January 14 – David Stillman will speak at the CTAUN (Committee for Teaching About the United Nations) annual conference for educators on global issues, at the United Nations headquarters, which attracts approximately 500 participants each year.   This year’s topic is the Millennium Development Goals.   Stillman will speak on the work of the Public-Private Alliance Foundation and its partners in relation to Haiti.  Also, Harry Stokes of Project Gaia will demonstrate the alcohol-fueled clean cookstove. The aim is to demonstrate concepts and materials that could be translated into curricula.  For details, see: 

http://www.ctaun.org/images/photos/2011NYCConFlyer-Speakers3-_2_.pdf 

January 15 – SImACT is organizing an event at SImACT headquarters in Brooklyn for presentations by, and discussions with, David Blume and others of Blume Distillation LLC.  (See article above re: Atlanta seminar.)    This is aimed to engage parties within and outside the Haitian-American community interested in the cookstove and micro-distillery initiative.

Haiti’s cholera epidemic has expanded, cropping up in many regions of the country.  Over a thousand have died, and over 17,000 have fallen ill.  The government, NGOs and international organizations are working to educate the public about prevention and setting up centers to treat the disease.  The United Nations has asked for $164 million specifically to deal with the epidemic.

On October 26 we wrote about the epidemic, and then updated with information on Hurricane Tomas.  We continue to update that article frequently with information provided by the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.  Click for the direct link to this October 26 article.

The International Center for Diarrhoeal Disease Research – Bangladesh (ICCDR-B) has sent a team of experts to Haiti.  In a 7+ minute interview posted on YouTube by the Pan-American Health Organization, the hemisphere’s office of the World Health Organization, Dr. Pradip K. Bardhan, Cholera expert from ICDDR-B talks about triage, diagnosis, treatment and preventive measures in the hospital setting.

You are invited…. It’s not too late to register~

“Partners Against Poverty” Fundraiser

to benefit the

Public-Private Alliance Foundation and its work in Haiti

Thursday    November 4    6 – 8 pm

Since the January 12 earthquake PPAF is helping Haitians revitalize their country by partnering with business, the Diaspora, non-profits, the Government, the United Nations and individuals on key projects that improve peoples’ lives and help achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals. The fundraiser will help advance this. The Foundation also works in the Dominican Republic and Madagascar.

The setting for the event is the outstanding exhibit of Haitian paintings on display at Affirmation Arts, on 37^th Street in Manhattan.

 The Foundation welcomes  actor/director Tony Plana (of “Ugly Betty” fame) and pundit Ian Williams to its November 4 Benefit.   Ian will turn mixologist for samples of Haiti’s internationally famous Barbancourt Rum.   Michael Yarema, Executive Vice President and National Sales Manager at Crillon Importers will comment on the importance of Barbancourt Rum to the Haitian economy.

A current main focus for the Foundation is collaboration with several partners to promote improved stoves and fuel in Haiti.  Locally-grown and distilled sugar ethanol will fuel cookstoves manufactured, marketed and distributed in the country.  The project aims to improve lives and health, especially for women and children, and reduce the heavy reliance on wood and charcoal that has stripped the country of forest and topsoil.  Livelihoods for farmers and small scale entrepreneurs will likewise be improved.

Come enjoy the artwork, learn more about the Foundation’s work, and help Haiti build back better.

WHEN:   Thursday, November 4, from 6 to 8 pm

WHERE: Affirmation Arts, 523 West 37^th St., Manhattan (1/2 block from the Javitts Center; nearest subway is Penn Station)

REFRESHMENTS: Wine, soft drinks hors d’oevres and a tasting of Barbancourt Rum!

TICKETS:  Students and under 30’s — $30; supporters — $50; sponsors — $250 and up.  Go to: www.ppafoundation.org and click on the “Donate” buttons for PayPal or JustGive.  (This will save waiting in a line!) Donations also accepted at the door but please RSVP.

