After an earthquake hit Haiti on Jan. 12, 2010, the plight of Haiti’s people was front-page news. The earthquake killed 300,000 people and millions were left homeless. Port-au-Prince, the capital, was virtually destroyed, as were many of the towns and villages.
People around the globe responded with an outpouring of human resources and money to what is believed to have been the worst earthquake in history. $5.3 billion dollars was pledged for relief and rebuilding. Everyone, it seems, stepped up to the plate. The money was expected to go directly to the people.
Six months have passed and the ongoing suffering in Haiti is all but forgotten, while the international community takes the normal requisite amount of time to set up a reconstruction organization with a democratically acceptable governance model and mandate.
It is difficult to fathom, but reports say less than 10 per cent of the pledged billions have yet to reach Haiti. Only 28,000 of the homeless have found permanent shelter. 1.6 million Haitians are still living under makeshift tarps and tents. Only 300 trucks are removing the rubble that would take three years to remove with 1,000 trucks.
So far, only Brazil, Norway and Australia have provided money. The ability to assemble the necessary structured organizations to satisfy bureaucracy and avail of the pledged money doesn’t exist. There is general agreement that Haiti hasn’t had a functioning stable society for generations.
Immediately after the quake, there was a venting of compassion. Aid workers flooded into Haiti. People reached deep into their pockets. Six months later the volunteers have returned home and the money is nowhere to be seen.
Immediately after the earthquake, at the largest public hospital in Haiti there were too many workers and too many supplies. Today, the hospital is all but empty, ready to close Aug. 1, unless help arrives. The largest private hospital has shut down because patients cannot pay.
There is one unlikely hero in Haiti. Actor Sean Penn and his Jenkins-Penn Haitian Relief Organization have cared for 50,000 people and delivered much needed medical supplies. Sean Penn is an atypical actor who has rolled up his sleeves and got his hands dirty, though he, along with President Bill Clinton, is not above accepting a knighthood from the Haitian President.
“Six months later the volunteers have returned home and the money is nowhere to be seen.” - Audrey Manning
Mr. Penn is imploring the world to remember Haiti. Seriously, that might mean cutting some of the red tape that prevents small groups from receiving money from established relief organizations. Haiti is not a functioning society and the rules that serve western society well may not serve Haiti.
When thinking of rules, it is impossible not to think of Lotte Lenya, who played the Spectre agent Rosa Klebb in the James Bond movie From Russia with Love, and her line “rules are rules.” Her line implied that Spectre agents always follow the rules, which Rosa was breaking as she mouthed the words. Haiti needs a Rosa Klebb.
In April, at a major international donors conference at the United Nations headquarters, Canada pledged $400 million to the Haitian relief fund, which bought a seat at the Haiti reconstruction table. The conference appeared to turn a blind eye to the practical immediate needs of the Haitian people.
Seemingly oblivious to what was happening on the ground, as donors set up a new level of bureaucracy the usual buzzwords were trotted out.
Bill Clinton said, “There will be a high level of accountability and transparency. Once we get this (organization) up and running you'll be able to see what did every government commit, what did every NGO commit, how much have they paid for their commitment. Where did they spend it? Where did the money go?”
Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said, “Supporting the rule of law, as well as facilitating decentralization, will be critical elements of a holistic and comprehensive reconstruction plan.”
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