Will Iowa Forget about Haiti? Not Likely

The eyes of the world turned to Port-au-Prince, Haiti after the earthquake on January 12. The island’s poverty and its corrupt and dysfunctional government are well known and were on display with intensity in the earthquake’s aftermath. As time passes, the disaster falls from view. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and except for its brief time on the world stage this year would have gone unnoticed by most in the United States. Creation of a permanent infrastructure to address Haiti’s social and economic problems seems unlikely, even with the outpouring of aid after the natural disaster and the attention of United Nations Special Envoy to Haiti, former President Bill Clinton.

Haiti is a country that is dependent on the substantial amount of foreign aid it receives from numerous sources. Because of concerns about government corruption, the bulk of foreign aid is channeled through more than 10,000 non-governmental organizations to fulfill basic human needs; operating schools, clinics and sanitation systems. Haiti depends upon this aid even if the NGOs who channel it have conflicting goals. According to the Economist, “Aid dependence means that the government lacks the means to pursue development policies.” To address this situation, Clinton has asked that ten percent of the aid pledged by states and other groups be spent on improving government capacity, including supporting the government’s budget. One is hopeful that the work of the Interim Haitian Reconstruction Commission, which Clinton co-chairs, will enable viable governance in Haiti.

In the meantime, there are many wanting to help Haitian people and many Iowa connections to Haiti. A group of University of Iowa Students will be leaving for Haiti under the direction of Dr. Maureen McCue of the Global Health Studies Program on Sunday May 16. The trip is part of a course offering, “Topics in Global Health: Haiti, the Evolution of a Disaster,” and Blog for Iowa has made arrangements for the students to blog their experiences during the ten day trip. We will be posting the stories here as they arrive. We hope this series of posts will provide insight into what people see and experience while delivering aid to an impoverished nation that is emerging from a natural disaster. Click here to read the Iowa City Press Citizen article about this trip. Please be patient as the forecast from Haiti is irregular electricity and internet service.

~Paul
Deaton is a native Iowan living in rural Johnson County and weekend
editor of Blog for Iowa. He is also a member of Iowa Physicians for
Social Responsibility and Veterans for Peace. E-mail Paul
Deaton