Haitian Premier Says Loss of Support Led Him to Quit –New York Times

There was another blow to an already weak government in Haiti on Friday, February 24, 2012 when Garry Conille, prime minister of Haiti, resigned.  This news is very bad for all of Haiti because it affects Haiti on two different fronts.  The first front is the government, because the government is very fragile and the resignation of the prime minister does not help the issue.  The other issue is the Haitian people that are desperately waiting for assistance.  They are relying on their government to step up to the challenge of rebuilding Haiti as soon as possible.  Unfortunately the government is struggling to come together and make important decisions that will help promote much needed change.

Many Haitians are still living in tents that are plagued with disease and crime.  Although there has been some progress such as clearing out camps, building a new industrial park and hospital, and beginning to promote private investment, there is still much change that needs to be done.  It all starts with the government, because the government is in charge of building and maintaining a solid infrastructure.  Although Haiti’s government has a lot of work to do, it is possible for them to rebuild Haiti if they work together.  Perhaps the most critical issue with this resignation is that international donors and investors will become reluctant to work with Haiti’s government when there is so much chaos.

Although this is another bump in the road, I am confident that one day Haiti will overcome all of these issues.  It could take a long time, but there is no doubt in my mind that they will.  In my opinion Haiti’s history is the greatest of all time compared to any other country.  It became the first black republic in 1804 when slaves defeated the powerful European Army.  I get chills every time I think about it and it makes me so proud to be Haitian.  So although this story is not good news for Haiti, it is important to keep a positive attitude because change will come.

L’Union Fait La Force!

A Summarization and Response to Time article “Haiti Without a Prime Minister Again: Is this Reconstruction or ‘Deconstruction’?”

Gary Conille

In Tim Padgett’s recent article in Time, the recent political happenings in Haiti are discussed. On Friday
Feb 24th Garry Conille resigned from the position of Prime Minister
to Haiti, after being on the job for about four months. The Haitian President,
Michel Martelly is urging the public to stay calm following this event because
the Haitian government has “already taken every step to that… [it can to]
continue to work normally.” However, the political nation is not receiving this
chain of events calmly; some think that this is a step backward in Haiti’s
progress to become a stable nation. Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the
Western hemisphere, and on top of that, the recent earthquake that devastated many
lives and pushed back recent progress. This is a time when Haiti needs support,
especially support from a stable government that can control the masses and
create solutions that utilize international aid for the good of all people.
Without
a stable government including a President and a Prime Minister, international organizations
are reluctant to give a country the aid it so desperately needs. The organizations
are afraid that the aid will not go to the people who need it most but instead
to the elites and government professionals. In fact, many projects worth
millions of dollars to help those in need in Haiti are slowing. Due to the
political crisis organizations are not sure if their money will really help. Because
these organizations are becoming uncertain about the choice to give to Haiti,
the Haitians that would have received that aid are still struggling, their situation
getting more desperate daily.
Reasoning
behind Conille’s departure could be due to the disagreements between Martelly
and Conille, and the unstable political system. The two often disagreed upon
many issues including different interpretations of the constitution, and the
determination of which position had more power. Even through this public
struggle between the two politicians, Conille announced two weeks ago that he
was committed to the position and would work to smooth relations so that they
could do their jobs. However, Conille’s cabinet abandoned him, obviously siding
with Martelly. Because of this shift of opinion, Conille decided that he could
no longer hold his position. The Haitian cabinet could have felt aversion to
Conille because he portrayed himself to be more committed to the UN and other foreign
parties than to Haiti.
Before
any official work is able to be completed, the Haitian government needs to become
organized, with a set priority list that includes getting aid from foreign sources
that are more than willing to donate. They need to realize who their work as a
government is for, obviously being the Haitian people; the people who are still
struggling and suffering from malnutrition, poor living situations, and
desperate poverty.
The search
for a new Prime Minister is underway in Haiti, and hopefully, the replacement
will have the strength to create a stable government that is able to help the
Haitians who are most in need.
Response written by Lizzy Menstell

"The Road to Fondwa," a documentary about AFP's development initiatives

The motto that Haitians live by, “unity makes strength,” has prompted development work focused on the countryside, which consists of a large portion of Haiti—the peasants.

