Update from Haiti

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mountainannie

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Four cases of Diptheria have been reported in the Haitian camps. Warnings on outbreaks of thyphoid have been issued.

At least one foreign advisor to an NGO was kidnapped then ransomed, The Haitian driver was shot.

There are 217 executive job postings on Relief Web for NGOs in Haiti

Situation report from Relief Web
Period covered by this Ops Update: 7 May - 13 May 2010

Appeal target (current): 218.4 million Swiss francs (203,478,000 US dollars or 148,989,000 euro) in cash, kind, or services is solicited to support the Haitian Red Cross Society (HRCS)/Federation to provide basic non-food items and emergency/transitional shelter to 80,000 beneficiary families and provide emergency health care, fulfilment of basic needs in water and sanitation and livelihoods support for vulnerable populations in the earthquake-affected region. Of the 218.4 million Swiss francs sought, the International Federation solicits Swiss francs 2.07 million to support its inter-agency coordination of the Shelter and Non-Food Items Cluster.

The donor response report shows current coverage of 67% of the overall Appeal target.

The budget for inter-agency coordination of the Shelter and Non-Food Items Cluster currently stands at 77%

Summary:

Sources within the Red Cross Red Crescent are indicating that some institutions have begun charging patients in hospitals although it was understood that the Government of Haiti would wait until July to reinstate mandatory charges for medical services. The reinstatement of a user pay system places pressure on the affected population which, as reported in an article of 11 May released by the Associated Press, has benefitted from improved access to health care over the past three months. This will also place increased pressure on the International Organizations which are not charging for services, but consequently are inundated with persons seeking assistance. The BeNeLux, French, and Finnish Emergency Response Units (ERU)s have handed over their duties to the HRCS/IFRC relief team and the Colombian and Mexican Red Cross emergency relief teams have completed their food distributions. The longer term Federation (IFRC) relief team will integrate new relief delegates with national staff and volunteers who have been associated with the operation since January, and in partnership with the HRCS, will continue to provide these teams with learning opportunities and on the job experience contributing to the national capacity to respond quickly to the needs of the affected population.
"

And we see here that most aid agencies have spent less than 25% of what they collected

Following the Aid Money to Haiti - CBS Evening News - CBS News

and is one big issue underlying all this "aid"money that is being collected
Haiti Wants Food Aid to Stop? - CBS Evening News - CBS News
which is that is completely undermining all local agricultural trade and commerce...... creating dependency... undermining the existing health care system which is not free.. so that government hospitals and doctors are not being paid, cannot support themselves...


Note that most of the NGOs who collected the money have little or no CAPACITY on the ground to spend it EXCEPT to give out freebies... they have no staff... no programs, no projects. The Clinton Foundation was just opening their office......

And note again that there are really very very FEW programs that NGOs provide that actually lift people out of povery. Most of them just keep the people in poverty so that the NGOs can survive.

Perhaps it would have been better to just fly over Haiti with the money.. an estimated 37k per Haitian... and drop the cash in greenbacks over the countryside............

Then they could perhaps have come to the DR and bought some seeds instead of accepting the 3 million in genetically altered sterile seeds that Monsanto has so generously supplied to one NGO.
 

pedrochemical

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The seeds thing sucks.
Instead of just coming down against Monsanto, Bayer and Dupont like I normally would do, I actually did some reading. Monsanto are going to sell the seeds t the market rate but god only knows what will happen to the money.
The increased yield easily pays for for the cost of the seeds and the extra cost of buying next year's seeds.
That is not the point.
From next year on the farmers are committed to buying their seeds from these international companies.
Monsanto then has them by the short and curlies.
There is no going back once you do the deal with the devil.
They are then at the beck and call of the multinationals.
This is one way to ensure that large companies have control over and make money from the food production and that Haiti will never again be self sufficient in food. The final nail in the coffin for Haitian agriculture?
Plus apparently although the fruits look better, they do not taste as good.

As for the kidnap to which you refer.
I got this from the folks who know -

The bloody idiot decided to set himself up a little female company before he arrived in Haiti. So he got on facebook and found a girl to chat with. She knew when and where he would be and at what time. (Idiot!)
The driver was a friend of the girl in question and set the whole thing up.
They allegedly paid 75,000US$ for his release. The driver then wanted more of the take so they shot him.
So that did not really work out very well for anybody apart from a few of the kidnappers. The girl is now in deep trouble.

I mean how stupid can you be?


If you go to Haiti - be a little bit cautious, please.
 

Chirimoya

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Dec 9, 2002
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Thanks for the update, mountainannie. I gave it its own thread as it's not connected to the Silsby case.

