Are International Donors (Including CARICOM) Serious About Haiti Relief?

Please view the above video...I apologize for it's poor quality, but please try to listen to what Major Jamie Ogilvie (who's being interviewed), who's leading the Jamaican relief efforts in Haiti, is saying.

This video was recorded during the early days of the Haitian Relief effort, on January 15,2010. (The 7.0 earthquake hit Haiti on January 12,2010).

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The question of the week is, are international donors (including CARICOM) serious about Haiti Relief?

Now you may be wondering why I'm asking this question, so please allow me to explain, below:

On Wednesday of this week, Jamaica's Information Minister, Daryl Vaz, reported that the Jamaican contingent in Haiti, will have to stop giving that country humanitarian aid, due to the expense of that effort.

It is costing Jamaica over JMD $773,000 (US $8,538.89) per day to keep the Jamaican contingent [the Jamaica Defence Force and medical personnel from the Ministry of Health (MOH)] in Haiti.

Money that unfortunately Jamaica doesn't have...so it needs monetary help from international donors, including the more well-endowed countries in CARICOM, for it to continue to give well-needed assistance in Haiti.

Failure to get money would have resulted in the Jamaican humanitarian effort in Haiti, ceasing on February 5.

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Now you have to remember the roles that the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF - the Jamaican military) and the Jamaican medical team play in Haiti.

1) The JDF distributes food aid from Jamaica and other relief agencies to the Haitians: the JDF is said to be the most effective body of soldiers doing this, as they don't wait for the Haitian people to crowd the food distribution centres before giving them food...

...they go to the Haitians living in tent cities and distribute the food in clusters, thus ensuring the effective distribution of food.

This is unlike the graphic pictures we've seen on television of soldiers representing other international donors having to fight off the Haitian people, who crowd distribution centres to get food.

It is said that these soldiers wait for the Haitians to flock the distribution centres before giving them food, and when the Haitians are hungry and desperate and behave unruly because they are hungry... they make it seem like the Haitians are animals.

2) The JDF also provides infrastructural support to the Jamaican medical team in Haiti:

In that medical supplies are stored at the JDF camp and then distributed to hospitals and make-shift medical centres.

The medical team also sleep at the JDF camp at night and get the opportunity to bathe and refresh themselves there.

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Roles that Jamaican medical contingent play in Haiti:

1) It is the Jamaican medical contingent who re-opened Haiti's main hospital and ensured that tens of surgeries occurred each day.

2) It is reported that Haitians prefer when Jamaican doctors treat them, as they're more humane.

...They report that Jamaican doctors will go the extra mile to save a Haitian's limb that has been damaged, whilst doctors from other countries, will first opt to cut that limb off.

(Caption from the below Flickr photo: This picture is of Duvogene with her mother at the Port-au-Prince General hospital. Duvogene lost her leg in the earthquake. 

In addition to her physical needs, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is also trying to help her overcome the psychological trauma. She is being visited by volunteers who specialize in psycho-social support).

 

3) There are Public Health Officers who educate the people and help with sanitation to ensure that outbreaks of disease, are minimized and/or do not occur, amidst the disaster that has occurred in Haiti.

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Jamaica was the first country that responded, where humanitarian help is concerned, to Haiti, following the 7.0 earthquake that hit it nearly a month ago.

It's a pity that we may have to discontinue this aid, prematurely, due to the slight of other CARICOM countries and international donor countries.

For CARICOM has been very slow to give monetary and humanitarian aid to Haiti.

It is only when Information Minister, Daryl Vaz, reported the dilemma, publicly, that the other member-countries of CARICOM responded, so as to "save face".

...Giving Jamaica JMD $10 million (US 110,464) and offering another JMD $30 million (US $331,393) in a week's time to be shared with other CARICOM humanitarians, who are supposed to arrive next week.

I wonder how long CARICOM thinks that this money will last...40 days at most?

For the first JMD $10 million (US 110,464) had to be used retroactively to cover Jamaica's expenses up until January 31,2010.

By the way, what is happening to the committee that is headed by former Jamaican Prime Minister, P.J. Patterson...that consists of international donor countries and which are supposed to be the strategic lead for Haiti's reconstruction...are they aware of the cost of the Jamaican humanitarian effort?

And if so, what are they doing about it?

And what has happened to the money that international donors have supposedly given and received for the Haitian relief efforts?

...Over US $1 billion dollars..where exactly is this money? For the effects of this money are not being seen on the ground in Haiti.

Now I'm not saying that all the aid money should be given to feed and medically treat Haitians...some has to be allocated for reconstruction...

But my goodness, how can Haiti be reconstructed when a third of its people are displaced, homeless, hungry, ill and dying?

Doesn't it make sense to have healthy and well-fed people, who can assist in their own reconstruction?

You have a country, like Jamaica, that's doing yeoman work in Haiti, that can maintain Haitian dignity, whilst serving them...why are you not helping to support that country, monetarily, in Haiti? 

It would really be a shame, if Jamaica, who's supposed to be leading the CARICOM relief effort, cannot continue this work, due to a lack of money.

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And you know what's really interesting about this scenario?

Jamaica and Haiti are the poorest nations in CARICOM and yet, the well-endowed countries of CARICOM, through CDEMA, are just giving a meager JMD $40 million (USD $441,857) to the Haitian Relief effort...and it's not even a majority of CARICOM member countries giving this aid, it's the Bahamas!

C'mon people, where's your heart and your conscience?

CARICOM, international donor countries - you claim to be concerned, but the money you've pledged still remains that...pledges..

It's time that you put your money where your mouth is and really give assistance to the people of Haiti!

(I would like to thank JamaicaGleaner for the use of their Youtube inset video, entitled, "Jamaican Soldier on Haiti Relief").

Gillian

Sources Include

1) Radio Jamaica, January 31, February 6, 2010

2) Television Jamaica, February 2-4, 2010

3) CVM Television, February 2-4,2010