The Peasants of Fondwa (AFP) is an organization established by Father Joseph to help peasants help themselves.  Their first community service project was to build a road, or “konbit,” as the Haitians call it, which is one of the most basic needs that can advance development tenfold.  Although Haiti still suffers greatly from the turmoil after the earthquake and floods, AFP has already provided potable water, good schools—the AFP School and the University of Fondwa—a radio station, and a health clinic. 

With the increased emphasis on schooling in Fondwa, students have become very involved in learning about agriculture, which is engaging them to continue development work in Haiti, as well as fostering a love for their country.  In the documentary, one student claims to have to walk three hours to and from his home in order to get to school, because of his conviction that his determination will help in the advancement of Haiti.

Although AFP has helped in alleviating certain fundamental issues in the countrysides, the abundance of trash—which leads to children dying of malaria and malnutrition, and creates unfavorable working conditions for those selling their products on the street—remains a problem.  Furthermore, as Herault, the community leader of Fondwa, pointed out, not everyone has money to buy fertilizers and seeds to properly cultivate their fields, potable water is still not available for a majority of the population, and education remains an issue for those who cannot afford it. 

The fundamental issue seems to be the need for means for better work, in order to improve Haitians’ overall living standards.  In an attempt to rid themselves of these issues, peasants move to the cities, like Port-au-Prince, but often find the same problems encountered in the country, such as the lack of food and good jobs, leading some to join gangs.

To continue the development work being conducted in Haiti, it is important to keep in mind that the unity of the community can only lead to positive outcomes, because problems are often solved collectively.  As one of the development workers mentioned, working together is not hard, because we all have the same ideas and decisions, something that he defined as “adja.”

As development and microfinance organizations increase in Haiti, the possibility of prospering increases as well, while the devaluing of Haiti by the international community decreases. In an attempt to eliminate the common perceptions of an impoverished, dismal Haiti, “The Road to Fondwa” was produced with three goals in mind: to present a realistic view of Haiti, to spread the word about Fondwa’s alternative vision for sustainable development, and to increase collaboration with and financial support for the people of Fondwa, and Haiti in general.

Before you pay to volunteer abroad, think of the harm you might do!

            For many years people have been paying to go abroad and volunteer in poverty stricken countries. While most intentions are good, studies have shown that this gesture actually does more harm than it does good. When people go on these trips, they tend to do such things like plant trees, build houses, donate goods and visit orphanages. What they fail to realize is that these gestures make little to no difference in the overall well being of the country. The people there can most likely build houses and plant trees more efficiently than the volunteers. Visiting orphanages is moving and although taking pictures is tempting, doing so puts the children on the same level as an animal. Also, what about the children who have just taken a liking to you? Now you are going to leave to go back to the US and leave them behind. The locals of the country have taken notice to how orphanages attract tourist and money and now they see them as a gold mine.

            These orphanages cash in on the guilt of volunteers like us. Often times the children aren’t even orphans. "Westerners take a pity on the children and end up creating a grotesque market that capitalizes on their concerns", said Birrell, author of this article. Majority of these orphanages are also unregistered!

            As stated in the Article, "Voluntourism is more about self-fulfillment of westerners than the needs of developing nations". Careless attempts to help have harmed nations. By not doing your research before you go somewhere, you may end up fostering corruption, dumping cheap food and clothes, and destroying local industries and enterprises. Conclusively, before people go on these types of trips they need to examine the consequences for the people who they are trying to help.