The lack of capacity and structure on the ground to handle and spend the money was always a problem at the 'best' of times. They'd better get thinking quickly or they're going to get shown up big time. And of course, meanwhile, the suffering only increases.
 

xtoclark

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The seeds thing sucks.
Instead of just coming down against Monsanto, Bayer and Dupont like I normally would do, I actually did some reading. Monsanto are going to sell the seeds t the market rate but god only knows what will happen to the money.
The increased yield easily pays for for the cost of the seeds and the extra cost of buying next year's seeds.
That is not the point.
From next year on the farmers are committed to buying their seeds from these international companies.
Monsanto then has them by the short and curlies.
There is no going back once you do the deal with the devil.
They are then at the beck and call of the multinationals.
This is one way to ensure that large companies have control over and make money from the food production and that Haiti will never again be self sufficient in food. The final nail in the coffin for Haitian agriculture?
Plus apparently although the fruits look better, they do not taste as good.

...
I take great issue with that article. It's a piece written for feeling and it is ridciously spun, so spun out of control infact that it made me dizzy.

The whole thing is one yellow journalistic piece based upon partial facts attacking a company. Obviously the author had an axe to grind.

Is monsanto bad? Does it really matter and if it does I sure won't try to learn anything from a piece like that.

The seeds are not sold, they are being donated. A farmer was quoted (in the article) as saying "Help us produce, not just give us food" well heck, I think that it falls extactly at that.

Food aid isn't new to Haiti anyhow. How many years has it been going on for? food aid haiti - Google Search

It's so easy to hate Big Evil Corporation X that it blind sides one. They are donating non-GMO seeds, seeds which don't fall under their patents. If the "Haitian" population (or rather the ones with the power to call the shots) doesn't want them, fine. But you just watch, they will be crying out for food aid soon. Food dumping ("aid") DOES destroy countries, economies and lives. How ever food production does not. Next time famine because of reason X,Y,Z comes to Haiti and everyone calls out for food dumping (again)...

Oops, guess you should have planted, huh?


Truthout? More like Getout. Maybe what they write counts for Truth in 1984.
Seeds with pesticide? Common practice. This yellow piece tries to equate it to agent orange. Give me a break.
Seeds being DONATED? free and non-GMO. Which they state at the start but then write the next 2 pages as if they were paid/contracted and GMO seeds.
The rest of the article? NOTHING to do with the situation in Haiti. I do not care what the company and the US government did in Colombia or Vietnam or anywhere else. We are (rather we were ) talking about Haiti (first 2 paragraphs). Irrelevant.
 
May 29, 2006
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The farmers will also have to come up with the money to pay for Roundup and other high cost inputs plus get into long term contracts. Monsanto's "generousity" in other countries has led to suicides(often by consuming Monsanto chemicals), children being put into sexual slavery and selling kidneys. I'm sure Monsanto wouldn't mind digging deep wells for their crops as well, even if it just "happens" to lower the water table so nearby traditional farmers are put out of business. Vandana Shiva has written much about their tactics in India.
 

Daniel10

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You do that with irrigation, not wells. Wells lower the ground water levels, so you need to use sprinklers. In a warm climate sprinklers will evaporate the water quicker.

Just remember that a lot of solutions in the world actually cause more problems.
Egypt and the dam on the Nile over there is a prime example.

Take one quick look at the history of most of the pharmaceutical companies. A lot caused more harm with their "aid" and in the end filled their coffers ten-fold. As long as self-preservation is the main motive for giving aid, it will not solve a thing.
 

Chip

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You do that with irrigation, not wells. Wells lower the ground water levels, so you need to use sprinklers. In a warm climate sprinklers will evaporate the water quicker.

Just remember that a lot of solutions in the world actually cause more problems.
Egypt and the dam on the Nile over there is a prime example.

Take one quick look at the history of most of the pharmaceutical companies. A lot caused more harm with their "aid" and in the end filled their coffers ten-fold. As long as self-preservation is the main motive for giving aid, it will not solve a thing.

And where would the "irrigation" come from????

Wells are a viable source of irrigation for crops. Ideally ponds are created in natural low areas and are fed by runoff.

I'm not guessing at this as I studied agriculture in addition to engineering.
 

Daniel10

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And where would the "irrigation" come from????

Wells are a viable source of irrigation for crops. Ideally ponds are created in natural low areas and are fed by runoff.

I'm not guessing at this as I studied agriculture in addition to engineering.

