HAITI - WE MUST ACT NOW

The clock is ticking. We must act now.

The magnitude 7.0 earthquake in Haiti killed over 230,000 people, injured 300,000, and left over 1.3 million people homeless.  The response from the U.S. was swift and overwhelming; President Obama pledged $100 million dollars in emergency relief and people in the United States contributed over $700 million dollars to charities.  Despite this generous outpouring of support, most of the survivors of Haiti’s earthquake still suffer from inadequate and unpredictable food distribution and a lack of basic shelter and sanitation.  And, in six weeks, the rainy season begins.

We need to act today, demand accountability; emergency needs must be met.  Our staff was in Port-au-Prince in February 21-25, 2010 and Nicole Lee, TransAfrica Forum’s President is in-country now.  Our eyewitness reports, verified by assessments from Haitian partners, are that the emergency is not over.  As of this month, some 50 days after the quake:  

• only 41 percent of shelter needs have been met,

• only 13 percent of the sanitation needs met,

• a lack of coordination on the ground and the exclusion of Haitian local groups is impeding the efficient flow of resources on the ground,

• over 600,000 have left Port-au-Prince for neighboring towns and the rural areas, yet few if any services have reached the displaced. 

 Demand accountability and efficient aid delivery

First, displaced peoples require immediate support, food, water, shelter, and sanitation.  The World Food Program’s (WFP) food surge to feed 1.9 million people for a month must be maintained and expanded.  Additionally, cash for work programs, which are providing important employment in a few communities in Port-au-Prince need to be expanded.  Displaced peoples need access to financial resources in order to purchase goods and supplies.  Those programs should complement peasant and farmer activity. 

Second, to ensure future food self-sufficiency Haitian farmers need access to regenerating seeds, today.  Seed stocks have been diverted in order to meet immediate food needs.  Additionally, areas of the country with abundant stock have been unable to ship to needy areas because the quake has interrupted the traditional supply lines.  The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and other agencies need to provide seed packs where necessary and facilitate the shipment of seeds where appropriate. 

The people of Haiti want an economy based on meeting their needs, which include the expansion of agriculture so that their country is self-sufficient in food, and where people have an ability to control their livelihoods.   

Please join us, send a message to Secretary of State Clinton.  We have a very narrow window, a matter of days before the Haitian people experience another catastrophe likely to result in additional loss of life, dignity, and self-determination. 

Tell Secretary Clinton action continued action is needed now.