Shades of Green in Haiti

This January, the world witnessed one of the worst tragedies in modern times. A 7.0 earthquake rocked the already struggling nation of Haiti and caused incredible amounts of death and destruction on a level not many had seen before, including myself. Before the earthquake, Haiti had its fair share of issues, ranging from infrastructure to the economy. And it is even worse off now, with a death toll of at least two hundred thousand and over a million homeless, not to mention the near destruction of the UN mission efforts and parts of the government. With such a grim outcome, it doesn’t seem like anything positive could come from this. However, in the aftermath of this terrible tragedy, Haiti has a unique opportunity to rebuild.

Haiti not only has an opportunity to rebuild their capital city, but they have the chance to restructure their country in a sustainably: economically, socially, and environmentally.  Hundreds of conventional international aid groups have already made their way to the country; however, there are groups such as Global Green who are looking to help rebuild the country in a truly sustainable way. Global Green USA has been instrumental in the reconstruction of New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Recently, Treehugger published an interview with Global Green’s CEO and President, Matt Petersen. Global Green has been constantly in contact with all parties including the Haitian government, local businesses, and several NGOs. The interview is a very insightful look at the struggles and opportunities Haiti will face in the coming years including some issues seen in Iraq and New Orleans, such as corporate leaps of power and some long-term investments like job creation. Global Green is looking to end these challenges as well as many others and begin assisting a sustainable future for Haiti.

So, is it possible for Haiti to emerge out of the destruction with a new lease on sustainablity? As Matt Peterson mentions in the interview, there are many challenges; however, there is hope. One can take a look at rebuilding New Orleans as an example. On a recent visit to the city, it still looked as if much of the 9th Ward and parts of downtown had yet to be rebuilt.  But upon researching as I returned home, it became clear that there is a movement to sustaibably rebuild the city, with organizations such as Global Green or Rebuild Green. Perhaps it is too early to tell whether Haiti can be rebuilt completely sustainable, but with organizations such as Global Green on their side, they do have a good chance. In his interview, Peterson mentioned their main focus was “four fold:”

1. To inform the codes and system for enforcing codes for rebuilding.

2. Identifying school(s) and partner groups to help ensure disaster-resistant, energy efficient/sufficient, and healthy construction.

3. Identifying partners to do the same with homes (we’re talking to Habitat about this).

4. Working with others to identify and support re-forestation, ideally via a network that supports women to lead the charge and supports job creation

Even with the massive challenges this country and the organizations involved in its reconstruction face, there is hope for a new Haiti. A Haiti that is self-sustaining in every sense of the word. If this can truly be accomplished it will be the only silver lining to one of the most destructive events of this century. And although we look to the future for hope, let us not forget the thousands that lost their lives.

-Gina Williams

 

Remember Haiti In Crisis

As politics, elections, and bailouts are just starting to heat up here in the US, and our media (and lives) will inevitably revolve around hardly anything else over the next few weeks, it’s extremely important to remember that there is a huge world beyond our borders with its own matters, issues and crises that may not effect us as directly but are just as important for us to keep in mind.

We in particular want to remind you of the devastation our neighbors in Haiti recently experienced with 4 back-to-back incredible storms this past August.  Hurricanes Fay, Gustav, Hannah and Ike (and the subsequent flooding) have all done incredible damage to an already disadvantaged and poor country with very little infrastructure or support to get back on its feet.  The storms left over 1,000 people dead, thousands more wounded, and almost 800,000 in dire need of food, water and shelter.  Immediately after the storm, there were reports that nearly 200,000 people hadn’t eaten in 3 days.  With nearly 9 million people living in Haiti on less than $2 a day under normal environmental conditions, these people are in serious need of outside help.

According to a September 26 United Nations meeting, these storms have set Haiti back several years and the UN has appealed to give $108 million in aid.  Still, the storms have caused an estimated $200 million in damage, particularly to the farming sector (one of Haiti’s most important economic commodities), and has caused a loss of 3 to 4 percentage points of gross domestic product.  That’s a fancy way of saying that these storms will have a very significant, long-term impact on Haiti’s economy and it’s future.

We have to admit that this pulls our heart strings here at Autonomie more than usual.  We have been working very closely with 2 small worker-owned coops in rural Haiti doing everything we can to assist them obtain proper machinery, the correct training, quality materials and operational structures so that they may be capable of becoming an active and successful supplier of Fair Trade fashion.  These workers already have a mountain to climb and a brick wall full of obstacles and now need our help more than ever.

Please take a minute and check out the following list of organizations that are appealing for help, aid and donations to get Haiti through this rough time.  There are many more…so do a little research on the web if these groups don’t fit your bill.

• Campaign for Labor Rights: Haitian Workers Hurricane Relief, Washington DC
• Haiti KONPAY: Emergency Hurricane Relief Fund, Gloucester, MA
• MADRE: Emergency & Disaster Relief Fund, New York, NY
• Partners in Health, Boston, MA