America's North Shore Journal

Haiti has been awash in visitors for the last two months. The relief effort after the earthquake brought thousands of people to the country that had never been there before. Few had any understanding of Haitian traditions, Haitian customs and the way things were done in Haiti up until January 12, 2010. That was both a good thing and a bad thing.

On January 11, 2010, Haiti was a cesspool. Its people were among the poorest on the planet and its government was dysfunctional in all of the traditional ways of a third world country. It had no army, and its police were supported and supervised by United Nations military forces.

Asking who is in charge of a country is the sort of thing the State Department and the C.I.A. hire folks for. Countries are rarely run solely by their government. There are many other interested parties and Haiti is not an exception to that rule.

The complication for Haiti is that hundreds of outside agencies are on the ground providing earthquake relief and reconstruction assistance. Some are charities and non-governmental organizations (NGO). Some are international and transnational agencies. And, there are military units from a number of nations that are also in the mix. Who is in charge in Haiti?

The earthquake in Haiti on January 12, 2010 did a great deal of damage. We intend to examine where the damage is and what it consists of.

Haiti has always been a nation of extremes. The grinding poverty of nearly all its people contrasted with the wealth displayed by the elite. The voodoo rituals performed in huts compared to High Mass at the cathedral in Port-au-Prince. The bare, unforested hills displayed behind the green trees around the enclaves of the rich.

In a series of articles this week, we will look at Haiti, the relief effort at this time, and what the future might bring to that poor nation. With the emphasis shifting from earthquake disaster relief to reconstruction, it is a good time to examine the changes that Haiti may see and the things that will remain the same.

There will be link-rich content, photos, and some finger pointing.

Please follow the links for the complete story:

Haitians Go Back to Work
Story by Pfc. Kissta Feldner
Locals sit by their stands, filled with everything from rice, to cigarettes, to Revlon lipstick. Men carry enormous bags of fruits and vegetables on their heads, zigzagging through the maze that makes up the “orange market.” It was dubbed this [...]

Residents of an isolated community on the outskirts of the town of Leogane, Haiti, on Thursday were overjoyed at receiving medical attention and supplies of food from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) contingent.

Led by the Jamaican Defence Force (JDF), the contingent carried out a medical outreach exercise in their neighbourhood as part of an on-going daily programme that began forty days ago.

The town of Leogane and its environs were earmarked by Haitian authorities for CARICOM’s health intervention following the 12 January earthquake.

“The radios make a difference (to the Haitian people) in terms of morale and isolation,” said U.S. Army Maj. Dan Castro, from Joint Task Force-Haiti. “The people displaced in camps told me they feel at least connected despite their plight.”