The Haiti Compact

The primary goal of the Haiti Compact is suitably ambitious: to engage US campuses in effective, responsible, and sustainable service work in and for post-earthquake Haiti through 2015, ensuring consistent and mutually beneficial support. The Compact currently consists of 5 colleges and universities: American University, University of Maryland-College Park, Loyola Marymount University, Indiana University and the College of William and Mary. The Compact members commit to work with and for the Haitians toward the vision of a strong, dignified, and peaceful Haiti – with citizens empowered by sustained education, jobs, and voice. We call upon all institutions of Higher Education in the United States to make a commitment toward aiding Haiti. The Compact believes that real advocacy and change come from deepened relationships and kinship between people and organizations, and that there is much that North Americans can learn from Haitians as we witness their resilience, learn their skills, and realize how to become more responsible consumers of the world’s resources.

Over the next five years, the Compact plans to:

1. Promote Higher Ed involvement in Haiti, through on-campus education and advocacy, and where appropriate, the development of multi-year Alternative Breaks to Haiti;
2. Serve as an information and training resource for policy, logistics, safety, pre and post trip reflections and action and advocacy for student involvement and trips to Haiti;
3. Provide the framework and/or the program to be conducted by each cohort of students with each participating NGO by coordinating and streamline the process for NGO partners and AB coordinators to facilitate connections and consistency of efforts;
4. Expand outreach to campuses across the US through at least 2015;
5. Regularly provide updated reports, and share current information on best practices, partnerships and calls to action through haiticompact.org; and
6. Modify each program and trip to continually meet the needs of Haitians as the Compact develops.

Shoshanna Sumka, the director of American University's Center for Community Engagement and Service was one of the founding members of the Haiti Compact. She oversees Alternative Breaks and other international community-based learning programs. Shoshanna is our staff advisor for our trip this Spring. She has been to Haiti twice before, one of her previous trips was the first AU Alternative Break to Haiti in Spring 2011.

Spring 2011 AU Alternative Break - Haiti group

The Alt Break Experience

Alternative Breaks are an opportunity for students to travel and explore social justice issues through service learning experiences. These trips are student-led and participants work with communities for hands-on experiential learning, addressing global and local challenges. Alternative Breaks are part of Break Away, an organization that helps universities provide quality programming that exceeds the typical volunteer experience. The trips are based eight components: strong direct service, orientation, education, training, reflection, reorientation, diversity, alcohol and drug free. http://alternativebreaks2012.org/.

American University offers many Alternative Break programs, focusing on a variety of different social justice themes. In less than a month, me (Rebecca Stein-Lobovits), and my co-leader Rebekah Israel will travel to Haiti with 7 students and our faculty advisor, Shoshanna Sumka. This is American University’s third Alternative Spring Break to Haiti. After the earthquake in 2010, AU signed onto the Haiti Compact, which is a commitment to support Haiti through 2015. We dedicate our support by leading this Alternative Break trip and continuing the conversation about stability, reconstruction, and sustainability. Our trip will focus on women and youth empowerment, and we will spend our time in rural Haiti working with two organizations that promote community development and microfinance. To prepare for our journey, our group meets weekly for educational trainings on our partner organizations (APF and Fonkoze), women and microfinance, Haitian culture and Creole. We discuss the issues surrounding our trip theme, and our role in Haiti as an Alternative Break group.

The Alt Break participants will be posting more information about the partner organizations that will be working with on the ground, and a further discussion on women’s role in reconstruction in Haiti.

APF!

On March 10, 2012, I, along with nine others, will be embarking on a journey with American University’s Alternative Spring Break Program to Haiti. During the eight days spent in Haiti, we will be working with two grassroot organizations centered in Haiti—Fonkoze and APF (Associate of Peasants of Fondwa). Both associations are dedicated to relieving the poverty situation that impacts all Haitian people through microfinancing and education. 

