Haiti’s recovery

Six months after a devastating earthquake struck Haiti, killing almost 300,000 people and leaving 1.5 million homeless, signs of recovery seem few and far between, and billions of dollars of pledged foreign aid has yet to make it to the struggling country.

Rene Preval, the Haitian president, has been criticised for poor leadership in the rebuilding efforts: More than 20 million cubic yards have yet to be cleared preventing reconstruction efforts from starting in many areas. 

The temporary tented camps are crowded, lack proper sanitation and electricity, making it increasingly dangerous for people to walk at night, particularly women, who are susceptible to sexual violence.

In addition, land disputes are becoming a mounting problem as landowners have found their property occupied by the many dispossessed with no place to go.

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And with the hurricane season underway, there is no clear resettlement strategy in place meaning conditions could deteriorate further.

On Monday’s Riz Khan, we ask: What is the status of Haiti’s recovery six months after the quake and what more needs to be done? 

Riz is joined by Juan Gabriel Valdes, the former head of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), Stanley Lucas, the director for Latin America and the Caribbean at the Washington Democracy Project and the co-chairman of the greater DC committee for Solidarity with Haiti, and Lahiny Pierre, a Haitian-born author of the photography book Haiti Earthquake 1-12-2010.

This episode of the Riz Khan show aired from Monday, July 12, 2010.