AlertNet asks Haitian-Americans what they think are the main challenges facing Haiti following the January earthquake, and their views about the hundreds of foreign aid agencies working there.
BOGOTA (AlertNet) - What do Haitians living abroad think are the main challenges facing Haiti following the January earthquake, what lessons can be learnt and what are their views about the hundreds of foreign aid agencies working in Haiti?
AlertNet put these questions to four Haitian-Americans - an editor, a cultural anthropologist, a financial consultant and a human rights lawyer.
Manolia Charlotin is editor of the Boston Haitian Reporter and co-founder of Haiti 2015. Gina Ulysse is associate professor of anthropology at the Connecticut based-Wesleyan University. Francois Guillaume is head of the Haitian-American Chamber of Commerce of Florida, policy advisor on Haiti to the U.S. government and board member of the Haitian Diaspora Federation, an umbrella group of NGOs that aims to promote the involvement of the Haitian diaspora in the country's reconstruction. Regine Theodat is a human rights lawyer working for Lamp for Haiti Foundation which promotes human rights in the Haitian capital's largest slum Cite Soleil.
Haitians have left the country in droves in recent decades because of poverty, lack of job opportunities and disillusionment with the political elite. Haitian immigrants send nearly $2 billion every year in remittances, providing a lifeline for their relatives back home.
In the aftermath of the January earthquake, many in the Haitian diaspora want to play an increasingly important role in rebuilding Haiti and shaping its future.
But carving out a role for them in the country's reconstruction is proving to be difficult.
Q: One year after the earthquake, what lessons can be learnt about the reconstruction efforts?
Charlotin: The first lesson is that we need to include all aspects of Haitian society in the country's reconstruction. Most of the country is not involved in its own rebuilding effort. There are so many grassroots organisations, neighbourhood associations, and peasant groups that are ready to contribute to the rebuilding of their country.
The second lesson is that Haitian (including the Haitian diaspora) contractors and businesses should profit from the rebuilding contracts. Most of the contractors benefiting are foreigners, particularly American firms.
The third lesson is that we need to begin serious regulation of international NGOs.
Guillaume: Haiti is a country rich in human resources. I believe and fear that the economic elite and political class have not been able to take advantage of the human capital that exists in Haiti and all the attention that Haiti has been given. There has not been much foresight in the reconstruction process.
Theodat: One year after the earthquake, the biggest lessons that can be learned are that reconstruction cannot succeed without firstly considering the people's will in the reconstruction decision-making process. Secondly a disorganised and corrupt government hinders recovery.
Q: What are the main challenges facing Haiti in its reconstruction and development following the earthquake?
Charlotin: We need to learn from best practices. There are international actors in Haiti that do provide great examples about how to best engage with Haitian actors. Venezuela and Cuba are two of the best examples.
Ulysse: The main challenge that Haiti faces is that the international community is not interested in what the people are asking for - infrastructure and capacity-building that would strengthen Haiti in the long run. Many ministries were destroyed in the earthquake. Unless we educate and train people (Haitians) to take on the leadership roles for the future, Haiti will continue to be dependent on foreign aid of all kinds and the country becomes as a space for the international community to play with.
Guillaume: There is nothing that can be done in Haiti without putting sustainable investment in place first. We need foreign direct investment badly. We need the private sector to open up.
Outsourcing is one sector that needs to be focused on. We have a rich pool of young and dynamic people and many speak both French and Spanish, which is something we could be taking advantage of. Alternative energy initiatives, like non-food biofuels, is another sector the government needs to focus on.
Q: What do you think the main priorities of the new Haitian government (when elected) should be?
Charlotin: The government needs to build trust with the people. This is the most important, and it will take the most time. The government also needs to decentralise, including its power and government services.
The government needs to provide support to the Haitian members of the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission (IHRC). The 12 Haitian members on the IHRC have voiced that they have little say in the processes of the commission. The Haitian government should be an advocate to ensure that the Haitian voice is not thwarted on the IHRC, given that they're the entity overseeing reconstruction.
The government also needs to scale down U.N. troops and build capacity among its own police force. The Haitian people are tired of this apparent occupation.
Ulysse: The coordination of NGOs is no longer an option but a must. They undermine the sovereignty of Haiti and its ministries. NGOs exist as a parallel state system. The government has to rein them in. What's astounding is that Haiti is a free-for-all, especially for NGOs. The government needs to know what NGOs are doing. Some are not even registered, some don't provide reports. Haiti is a lawless state and that means NGOs can grab what they can.
Theodat: The main priorities of the Haitian government should be to organise a plan with donor agencies to create an immediate pipeline for moving people in camp cities to appropriate permanent housing.
Secondly, the government needs to revamp and strengthen the criminal justice system and build the structures that help to provide equality to all in a true democracy – roads, electricity, access to clean water, effective public schools, healthcare, etc. It also needs to actively prosecute government corruption.
Q: What should be the role of the Haitian diaspora in Haiti's reconstruction and is the diaspora playing an important role in this?
Charlotin: The diaspora should play an integral role in every aspect of rebuilding, from helping to build capacity of the Haitian government, to investing in construction contractors and business leaders of new industries.
Ulysse: I think we (the Haitian diaspora) are actually playing a role. The remittances sent have made us the country's social welfare state system. But whether that role can be coordinated is another question.
Guillaume: It is vital for the government to set the tone that encourages the involvement and engagement of the Haitian diaspora, and allowing dual nationality would go a long way in helping that happen.
There is always talk of the two billion dollars sent a year by the Haitian diaspora in remittances. But that is not sustainable. The third generation of Haitians living abroad will not have a sense of attachment to the country. That third generation needs to feel included in the reconstruction process and become advocates for Haiti.
Q: Is there coordination between foreign NGOs and the Haitian diaspora?
Charlotin: There is some. Most of the coordination is done through hometown associations or diaspora-led initiatives that work in Haiti.
Ulysse: There is no coordination between foreign NGOs and the Haitian diaspora.
Everyone is carving out their own piece of Haiti. Since we don't really have an organised opposition, who is going to hold them accountable?
Guillaume: What are you doing really? We know you are there but what are you really doing on the ground? What is the deliverable and the end result? That is what the Haitian diaspora wants to know and is asking. We feel there is not enough information being divulged, who is doing what, and how we can get involved.
Theodat: The overwhelming majority of aid workers in Haiti are non-Creole speaking foreigners. If more such aid workers were from the Haitian diaspora, they could better understand the cultures of both the aid organisations and donor states while also comprehending the complexities of the Haitian culture.
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