Aid to Haiti financing political violence by Darlene N. Desmesmin

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Six months after the earthquake rocked our country, questions are surfacing about the use of aid money.

Where is the $1.1 billion in private money donated by American citizens?

Where are the funds donated by the World Bank and the Inter American Development Bank?

Where is the $9.9 billion pledged by the international community?

Where is the $76 million donated by the celebrity telethon and artists from Hollywood?

Is the money financing political violence in Haiti?

After all the money has been pledged and donated, 1.7 million Haitians are suffering - living in abysmal conditions in 1,400 makeshift camps.

Most of these tents are housing young children - from three months old to two years - and 70,000 pregnant women, and senior citizens.

These camps do not even meet international standards for humanitarian relief.

They lack water, food, medical assistance, and sanitation.

If assistance is being provided - it's ad hoc. They have no electricity, so there are no lights in the camps at night.

The darkness provides cover for increased crime and has resulted in rampant sexual abuse.

To make matters worse, these people are under the threat of two dozen hurricanes scheduled for the summer.

One must wonder how they will survive the hurricane season in tents made of nothing more than a wood stick holding up a bed sheet.

When it rains everybody gets soaked - and cold - and the wind knocks down the tents.

In the rare cases where temporary housing is being built - it's not being built to withstand a hurricane.

How will these 1.7 million people face the hurricane season?

Are the aid organizations more interested in preparing their fundraiser than preventing that disaster?

Most organizations were experiencing a serious drop in donations until the Haitian earthquake hit. The earthquake has made them flush again.

We see very little impact from the money so where is it?

Many Haitians are worried that aid money is actually financing political violence.

This is not a stretch of the imagination in Haiti which has received $x billion in aid money over the past few decades with nothing to show for it except a very rich elite.

One example being discussed is the case of Brian Concannon.

This man enriched himself on the back of the Haitian people.

He became rich by making millions as a lobbyist for former President Aristide (see haitipolicy.org/Lobbying7.htm).

He was well compensated with Haitian taxpayer money that could have been used to support healthcare and education.

He chose to support the violent campaign of the Haitian dictator against women organizations (see alterpresse.org/spip.php?article11...) and defend Aristide's corruption (see thekomisarscoop.com/tag/haiti/).

This man is the one allocating the telethon funds to Haitian groups (see news wire:Hope For Haiti Now' Distributing Remaining $31 Million Raised Through Telethon ).

Many Haitians fear that the funds are funneling to violent organizations close to former President Aristide that have bee involved in past human rights violations against women, students, journalists, human rights activists and others in Haiti.

Brian Concannon and his associates should step down and the Haitian watchdogs should launch investigation.

Aid needs to go to the victims and people in need in Haiti -- not to groups with a politically violent past - and present - linked to former President Aristide.

Darlene N. Desmesmin, July 22 2010, 9:01 AM

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