 RSVP:  Tel: 914-924-1413 or e-mail ppafoundation@gmail.com 

Haiti is facing a new crisis, with considerable illness and loss of life.  An outbreak of cholera had been feared since the January earthquake.  The cholera epidemic in the Artobinite and Central regions, first reported last Thursday, gives warning to the potential for similar epidemics elsewhere in Haiti, where dirty water and poor sanitary conditions and practices and crowding could spread the disease.  

The United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is offering Situation Reports that update information on the governmental and NGO humanitarian response to the epidemic, and also what is needed.  For up-to-date information, see:  http://haiti.humanitarianresponse.info/ 

Situation reports are being issued frequently.  Also, see this aerial photo of flooding from Tomas: http://www.navy.mil/view_single.asp?id=93701  

The following link is for a video of the U.S. Strategy for addressing the cholera outbreak in Haiti. filmed on November 18, 2010.  Included this is planning for delivering oral rehydration salts packets to delivery points throughout Haiti. 

 http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/dbc.nsf/doc104?OpenForm&rc=2&cc=HTI has various reports and updates on the cholera situation.  

HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIES as of December 28, 2010

• As of 18 December 2010 (possibly 28 December??), the Ministère de la santé publique et de la population (MSPP) has reported 2,761 deaths and 70,865 hospitalized cases due to the cholera outbreak.
• There is an increase of cholera cases and fatality rates in the South-East department.
• The major gaps and constraints identified by the Health Cluster include community mobilization for cholera prevention and prompt treatment; access to clean water and latrines; access to health care; and coordination.

HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIES as of 24 December 2010

• The Ministère de la santé publique et de la population (MSPP) has not
  reported any updated data n cholera cases since 17 December. The latest estimate available remains 2,591 deaths and
  63,711 hospitalizations due to the cholera outbreak.
• In the Grande Anse department, more than 4,000 cases have been reported since 17 November, with mortality rates estimated by the MSPP at approximately 8.4% while local reports suggest much higher mortality rates in rural areas.
• A nationwide campaign to deal with the stigma associated with cholera is urgently needed as misconceptions about the disease are hampering management and treatment of cholera cases.

HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIES as of December 17 (communiqué of December 22)

• The Ministère de la Santé Publique et de la Population (MSPP) has reported 2,591 deaths and 63,711 hospitalizations due to the cholera, as of 17 December.
• The case fatality rate nationwide (2.1%) and in most departments has decreased but remains high in some, including Nippes (14.5%).
• The establishment of new Cholera Treatment Centers and Cholera Treatment Units in rural and remote areas remains a priority.

HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIES as of December 17 (communiqué of December 19)

•  The Ministère de la santé publique et de la population (MSPP) has
  reported 2,535 deaths and 58,190 hospitalization cases due to the cholera outbreak, as of 14 December. The overall case fatality rate is 2.2 per cent nationwide.
• An increase in cholera cases is reported in the Artibonite and the West
  Departments where there is a noticeable lack of water, sanitation and
  hygiene (WASH) actors present.
•  There is an urgent need for ambulances in Grande Anse where only one is available to transport cholera patients for the entire Department.
• The security situation could still deteriorate in the upcoming days, with the announcement of final results of the first round presidential
  elections. The impact on the humanitarian reponse to the cholera epidemic could be severe.

•  
• After almost a week of disruption of their activities, all clusters have resumed their activities. Thisweek, the situation has improved and most water, sanitation and hygiene (wash) cluster activities are back to normal.
• One of the main challenges for Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) cluster activities remains the access to rural areas. The cluster reports that water trucking in urban and semi-urban areas is coping with most of the needs. However, more water purification tablets continue to be needed in IDP camps.
• Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) Cluster partners activities have gradually resumed in internally displaced persons (IDPs) camps and settlements in the affected areas.
• The education cluster reports that 2.2 million school-age children in over 20,000 schools nationwide need safe drinking water.

HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIES as of December 10, 2010

• The Ministry of Health (MSPP) has reported 2,193 deaths and 46,749
  hospitalised cases of cholera since the beginning of the outbreak. The
  overall case mortality rate is 2.2 percent nationwide.
•  Cholera response activities have been greatly affected and disrupted by the ongoing political crisis, due to the contested release of the first
  round presidential election results. The stabilization of the security
  situation has allowed some actors to resume cholera response activities after several days of disruption but there are still considerable gaps and problems.
• Lack of partners for WASH as well as for other clusters is reported as
  one of the major constraints to implementing cholera response activities in many parts of the country including the North West and Centre Departments.

HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIES as of December 7, 2010 

• The Ministry of Health (MSPP) has reported 2,120 deaths and 44,157 hospitalized cases of cholera since 20 October. The overall fatality rate is 2.2 percent nationwide.
• WASH actors are urgently needed in the North West and Centre Departments, where significant gaps have been reported.
• Lack of medical personnel and supplies in health centres especially in remote/mountainous areas is one of the main challenges facing the cholera response in Cap Haitien. OCHA has sent a mission to the area to reinforce existing coordination mechanisms and ensure information flow between partners.
• Increased tensions around the release of the presidential election results and Public Holiday on Thursday 9th December 2010 are expected to interrupt cholera response activities.

HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIES as of 11/30/2010 

• The Ministry of Health (MSPP) has reported 1,751 deaths and 34,248 hospitalized cases. The overall case mortality rate which includes deaths outside hospitals is 2.3 per cent.
• Standardization of chlorination levels, management of dead bodies and disposal of excreta remain key issues.
• Security restrictions around elections have impaired cholera response in some areas, although they have now largely been lifted and the situation is returning to normal.
• New customs clearance procedures for non-registered organizations involved in the cholera response have been published on the logistics cluster website.

HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIES as of 11/23/10 

• The Ministry of Health (MSPP) has reported 1,415 deaths and 25,248 hospitalised cases of cholera since 20 October.
• WHO/PAHO estimate that the cholera outbreak could affect up to 400,000 people.
• A new phone service, accessible when dialling *300, has been established by MSPP for information and for management of corpses.
• PAHO/WHO, in coordination with the MSPP and WFP, have distributed 87 tons of essential medicines and supplies which will cover one third of patient caseload over the coming months.
• The Emergency Relief Coordinator, Ms Valerie Amos, who arrived in Haiti today has stressed the need to scale-up the humanitarian response to the cholera epidemic, particularly in the regions.

HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIES as at 11/19/10 

• The Ministry of Health (MSPP) has reported 1,186 deaths and 19,646 cases. Overall the MSPP reports that 49,418 people have sought medical attention since the epidemic was declared.
• 40 tonnes of medical supplies and sensitization material were distributed today as part of a three-day distribution by the MSPP and health and logistics clusters.
• Civil unrest in Cap Haitien continues to inhibit the humanitarian response to cholera in the surrounding area. The UN and humanitarian partners have called for calm in order to resume activities.

HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIES as at 11/16/10 

• The Ministry of Health reports 1,039 dead and 16,799 hospitalised cases of cholera.
• Some 30 cholera treatment centres with a capacity of at least 1,600 beds have been established. Nine CTCs are operating in Port-au-Prince.
• Violence in Cap Haitian has affected humanitarian response causing WASH partners to suspend activities and the UN to cancel flights carrying supplies.
• Material and personnel gaps have been reported in the North and Northwest departments.

HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIES as at 11/10/10
 

• The Ministry of Health reports 643 deaths and 9,971 hospitalized cases.
• The lack of implementing partners for both WASH and health in upper Artibonite is reported as a serious problem.
• The President indicates that information is the primordial tool to stop the spread of cholera in Haiti.

HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIES as at 11/8/10
 

• 8,138 hospitalised cases of cholera and 544 deaths reported by the government to date.
• A Standard Operation Procedure for reporting new cases or resurgences of water-borne disease such as cholera has been developed to support the Ministry of Health and humanitarian partners’ response to the epidemic.
• Hurricane Tomas has caused 21 deaths and destroyed 1,004 homes, as reported by the Civil Protection (DPC).
• The DPC reports that the Centre, Northwest, North and Nippes departments have experienced severe losses in the agricultural sector. FAO has initiated assessments today.
• UNICEF continues to support 15 experts at the water and sanitation directorate, DINEPA, who conduct tests of chlorine levels and bacteria presence in water networks and kiosks.

HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIES as at 11/6/2010
 

• The DPC reports 6 deaths and over 18,000 people who evacuated their homes preemptively, including over 14,000 who evacuated to hurricane shelters as of yesterday evening.
• Initial assessments suggest that the agriculture sector is the most severely affected by Hurricane Tomas, with flooded fields, loss of livestock and crops.
• Populations who evacuated to safer shelters or temporary shelters are reportedly returning to their homes.
• The humanitarian community is concerned about the implications which flooding and population movements may have for the spread of cholera.

HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIES as of 11/5/10
 

• Two deaths and two people missing have been reported due to Hurricane Tomas.
• The DPC estimates 10,000 people have voluntarily evacuated their shelters since 4 November.
• In upper Artibonite, heavy rains since 17:30 P.M. are accumulating, causing flooding in areas in and around Gonaives with 25 to 35 centimeters of standing water reported by MINUSTAH.
• The South and Centre departments of Haiti are not impacted by the hurricane anymore while the North-West of Haiti continues to be affected until night hours.
• Hospitals in Léogane and Les Cayes, as well as Saint Louis Hospital in Delmas (Port au Prince), have been evacuated
• There are approximately 120,832 tarps and 4,268 tents in the country to provide assistance to over 300,000 individuals. Over 60 per cent of the shelter needs can be covered with available in country stocks. Assessments are ongoing.

HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIES as at 11/2/10 

• Emergency supplies and equipment are urgently needed in preparation for Tropical Storm Tomas.
• WASH, shelter, logistics and communication clusters have identified requirements in terms of equipment and supplies that are immediately needed to augment response capacity.
• Advocacy efforts will continue tomorrow to increase awareness amongst international partners and the media on the necessity to address these needs.
• Today Groupe d’appui de la Communauté Internationale (GACI) was convened by the Prime Minister at the UN logbase to discuss coordination for preparedness for the storm. The meeting was attended by DPC, bilateral donors, UN agencies, international NGOs and MINUSTAH.
• Hurricane preparedness activities are prioritized in anticipation of heavy rainfall and flooding to occur within the next 48 hours.
• As of 3 November, the Ministry of health (MSPP) reports 442 deaths and 6,742 hospitalized cases from cholera.

HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIES as of 11/1/10 

• Haiti remains at high alert in preparation for tropical storm “Tomas”, according to the Civil Protection (DPC). The UN and humanitarian community continue to support the DPC contingency plan by pre-positioning shelter, health, food and water supplies across Haiti.
• Humanitarian partners estimate that 150,000 tarpaulins are required to meet shelter needs following tropical storm “Tomas”.
• World Food Programme distributed 2.1 million water purification tablets to Gonaives in Artibonite to be distributed in schools in the affected areas as part of their cholera prevention initiative.

HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIES as of October 31 

• According to the Civil Protection (DPC), Haiti is in the trajectory of Hurricane “Tomas”, which is expected to impact Haiti on Friday 5 November. In collaboration with the DPC, the UN and humanitarian community have activated contingency plans for hurricane response.
• Planning figures of 100,000 families (500,000 people) affected means 150,000 tarpaulins and 100,000 blankets will be needed in addition to contingency stock already in country.
• The MSPP, UN and humanitarian community continue to respond to the cholera outbreak.
• The health cluster reports five cholera treatment centers (CTCs) in Port-au-Prince are operational as well as three others in Arcahaie, St Marc and Léogane.

HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIES as of October 30 

• The Ministry of Health reports 337 deaths and 4,764 hospitalized cases of cholera as of 10:00 A.M.
• Water purification materials, in particular that which are used to treat water with sediment, are urgently needed. Additional stocks of water purification tablets and soap also need urgent replenishing.
• Preparations begin for Hurricane Tomas which has a likelihood of impacting Haiti early next week.
• UNICEF has made 100 megaphones and 800 batteries available to the departmental health authorities of St Marc and Gonaives to conduct sensitization on cholera prevention and treatment.

HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIES as of October 29 

• The Ministry of Health has confirmed 4,714 hospitalized cases and 330 deaths from cholera.
• OCHA will facilitate cholera response related projects to be added to the existing 2010 appeal. The projects will cover needs in the areas of WASH, health, camp management, communications, logistics and education.
• UNICEF is procuring 600,000 bars of soap from within Haiti, and has placed international orders for 100,000,000 water purification tablets for delivery within the next week.
• From 23 to 27 October DINEPA has measured chlorine levels in 430 water distribution points and households in the West department and in Artibonite.
• The WASH cluster reports that hygiene promotion messages have been disseminated in at least 432 IDP camps in and around Port-au-Prince.

HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIES as of October 28 

•  The Ministry of Health has confirmed 4,649 hospitalizations and 305 deaths from cholera according to data from 20 to 27 October recorded by the government.
• Viva Rio reports supporting teams who disseminate prevention information while distributing oral rehydration salts in communities with a population of 50,000 people. The organisation will focus in particular on engaging with pregnant women, children, the elderly and handicapped.
• The WASH cluster reports almost two thirds of communities in the 15 communal sections at the epicenter of the outbreak have received water purification tablets and supplies in the past five days.
• The logistics cluster reports available air, road and sea transportation capacity.   Read more…

  You are invited….

“Partners Against Poverty” Fundraiser

 to benefit the

Public-Private Alliance Foundation

 and its work in Haiti

Thursday    November 4    6 – 8 pm

Since the January 12 earthquake PPAF is helping Haitians revitalize their country by partnering with business, the Diaspora, non-profits, the Government, the United Nations and individuals on key projects that improve peoples’ lives and help achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals. The fundraiser will help advance this. The Foundation also works in the Dominican Republic and Madagascar. 

The setting for the event is the outstanding exhibit of Haitian paintings on display at Affirmation Arts, on 37^th Street in Manhattan.  Actor-director Tony Plana of “Ugly Betty” fame, and pundit and rum historian Ian Williams will join us. 

A current main focus for the Foundation is collaboration with several partners to promote improved stoves and fuel in Haiti.  Locally-grown and distilled sugar ethanol will fuel cookstoves manufactured, marketed and distributed in the country.  The project aims to improve lives and health, especially for women and children, and reduce the heavy reliance on wood and charcoal that has stripped the country of forest and topsoil.  Livelihoods for farmers and small scale entrepreneurs will likewise be improved. 

Come enjoy the artwork, learn more about the Foundation’s work, and help Haiti build back better. 

WHEN:   Thursday, November 4, from 6 to 8 pm 

WHERE: Affirmation Arts, 523 West 37^th St., Manhattan (1/2 block from the Javits Convention Center; nearest subway is Penn Station) 

REFRESHMENTS: Wine, soft drinks and hors d’oevres 

TICKETS:  Students and under 30’s — $30; supporters — $50; sponsors — $250 and up.  Go to: www.ppafoundation.org and click on the “Donate” buttons for PayPal or JustGive.  Donations also accepted at the door. 

RSVP:  Tel: 914-478-3450 or e-mail ppafoundation@gmail.com for reservation, parking details, etc.

Since the January 12 earthquake we are helping Haitians find sustainable ways to revitalize Haiti.   We are doing this by partnering with Haitian business, the Diaspora, non-profits, the Government, the United Nations and with you, on key projects that improve people’s lives.

The Foundation will hold its “Partners Against Poverty” Benefit at Affirmation Arts, 523 West 37th St., Manhattan, on November 4, 2010, from 6 pm to 8 pm.  Affirmation Arts is featuring an exhibition, “Saving Grace: A Celebration of Haitian Art.” It includes works by many of the best artists of the Haitian Renaissance and is curated by Gérald Alexis, an historian of Haitian art. 