Ideally ponds. Agree with that. I know the soil in Haiti is different from where I come from (NL), so I can't compare it. In NL ponds are needed as soon as we do any building as the groundwater will rise dramatically.
But just setting up wells without consideration for neighbours, or public access will hurt the smaller farmers.

Not saying it's a bad thing, but a lot of NGO's would like some bragging rights about how good they are, but forget that just building a well in some place takes a lot more planning. Doing it wrong, could hurt more than it will solve.

Proper water management will be needed in the feature. And if no proper management is done it will mean that people will have less access to water.
 

dulce

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Jan 1, 2002
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Unfortunely it is reports such as Mountainannie posted that prevent myself from donating $$$ to NGO's. $$$ does not go to the real needs of the real needy. I prefer to find a needy family and help them directly. History of $$$ donated for disasters has not been productive.
With that being said I acknowledge that MANY good people are doing good things.
 

pedrochemical

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I take great issue with that article. It's a piece written for feeling and it is ridciously spun, so spun out of control infact that it made me dizzy.

The whole thing is one yellow journalistic piece based upon partial facts attacking a company. Obviously the author had an axe to grind.

Is monsanto bad? Does it really matter and if it does I sure won't try to learn anything from a piece like that.

The seeds are not sold, they are being donated. A farmer was quoted (in the article) as saying "Help us produce, not just give us food" well heck, I think that it falls extactly at that.

Food aid isn't new to Haiti anyhow. How many years has it been going on for? food aid haiti - Google Search

It's so easy to hate Big Evil Corporation X that it blind sides one. They are donating non-GMO seeds, seeds which don't fall under their patents. If the "Haitian" population (or rather the ones with the power to call the shots) doesn't want them, fine. But you just watch, they will be crying out for food aid soon. Food dumping ("aid") DOES destroy countries, economies and lives. How ever food production does not. Next time famine because of reason X,Y,Z comes to Haiti and everyone calls out for food dumping (again)...

Oops, guess you should have planted, huh?


Truthout? More like Getout. Maybe what they write counts for Truth in 1984.
Seeds with pesticide? Common practice. This yellow piece tries to equate it to agent orange. Give me a break.
Seeds being DONATED? free and non-GMO. Which they state at the start but then write the next 2 pages as if they were paid/contracted and GMO seeds.
The rest of the article? NOTHING to do with the situation in Haiti. I do not care what the company and the US government did in Colombia or Vietnam or anywhere else. We are (rather we were ) talking about Haiti (first 2 paragraphs). Irrelevant.

Monsanto may be donating the seeds, but they are to be sold to the farmers.
I shall dig out the article to back this up from the 2000 or so articles clogging up my computer.

I agree, it is easy to be hysterical when one hears the name Monsanto, but after some investigation and thought, for me this latest controversy deserves attention.
GMO they may not be but sterile they are.
I stand by what I said but I am happy to change my mind and acknowledge that this is not the case if the evidence supports that.
As such I am not a journalist!
 
May 29, 2006
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What we should be doing is recruiting and training the Haitian diaspora in the US and Canada to work as local managers. The greatest obstacle that I have seen in NGOs is a lack of empathy and passive racism which creates suspicion and ill-will for many projects. No local anywhere will think you are working in their interest if they don't think you respect them as an equal regardless of the short-term benefits.
 
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Corn is a poor crop choice for Haiti anyway. What will they do with it? Use it for animal feed? Export it? Turn it into cornmeal? Corn can imported from the US for far less than Haiti can produce it. Is the corn being grown for human consumption or animal feed?
 

Hillbilly

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HB's considerations:

Form letrine digging brigades : diggers, masons and carpenters.
Form ditch digging brigades: diggers, pipe layers and masons
Form carpenter brigades: Build houses fast!

In the countryside: Farmer co-ops: Advisors on sustainable, low risk crops: Bananas, Plantains (maybe), certainly some varieties of plantains. Massive input of proper techniques-no acceptance of "We are in Haiti and we do it like this" bullcrappo. Force them to do it right.

Massive work on the much ballyhooed Artibonito River Basin Project..get the d@mn thing done!! Use hand labor as much as possible.

-Build hospitals with whatever manpower is available.
-Build Schools with whatever manpower is available.

Be sure to supervise construction with experts: Use all that money for building stuff, not to give away stuff.

HB's 2?, which seem obvious, but apparently, there are no organizations on the ground that can bring this off. The church organizations just want to build churches and orphanages for their ends--which are not bad, just not development oriented--the different gubmints do not have the agencies there to do the organization and logistical work.

I said this years ago to CNN: You cannot fix Haiti in a year!!

