There is still so much to do in Haiti but hope remains. A new popular president, continued international aid and charitable donors make a more prosperous nation sound like a possibility. One of the best ways to help rebuild Haiti is by donating directly to the NGO's that are dug-in there, you can make sure that your donations are going to count.
More importantly, remember to pray for Haiti daily.
The following article is the most recent UN update on the state of the nation of Haiti:
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-04/07/c_13816075.htm
UNITED NATIONS, April 6 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-general Ban Ki- moon said here on Wednesday that despite efforts to rehabilitate Haiti after a massive January 2010 earthquake, there is still much work to be done in the small Caribbean country.
"While important progress has indeed been achieved, Haiti continues to face daunting challenges," he said.
Ban's statements came at an open Security Council high-level debate on Haiti. The island country has been struggling to rebuild and recover from the devastating earthquake, which struck with an epicenter near the capital Port-au-Prince, killing more than 230, 000 and destroying buildings and infrastructure. The earthquake was followed by a cholera outbreak and violence surrounding presidential and legislative elections.
"Recovery and reconstruction are slowly gathering momentum," Ban said. "More than 20 percent of the estimated 10 million cubic meters of rubble have been removed. The number of earthquake- affected people living in camps has decreased from more than 1.5 million in July of last year to 680,000 today. Unfortunately, some of this reduction has not been entirely voluntary, and many camp dwellers are at risk of forced evictions."
The secretary-general said that despite some recovery progress, Haiti's economy remains "on its knees."
"Public institutions are barely able to deliver essential services," he said. "Millions of Haitians remain dependent on the assistance of non-governmental organizations to meet their most basic needs."
Although the cholera epidemic that caused thousands of deaths in Haiti beginning in October 2010 appears to have stabilized, Ban told the Council that large-scale investments in Haiti's water and sanitation system as well as a consistent presence of humanitarian agencies in camps and treatment centers are needed to prevent another outbreak.
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| Child-size coffins made in the carpenters shop at the Baptist Haiti Mission in Fermathe. I saw more of these than I care to count carried away one-by-one by Haitian employees on the mission in my short time there. |
He said that more funding is needed in the effort for Haiti.
"The Cholera Appeal is 45 percent funded, and the overall Haiti Appeal received only 10 percent of the requested funds," he said. "Additional financial support is urgently needed."
On April 4, Haiti's Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) confirmed Michel Martelly as the victor of the country's presidential run-off election. Ban said that the new president should make better establishing rule of law in the country a top priority, or else "peace and prosperity will remain elusive."
"Haiti's judicial system is deeply dysfunctional," he said. " Its prisons remain dangerously overcrowded. Property records are unreliable and non-existent. Public expenditures often lack transparency."
He explained that these factors have drained confidence in the Haitian state from both investors and Haitians themselves.
Ban concluded his statement by emphasizing the UN's intention to continue its support for Haiti.
"The United Nations will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Haitian government and people in the noble and necessary work of building a more just and prosperous future," he said.
Editor: yan
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