Flickering Hope

Immersed in the agony of the distraught victims, and 20 million cubic meters of rubble, some little candles --sparks of hope-- barely noticeable, are flickering in Haiti. They are optimistic signs indicating that the lives of many Haitians are improving. However, if like most people, you were bombarded with traumatic images of the reprehensible conditions plaguing the refugee camps on June 12^th, you too, might have missed some stories of success slowly bubbling to the surface.

The situation in Haiti is by no mean unambiguous. Observers would need two sets of lenses to fully comprehend the enormity of the problem.  First, “retrospective” lenses would bring into focus pre-catastrophic conditions: they could be anachronistic, yet imperative to grasp that reality. Second, “actuality” lenses would unveil the post-quake reality, serve as a measuring device, and perhaps help broaden perceptions.

Absent a set of binoculars, former President Bill Clinton’s remarks will have to do. "To those who say we have not done enough, I think all of us who are working in this area agree this is a harder job (than the tsunami)," Clinton stated referring to the massive 2004 Indonesian Tsunami. "Viewed comparatively,” he continued, “I think the Haitian government and the people who are working here have done well in the last six months."

A glimpse into the grim Haitian reality prior to the earthquake according to Oxfam Solidarite, a humanitarian organization working in Haiti for 32 years.

55% of the population lived with less than $1.25 per day

86% of the urban population lived in slums

47% of the population did not have access to basic health services

83% of the population did not have an adequate access to medical care

With a literacy rate of 45 percent, a stunning 55 percent of school-aged children were out of school prior to the demolition. Six months later however, UNICEF estimated that the earthquake affected 90 percent of 4,992 schools. Further, its six-month progress report, Milestones at Six Months, revealed that about 80 percent of schools in Port-au-Prince and all schools in three other major cities that were severely hit have reopened. This was a significant development considering the fact that 60 percent under the age of 18.

“Education is key,” said Ms. Gruloos-Ackermans, UNICEF Representative in Haiti. “We have to have all children at school and we have to have quality of education. It will be really complicated. It’s a long process and we have to be all together – partnering, not competing,” she added. Equally noticeable, these children are not roaming the streets freely where ill-advised practices could attract them.

In addition to education, significant progress has been made in the medical front as well, largely under the radar. Coordinated efforts of the 4 major medical organizations (the Red Cross, MSF, Doctors of the World and FRIEND) have made medical care available to more than a half-million people.

Since the catastrophe, nearly all of the health centers (at least those still standing after the quake) have reopened, administering much needed care free of charge. These organizations have also undertaken massive vaccination campaigns, a deterrent to possible outbreaks of preventable diseases.

The National Center for Cooperation and Development (CNCD) reported that 90 percent of the population had access to health care, whereas before a shocking 60 percent of Haitians could not afford to consult a doctor. Noticeably, there has been no epidemic outbreak; hence the worst did not come. Additionally, several other NGOs have provided safe water, latrines, and other basic health services to the refugees’ camps.

Furthermore, more than 30,000 people have participated in the “Work for Food Program” directed by World Food Program or WFP. Also, more than 150,000 people have received food and other incentives through this project. Moreover, the participants are paid $5 dollars every day for helping clean the streets, the construction of the irrigation canals, and other activities to face the cyclonic season. That is about three times the daily wage the majority of working Haitians made before Jan 12^th.  By year-end, it’s projected that more than 140,000 Haitians will have a regular income thanks to the program. WFP will also make it possible to nourish 700,000 people through December. Although temporary, these kinds of program will help Haitians regain some sanity and keep them from desperate criminal behaviors.

In addition, athletes and high profile celebrities continue to lend moral support to Haitians.  For instance, since soccer has always been a main source of entertainment for Haitians, it was a special treat when Lionel “Leo” Messi, FIFA World Player of the Year, showed up in Haiti eager to have firsthand experience with what he had only learned through media coverage. The world-renowned FC Barcelona and Argentina national football team player said, “It was overwhelming to see the overcrowded displacement camps, the poverty in which people here live,” after visiting Carrefour Aviation, a camp where 50,000 displaced Haitians live in tents. “I believe that sports are really important for children. I learned my most important lessons in life through sport. It is where I had my opportunity, and I wish the same for them.”

Inarguably, many people are suffering in Haiti right now.  Words do not do justice to their ordeals. These flickering flames, though, have fostered at least some hope in the heart of a people yearning to see the light at the end of the tunnel.


Rapadoo,

NGO Republic

"You have several hundred NGOs operating in Haiti, and basically doing what they want, with no regard to the wishes of the Government of Haiti." 

These are the words of Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit expressed during a recent meeting of Caribbean leaders in Montego Bay, Jamaica. "We have called on the UN Secretary General to bring some level of order to the situation, because while we speak about maintaining democracy in Haiti, we cannot at the same time be empowering NGOs to undermine the democratic institutions that are in Haiti," he added.  Rene Preval, the president of Haiti, expressed similar concerns during his interview with Ray Suarez of PBS Newshour. Preval reminded donors that nearly all relief funds were in the hands of NGOs and governments. He also decried the criticism of incompetence, indifference, and corruption leveled as his administration’s response to the crisis as unfair.

Most importantly, though, his remarks revealed the lack control his administration has over the flood of runaway NGOs now operating in Haiti.