Since its creation in 1988, APF has been an essential, non-governmental organization to Haitian society. Although the organization focuses on projects in Fondwa (a small village in western Haiti), its success has spilled over to benefit six other rural community areas—helping the lives of approximately 50,000 people. The emergence of APF began when a group of Haitians, as well as non-Haitians, defined the problems that affected not only Fondwa, but all of Haiti. As years passed, APF was given loans to further establish itself. Since then, the organization has been able to continue its work.

APF focuses on empowering peasants, who lack the basic necessities of water, health care and housing, so that they can feel integrated within Haitian society.  APF hopes to accompany peasants to identify their problems and priorities, educate them on how to obtain access to basic infrastructure in their community (roads, water, health care, agricultural assistance), increase their produce to maximize profit, and influence them to share resources and lessons learned to other struggling Haitians through the University of Fondwa. The University of Fondwa and the Secretariat National Congress of the Haitian Peasants provide higher education to young Haitians as community leaders so that they hopefully can return home and work in the sustainable development by using Fondwa as a model.

Unfortunately, the catastrophic earthquake, in January 2010, destroyed most of APF’s infrastructure that was constructed over the last twenty-three years. Instead of losing hope, APF members discovered a solution and partnered with various organizations to help again obtain necessary resources. Through dedicated service and optimistic mindsets, it is hoped that APF will return stronger than ever.

Through education, inspiration, and encouragement, the Associate of Peasants of Fondwa takes an active part in promoting positive lifestyles in Haiti. This NGO hopes to provide life lessons that can be applied to any situation—regardless of location.

For more information on how you can help APF and volunteer click here!

Fonkoze!

Fonkoze is the largest microfinance institution in Haiti serving as the bank of the poor with over 56,000 borrowers and 250,000 savers. With forty six branches Fonkoze is truly the most nationally renowned microfinance institution in Haiti, and one that has impressive results to show for its methods. Founded in 1994 by a Catholic priest, the “Fonkoze Family” is actually three organizations working in solidarity with each other: The Fonkoze Foundation is a rural microfinance institution that nurtures community development through adult education and training, social impact monitoring of poverty, branch incubation, and through innovations in rural microfinance delivery. Fonkoze Financial Services is like a fully fledged bank or credit union, delivering financial services and capital to the poor in the forms of loans as well as safe places for savings, it is “designed to generate self-reliance and promote a democratic economy in Haiti.” Fonkoze USA is the American counterpart dedicated to “securing financial and technical support for its Haitian partners.”

Fonkoze was a brainchild out of the democracy movements in Haiti during the 1990s during military dictatorship. Political democracy could not come without economic democracy and strong economic foundations to give people the ability to support themselves and their country. Typical of microfinance institutions, Fonkoze lends virtually only to women, as they have been shown over and over again to be the best economic investments to make in a community. Women are much more likely to invest any money earned back into families, education, health, and child development, as compared to men, who are much more likely in poor societies to gamble away money or spend it on alcohol and cigarettes. In addition, mothers than invest in their children will also invest in their daughters’ education, increasing their knowledge of reproductive health, population control, and which will in turn mean they look better after their children and recognize the importance of their own education.

Fonkoze also recognizes that poverty is incredibly hard to break out of, and that it is not simply possible to lend a loan to an individual and expect them to be able to sustainably leave poverty behind them for good. Fonkoze incorporates a unique staircase approach to how they view issues of poverty and the ladder to overcome them. The institution recognizes that it needs to help the poor every step of the way and that they will steps backward for steps forward. The first level of help is for the poorest of the poor, and Konkoze’s efforts to helping educate and facilitate a microfinance enterprise to help them out of abject poverty. The second tier offers very small loans and literacy classes, while the third tier offers larger loans for longer periods of time in a unique group donor fashion, where groups of women take out the loans together and help each other in their money and project management in solidarity. The fourth step is business development where large sums are lent out to women ready to run and manage businesses and employ others.

The best thing about Fonkoze in my opinion, is that it is a Haitian run organization for the benefit of Haitians.