widening its scope as an agribusiness consultant and casting itself as an organization able to help developing countries clear the hurdles toward privatization. In 1995 the consulting subsidiary was involved in 46 contracts that were regional or worldwide in geographic scope, including work in Egypt, the Philippines, Central and South America, Nepal, Indonesia, and Russia. Collecting more than half of its sales from countries in the Near East and Eastern Europe, Chemonics International--Consulting registered record sales in 1995 of $64 million, a 64 percent increase from the previous year's total.
The smallest of ERLY's subsidiaries recorded the greatest gain in sales. Chemonics Industries--Fire-Trol controlled 45 percent of the U.S. market for forest fire retardant chemicals and 80 percent of the Canadian market, supported by a Fire-Trol product line with more than 42 registered patents. Sales increased an impressive 173 percent for the subsidiary in 1995, reaching a record $23 million and rounding out the company's financial gains.
Principal Subsidiaries: American Rice, Inc. (81%); Chemonics International--Consulting; Chemonics Industries--Fire-Trol."
the trail led back to this old Corbett post
Rice Corporation of Haiti (RCH)
So the FIRST 50 million dollars to go out to AID in HAITI
was to
THE FOXES
makes the corruption in Haiti and the DR look like really small town stuff, don't it?
lock up your chickens, friends....
does not look good for the good guys
So we find that one of the first NO BID contracts that was awarded out of the gate by USAID was to Chemonics, a subsidiary of Erly .. owner of Comet Rice
"Chemonics International--Consulting, meanwhile, completed its first year as an independent entity in 1995, after having completed consulting contracts in 92 countries since its formation by ERLY in 1975. As the ERLY subsidiary prepared for the late 1990s, it was widening its scope as an agribusiness consultant and casting itself as an organization able to help developing countries clear the hurdles toward privatization. In 1995 the consulting subsidiary was involved in 46 contracts that were regional or worldwide in geographic scope, including work in Egypt, the Philippines, Central and South America, Nepal, Indonesia, and Russia. Collecting more than half of its sales from countries in the Near East and Eastern Europe, Chemonics International--Consulting registered record sales in 1995 of $64 million, a 64 percent increase from the previous year's total.
The smallest of ERLY's subsidiaries recorded the greatest gain in sales. Chemonics Industries--Fire-Trol controlled 45 percent of the U.S. market for forest fire retardant chemicals and 80 percent of the Canadian market, supported by a Fire-Trol product line with more than 42 registered patents. Sales increased an impressive 173 percent for the subsidiary in 1995, reaching a record $23 million and rounding out the company's financial gains.
Principal Subsidiaries: American Rice, Inc. (81%); Chemonics International--Consulting; Chemonics Industries--Fire-Trol."
the trail led back to this old Corbett post
Rice Corporation of Haiti (RCH)
So the FIRST 50 million dollars to go out to AID in HAITI
was to
THE FOXES
makes the corruption in Haiti and the DR look like really small town stuff, don't it?
lock up your chickens, friends....
does not look good for the good guys
And a really good piece yesterday:
Early thoughts on Architects for Humanity's 'Plan for Haiti' -- and what we need NOW
And more and more on ERLY and Comet Rice
Cozy Links to a U.S Agency Prove Useful to a Rice Trader - Series - NYTimes.com
Speaking of corruption, many Haitians say they don't want their gov't to run things.
Also, almost anyone less the Haitian gov't would be better than the UN with their worthless cluster meetings and the WHO who pay midlevel workers 500,000 a year and charge NGO's for donated medicine. For example, the UN has been here since 2004 and still can't seem to reognize the importance of trash pickup. I suppose it's just easier to keep pumping the locals full of antibiotics or just burying them when that doesn't work.
This is the real time opinion from the NGO's here in PAP.