Think tanks have been equally critical of many of the aid organizations in Haiti. The Council on Foreign Relations, for instance, in its June 22^nd report Haiti at a Crossroad did not hesitate to direct some harsh criticism at foreign charities for the evident lack of coordinating efforts with the government of Haiti. Chaired by Senator John Kerry, the report aimed to present a comprehensive long-term strategy on the way forward with the reconstruction.

Meanwhile, the agony, confusion, and uncertainty of the afflicted can still be heard over the insurmountable piles of debris, which remain the burial ground for thousands of dead bodies. In the sixth months since the earthquake, some 28,000 people have been relocated to new homes, leaving an unprecedented 1.5 million people still displaced in the urban setting of the capital. Moreover, a Euronews report on the International AIDS conference in Vienna claimed that 120,000 of the refugees living in tents are HIV positive and are living without necessary medication or basic means of survival.

In addition, a new report released by the NGO watchdog, Disaster Accountability Project (DAP) offered extensive details of its 5 months investigation into the affairs of NGO Republic. Sadly, the results echoed the same criticism about the lack of transparency and coordination they have demonstrated during the last six months. The investigation sought to determine whether or not NGOs that solicited funds on behalf of Haiti were actually producing transparent results and offered publicly accessible accounts of their activities.

Much to his dismay, Ben Smilowitz, the Executive Director of the DAP, accounted for 197 such organizations that collected around $1.3 billion from donors to help Haiti; however, only six of them were able to produce factual statements detailing their activities. On the other hand, 128 organizations could not produce any documentation on how the collected money was being spent. As a result, Ben accused the NGOs of violating the public trust while the refugee camps hang vulnerably in the path of the rainy and hurricane seasons.

Summing up his frustration, Skerrit inferred, "We believe that the situation is untenable, and we should put an immediate stop to it. We must call on the international institutions and government to desist from putting the resources into NGOs."

Rapadoo,

State of the Globe

                                                                           Global Economic Pulse

              As recently as 2007, the global economy grew 5.2 percent and celestial choirs were singing Kumbayah. At last, a golden era could be seen in the hazy distance. To some, it was a most awaited sign of prosperity, stability, and constant growth. According to some economists, that pattern was not at all sporadic. That rate of growth was consistent over a few years, an upward mobility caused by emerging markets such as China with an 11 percent growth, India 9 percent, Russia 8 percent, and Brazil 7 percent, which lead to serious attitudinal changes over all four corners of the Globe. In addition, both the Middle East and Africa saw a boom in economic developments, which contributed to a very strong third quarter in 2006.

That atmosphere, according to Economywatch.com, created a host of predictions and theories by experts.  As they looked into their crystal balls, they predicted years of unfettered growth. Those predictions were based on the idea that the economic progress of the fore-mentioned giants, along with few others, would provide a much-needed counterbalance to stagnancy or slow growth elsewhere in the world. Much to their surprise however, the global economy had turned into an airliner deprived of all of its engines at cruising altitude. The nosedive that followed was comparable to that of the great depression of the 1930s. As a result, worries spread quicker than California wildfires and the world was painfully witnessing its Armageddon in slow motion: capitalist ideals were being tested and it looked as if they would not withstand the test of times.

Naturally, reactive governments around the world dispatched all of their emergency response teams to the financial scene in hope of containment; they had to prevent what was commonly referred to as “the end of the world.” They could not allow that airplane to hit the ground at such an unprecedented velocity. Hence, the term bailout got mainstreamed and major corporations scrambled for lifelines. Later though, when it became evident that it was another sad case of highway robbery by corporate capitalists, everyone was familiar with the classic ending that would follow: tons of ordinary folks would lose everything while also picking up the bill of incompetence, immorality, and insatiable greed.  The June 2010 report of the Congressional Oversight Committee (COC) on the AIG bailout found here attested to this rationale. It revealed that at least here in the US, taxpayers’ wallet was the only target of the government, $182 billion worth. The report specifically indicated that there were other options that would be less costly to the citizens, but government financial gurus ignored them.

            Today however, if you believe some “experts,” the economic calamity is in the world’s rearview mirror and everyone should breathe a huge sigh of relief while navigating through the debris. One of their biggest indicators has been the recently revised GDP for the year-ending quarter of 2009. The US saw a 5.9 percent growth, one that is met with suspicions by investors. Meanwhile, other experts are describing the current state of the world economy as a landmine highlighting investor’s insecurity, nervousness, and sporadic reactivity. Still, some insist that we have turned the corner and that slowly but surely the world is on its way to recovery.

            In this September 2009 report, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) hinted at the stabilization of global economic conditions. The report stated that major corrections have been made in bond spread, credit markets, share prices, currency swap index, business inventories, world trade volumes, export trade, and housing markets. It specifically pointed out that, “Industrial production is on the increase in major emerging countries, a trend which shows that the current crisis deviates from the Great Depression in the 1930s.”

            All of this probably means nothing to an ordinary guy such as myself, but these reports seem to be indicating that the world economy, although far from a full recovery, may have left the ICU, a hopeful sign that could mean that I will probably have a job again in the near future to regain some sanity. The OECD report also mentioned that the poorest countries would be swimming in the Red Sea for the foreseeable future. They were hit the hardest by the teeth of Armageddon and did not have the appropriate economic structure in place, as did the major economies of the globe. This translates to more days scanning the debris for survival for the regressing economies.

            Rapadoo,

Sources: Economicwatch.com, the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the Congressional Oversight Committee (COC), and Money Morning.