HB
 

pedrochemical

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Corn is a poor crop choice for Haiti anyway. What will they do with it? Use it for animal feed? Export it? Turn it into cornmeal? Corn can imported from the US for far less than Haiti can produce it. Is the corn being grown for human consumption or animal feed?


Corn is a big staple here - you see street vendors grinding it up and selling it.
Haitians seem to like it.
It works well as dumplings in soup... yum!
 

bienamor

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Apr 23, 2004
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Corn is a big staple here - you see street vendors grinding it up and selling it.
Haitians seem to like it.
It works well as dumplings in soup... yum!

Assume everyone is talking about sweet corn like for sale on the street, field corn that they use for livestock feed can be cooked for ever and never be eatable, unless ground for corn meal.
 

mountainannie

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I don't like Truth Out much as a source either.. I posted just for the irritating slant... but it is true that the seeds are not local... BUT

Most importantly

THEY ARE NOT FERTILE\

they are STERILE and will not reproduce

and they have pesticides in them

we do not know what these seeds do to the human body

that is why so many people in the US will pay so much for organic......

But if a small farmer takes them once.. well ok.. he has one year

but that is not sustainable farming

that is sweatshop farming


EVERYthing that Haiti needs grows here in the DR., WHY is the DR not stepping up with a seed bank?

Where is
King Leonel when you need him?

The DR is food sufficient. We produce 85% of what we consume and we export as well so we buy what we want. Haiti can be EXACTLY the same.

There is silver in Haiti, there is gold, and buaxite, and probably larimar as well. All these minerals are easier to get to now that the trees are gone.

The best form of agriculture is in the greenhouses that are all over the DR.. and could be in Haiti as well......

Once a nation is food sufficient.., then... ok.. then you talk about export manufacturing and all that.... not before

but now we have this huge INDUSTRY of food donors

then come the guys with the gifts of the sterile seeds

Seems that the main vision that President Clinton has for Haiti is sweatshops and mass farming for export...,

gotta love the gifts of these white guys!

what most haitians i have spoken with want is

self sufficiciency

and it is not that hard to come by

really

remember that 70% of Haiti is rural

and that rural poverty is simply not the same as urban poverty.

even if you have "no employment" and less than a dollar a day... it does not mean you are miserable... the misery is in the city slums predominantly

there was a big story.. or maybe an urban legend ... that the US first introduced its rice (massively subsidized by taxpayer dollars, we know
) into Haiti, they had to do it with armed escorts... and those were DONATIONS

the issue of donated food
used clothing

dumping

destroying the local crafts
destroying the local argriculture

a few sides to every story


now there are some projects

the lait agro gro

by veterimed

the ore project for the restoration of the enrironment

the fonkose bank

but then we are gettting all these giant ngos

who seem to spend the bulk of their budgets on themselves

on hiring one another to fly down and meet for lunch at the villa kreyole and drive around and file a report on what should be done

that is what they have been doing up in Gonaives since the floods there

they have built themselves a great
NGO installation

under UN protection

where they sit and design a five year plan

while the people still live in the mud
 

mountainannie

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Dec 11, 2003
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HB's considerations:

Form letrine digging brigades : diggers, masons and carpenters.
Form ditch digging brigades: diggers, pipe layers and masons
Form carpenter brigades: Build houses fast!

In the countryside: Farmer co-ops: Advisors on sustainable, low risk crops: Bananas, Plantains (maybe), certainly some varieties of plantains. Massive input of proper techniques-no acceptance of "We are in Haiti and we do it like this" bullcrappo. Force them to do it right.

Massive work on the much ballyhooed Artibonito River Basin Project..get the d@mn thing done!! Use hand labor as much as possible.

-Build hospitals with whatever manpower is available.
-Build Schools with whatever manpower is available.

Be sure to supervise construction with experts: Use all that money for building stuff, not to give away stuff.

HB's 2?, which seem obvious, but apparently, there are no organizations on the ground that can bring this off. The church organizations just want to build churches and orphanages for their ends--which are not bad, just not development oriented--the different gubmints do not have the agencies there to do the organization and logistical work.

I said this years ago to CNN: You cannot fix Haiti in a year!!

HB

With all due respect HB

The "force them to do it right" tone really did not endear me to you.....

Haiti is full of little building built by various ngos from all over the world

then the haitians sit and wait for the ngos to send staff

no more da me

what is needed is to take a good look at the projects that are really working and replicate them

and indeed bring in the diaspora

and for Dominicans to get more and more products to their border markets that are really useful

i have never seen a five gallon camping water jug on this island
in the states i can buy one in any Walmarts

in haiti they would save the lives of children because you can keep purified water in them
 
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