Noted actor and director Tony Plana will host the event.  He recently played the father on Ugly Betty, on ABC TV, and has starred in over 70 movies and on Broadway.    Ian Williams, past president of the United Nations Correspondents Association will be on hand to chat about and sign his book, Rum:  The Social and Sociable History of the Real Spirit of 1776.  Refreshments will be served.

The Foundation is a not-for-profit organization and donations are tax-exempt to the extent of the law.  Requested minimum donations are $30 for students or under-30′s, $50 for supporters, $250 for sponsors.  These can be made online at www.ppafoundation.org (through JustGive or PayPal).   Donations will also be accepted at the door.

In September, David Stillman and colleagues from SImACT and Nova Technology Partners, Inc., traveled to Port-au-Prince, Léogane and Jacmel to meet with organizations interested in a project to promote ethanol cookstoves in Haiti.  Several partners from business, non-profits and government intend to stimulate production of one and two burner cookstoves, and fuel from ethanol derived from sugar cane, to replace the wood and charcoal fires most families and small businesses rely on.  Wood is the main source of all energy used in Haiti.  This has stripped the country bare and contributes greatly to illness, poverty, pollution and vulnerability to hurricane mudslides. 

Haiti consumes over 4 million tons of firewood every year

The ethanol cookstove partnership for Haiti will start small, with pilot testing of stoves and fuel already available elsewhere.  It aims for a sizeable future with local production and users ranging from families in post-earthquake tent camps to hot food street vendors to schools. 

On this trip, team members consulted with representatives of the UN Environment Programme, the Ministry of Women’s Affairs of Haiti, the Embassy of Brazil, the International Rescue Committee, a metal shop owner, a watershed management advisor, two owners of hardware store chains, a fuel distributor and a group of sugar farmers and distillers.  All offered valuable perspectives, questions and advice to help the project move forward.

Thanks to Judy Hoffman, of the Art Creation Foundation for Children in Jacmel, for bringing Bob Corbett’s Haiti email discussion list to our attention. To join this free list, send an email to corbetre@webster.edu.  Be sure to specify that you want to join the Haiti list – Corbett runs several.

Staff of the Public-Private Alliance Foundation have already found this lively list very useful to our work. 

Corbett started the list in 1994 to give subscribers to his quarterly magazine about Haiti a forum for “civil and respectful” discussions about the country.  In 1999 Corbett moved the list to its current host, Webster University, where he is a professor emeritus.

The list’s membership and activity has grown since the January earthquake, and it has recently reached its 39,000th post since moving to Webster.  Webster also hosts an archive of the first 12,226 posts.

PPAF has added a number of videos produced by Frank and Dana Minaya of the Samana College Research Center in the D.R. onto the PPAF YouTube site.  They feature the PPAF / SImACT workshop in Jacmel, June 12 – 13, 2010 – on “Reconstruction and Business Opportunities in Southern Haiti,” as well as the June 9 – 10, 2010 “Building a New Haiti” Conference held at Club Indigo in Montrouis.  Thank you , Frank and Dana! 

Click on the titles below to view the videos.

BUILDING A NEW JACMEL, HAITI

SImAct and PPAF sponsored a workshop in Jacmel on June 12-13, 2010, for the exploration of reconstruction and business opportunities in southern Haiti.  About 50 participants traveled there on the morning of June 12 from the Building a New Haiti conference (organized by American Chambers of Commerce (of the D.R. and Haiti) and the U.S. Commercial Service).  Another 25  joined them  from Jacmel, elsewhere in Haiti and internationally.

HAITIAN SYNERGY #3

Haitian Needs and Answers as described by Reginald Boulos, coordinator of the Haitian Private Sector Forum, notes President Obama’s commitment to Haiti.  He spoke at the Building New Haiti conference held at Club Indigo on June 10-11, 2010.

 HAITI’S SYNERGY #2

Reginald Boulos, speaking at the “Building a New Haiti” Conference.