Also, almost anyone less the Haitian gov't would be better than the UN with their worthless cluster meetings and the WHO who pay midlevel workers 500,000 a year and charge NGO's for donated medicine. For example, the UN has been here since 2004 and still can't seem to reognize the importance of trash pickup. I suppose it's just easier to keep pumping the locals full of antibiotics or just burying them when that doesn't work.
This is the real time opinion from the NGO's here in PAP.
I am very disturbed to hear these allegations Chip. This is the second post you have made relating to the WHO overpaying their mid-level work force & referring to them making charges for medicines that they received free by way of donations.
irate: gre: Your other statement re the corruption within WHO was in your own thread 'The Fleecing has started' I believe?Can you advise what steps the NGO's in PAP have taken to report their opinions/observations/suspicions to the more senior personnel at WHO? Have they contacted any of the journalists (of the more professional variety) who would be only too delighted to get actual instances of fraud, corruption & mismanagement at the WHO &/or UN & then make a BIG splash in their newspaper/journal?
Obviously you were not expecting any serious action to be taken by putting these allegations on to DR1 (we are but small fish in the VERY big sea) but I would be quite prepared to follow through any factual information & examples/instances you can supply to me on these allegations & pass a report on to both WHO & the UN. Maybe you have already done this IN PAP but just have not stated so yet? Can you find out who the head of WHO is in Haiti at the moment & will make sure he/she gets a copy of the report I send to his/her boss from the information you supply me with.
Thanks for any damning evidence you can send me. An e-Mail would be best but failing that, please send a PM. ~ Grahame.
Wait a minute!!!!
The UN never had a remit to pick up trash in Haiti.
Nor did they give antibiotics to anyone.
MINUSTAH, as they are known is a stabilisation force. I have a dim view of some aspects of their work but they have stabilised Haiti enough for you to go there and report on the situation, no?
The people who are most frustrated with MINUSTAH are the people who work for them. There is so much paperwork that they cannot fart without a 2 year administration process and approval from New York.
Again, I am not a great fan of some aspects of the UN in Haiti but at least you can walk down most of the streets without getting shot at too much since 2006.
As for the WHO - I do not know much about these guys' works in Haiti but I liked their half time show at the super bowl this year.
I certainly agree that any operation under the UN or any government is going to be a paper work nightmare.
I do believe that WHO is now charging for the medications... since there were Haitian doctors and some NGOs.. i think--- who were charging for them.
I very much doubt that there are any "mid level" people at WHO in Haiti who are making $500k a year!! But it does take some powerful money to get competent people to work in Haiti.
For instance... judging by the pay scale at USAID.. the guy who just found housing for the personnel here was making $75k plus housing and utilities. And that was here in the DR! Haiti gets a bump up in pay.. same as Iraq.. and there are plenty of people in the US State department who would rather go to Iraq.
Anyway, Chip, good for you for being there!! And I certainly understand your frustrations... certainly the big NGOs have been having Cluster XXXX meetings in Gonaives for the last three years.. and yes, it is still one third under the mud.
And yes, if you have good leads on anything that you want reported, I can certainly get them to the WSJ team and others.
Hang in there.. our prayers... (including my pagan ones!) are with you!
I do believe that WHO is now charging for the medications... since there were Haitian doctors and some NGOs.. i think--- who were charging for them.
I very much doubt that there are any "mid level" people at WHO in Haiti who are making $500k a year!! But it does take some powerful money to get competent people to work in Haiti.
For instance... judging by the pay scale at USAID.. the guy who just found housing for the personnel here was making $75k plus housing and utilities. And that was here in the DR! Haiti gets a bump up in pay.. same as Iraq.. and there are plenty of people in the US State department who would rather go to Iraq.
Anyway, Chip, good for you for being there!! And I certainly understand your frustrations... certainly the big NGOs have been having Cluster XXXX meetings in Gonaives for the last three years.. and yes, it is still one third under the mud.
And yes, if you have good leads on anything that you want reported, I can certainly get them to the WSJ team and others.
Hang in there.. our prayers... (including my pagan ones!) are with you!