Haiti's Excluded
Mon, 03/15/2010 - 9:38am | 
Note: Ruth, an organizer with the Haiti Response Coalition, a group of progressive NGOs including Quixote, Konpay, Beyond Borders and others, is profiled in this piece.
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By Reed Lindsay
This article appeared in the March 29, 2010 edition of The Nation.
March 11, 2010, Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Ruth Derilus had seen her share of tragedy. A 33-year-old iron-willed social worker trained by Haiti's Papay Peasant Movement, she twice helped organize relief efforts when massive floods devastated the city of Gonaïves and the surrounding countryside. In September 2004 she worked with women's and youth groups after Tropical Storm Jeanne killed more than 3,000 people. Four years later, she lost her home when a second deluge, unleashed by Tropical Storm Hanna and augmented by Hurricane Ike, once again brought the city to its knees. Ruth kept on going, working to organize rice farmers whose crops had been destroyed.
Tags: Press Release from Initiative for a New Haiti
Since the January 12, 2010 earthquake in Haiti the Quixote Center has been working closely with the newly formed Haiti Response Coalition. Within days the HRC was able to get supplies and medical teams in Jacmel ahead of much larger NGOs and developed a distribution system in Port-au-Prince (PAP) to deliver food and supplies to 19 camps in the area.
Below is a press release from a two-day meeting in PAP where over 100 Haitian leaders developed a plan known as "Initiative for a New Haiti".
Check back at quixote.org as more reports from this important meeting are available.
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After the great and incomparable earthquake hit the country of Haiti, on January 12, 2010, more than three hundred thousand (300,000) people, from all areas and of all ages, died. State infrastructure and all its institutions have been destroyed. Many have been wounded or have become handicapped. Many are hopeless. People have lost family members, their possessions, money, and work.
Canada's Flaherty: Haiti needs a break on its debt Reuters
IQALUIT, Canada (Reuters) – Group of Seven countries have told earthquake-ravaged Haiti that any debts it owes them needn't be repaid and international lenders should do the same, Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said on Saturday.
"The debt to multilateral institutions should be forgiven and we'll work with these institutions and other partners to make this happen as soon as possible," Flaherty said at press conference closing a two-day gathering of finance ministers from the G7 industrialized nations.
Read the entire article here.
Treasury Announces Support to Cancel Haiti's Debt and Provide Grants, Not Loans for Recovery
Jubilee USA Welcomes US Government Support of Haiti Debt Cancellation
As G7 Finance Ministers Prepare to Meet, Treasury Secretary Geithner Announces Support to Cancel Debt and Provide Grants, Not Loans for Recovery
For Immediate Release February 5th
Jubilee USA Network
Members of Congress Urge Debt Cancellation for Haiti
Ahead of G-7 Finance Ministers Meeting, 94 Members of Congress Urge Treasury Secretary Geithner to Cancel Haiti’s Debt, Provide Grants instead of Loans for Recovery
For Immediate Release February 4, 2010
Jubilee USA Network
As Finance Ministers from the Group of Seven prepare to meet tomorrow in Canada, pressure grows for the leaders to commit to definitive cancellation of Haiti’s debts to international institutions.
Open Letter to Congress on Delays in Aid to Haiti
Dear Members of the United States Congress,
The outpouring of aid from U.S. citizens and their government to Haiti in the wake of this immense catastrophe has been important and welcome. However, it is also clear that there have been serious mistakes that have unnecessarily delayed the delivery of medical supplies, water, and other life-saving materials.
Currently, there are major shortages reported of food, tents, and water.
The most costly unnecessary delays had until recently been in the area of medical supplies.
An Open Letter to David Brooks
Our good friends at the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti have organized a public letter to David Brooks' awful column last week on Haiti. Please read the response and add your signature to the letter.
First Medical Relief Team Arrives in Jacmel, Haiti
One week after the devestating 7.0 earthquake that has devasted Port-au-Prince, Jacmel and other communities, the first medical relief team of foreign surgeons landed in Jacmel. Here is the initial report from Karen Carr of the Community Coalition for Haiti. For more information on the situation in Jacmel, see this report in the Miami Herald.
KOFAVIV Earthquake Report
KOFAVIV, The Commission of Women Victims for Victims, sent this message via Melinda Miles on January 18, 2010. It was written by Eramithe Delva and Malya Vaillard.