HAITIAN SYNERGY – JUNE 2010

Photos from the “Building a New Haiti” Conference held June 10-13, 2010, at Club Indigo and Jacmel’s Hotel Cap Lamandou.  The first few minutes show Betsy Wall of the Foundation for International Development Assistance (FIDA) giving a special message for rebuilding Haiti.  Images and presentations from the Jacmel Workshop by PPAF and SImACT follow.

 HAITI’S MINISTER OF TOURISM PATRICK DELATOUR  (in Creole and French)

“Regional Priorities for Recovery and Development,” Jacmel, Haiti, June 12, 2010.   Minister Delatour meets with participants and reporters at the Jacmel Workshop.

RENE PREVAL, PRESIDENT OF HAITI,  JUNE 11, 2010

Rene Preval, President of Haiti, speaks at the “Building a New Haiti” conference.

On June 12-13 PPAF and SImACT held their Jacmel Workshop “Reconstruction and Business Opportunities in Southern Haiti” at the Cap Lamandou Hotel.  This took place at a time of great crisis but also great opportunity. “Refondation”  will take many years and billions of dollars.  Yet the cry is to “build back better,” and investment, commerce and business have central importance in this.  

Some Jacmel participants

Seventy potential investors and contractors, the mayor and the president of the local chamber of commerce of Jacmel and other notables participated.  Conference materials with details on participating companies and organizations will soon be available on the PPAF website.   Photos can be viewed here.   

The Minister of Tourism (and reconstruction) Patrick Delatour gave the keynote address and an extensive powerpoint presentation.  He encouraged revitalization of the historic areas of Jacmel and other sites and their potential for becoming an economic engine for rebuilding and tourism.  He stressed the themes of revitalization of infrastructure, decentralization from Port-au-Prince, job creation, income generation and rebuilding Haitian pride.   

(l to r) Roland Zenny, Pres. Jacmel Chamber of Commerce; Edwin Zenny, Mayor of Jacmel; Patrick Delatour, Minister of Tourism

Photo: Frizner Nau 

Our workshop built on a just-completed conference of 600 participants that was organized by the American Chambers of Commerce of the Dominican Republic and of Haiti and the US Commercial Service. About 50 AmCham conference participants left at 6 a.m, Saturday and traveled by bus for a weekend in Jacmel. joined by others already residing in Haiti.  There we had practical discussions and site visits that focused on several priorities for Southern Haiti – seaport and airport infrastructure; the “soft house” and other transitional housing; agriculture and fishing; cooking without charcoal; Jacmel’s historic district, the arts and promotion of tourism; and the planned multipurpose community at Belle Rive.

Participants were struck by the magnitude of damage but also the possibilities for revitalization.  The resilience of the population, the hospitality and competence of the hotel, the vision and compassion of business people, the vitality of a nearby art foundation for homeless children, all contributed to a sense that serious efforts were merited and will bear fruit.   The Globe and Mail (Toronto), Al Jazeera TV and the Haitian magazine Rebelle Haiti as well as local Jacmelian press covered the event. 

Representatives of a dozen organizations discussed prospects for manufacture of ethanol stoves in Haiti and provision of fuel on a commercial basis, leading to planning and tentative agreements among Project Gaia, SImACT, Dometic, Inc., PPAF, the Haitian-American Association of Engineers and Scientists and others.   Representatives of the International Rescue Committee and Save the Children also participated in these discussions.  Since the Jacmel Workshop, Project Gaia has announced that 1,440 donated stoves are about to be shipped and that the Brazilian government will make available donated fuel to start pilot efforts.    

Similarly, guarantors and potential providers of funds for the Belle Rive site were impressed by SImACT’s planning and initial investments, the excellence of the site, and the potential in three markets — Haitian diaspora, decentralization from Port-au-Prince and development managers. 

The motto of SImACT is “To provide means to achieve, opportunities to live and reasons to dream.”  Strong steps were taken toward these goals at the Jacmel Workshop.

An article on the workshop, “Jacmel Woos Foreign Investors to Rebuild Shattered Resorts.” appears in the Globe and Mail (Toronto), written by Jessica Leeder, who writes “Project Jacmel,” an ongoing series.