Pathfinder
Editor, Senior Moderator
Posted on Monday, 01.09.12
HAITI | TWO YEARS LATER
Many question whether Haiti quake donations were put to best use
Two years after the devastating earthquake in Haiti, many complain that they haven?t seen where billions in donations were spent.
By Frances Robles
frobles@MiamiHerald.com
Half the money world governments pledged to Haiti never showed up. Half the money American private donors raised for Haiti hasn?t been spent. And many millions went to things like gasoline, car rentals and salaries.
Two years after the ground shook in Haiti, more than 500,000 people remain on the street, many of them wondering why all that assistance did not lift them out of dire straits. In a nation where the minimum wage is $5 a day, international aid groups say seven-figure donations aimed at rebuilding the health care, housing and school systems were just not enough to alleviate a country mired in poverty.
So while families continue to live in plastic tents, some organizations are running dry and major reconstruction projects are taking years longer than anticipated. Even after the billions were spent and billions more promised, experts say it will be another 10 years of spending before people see serious results.
Read more here:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/01/09/2581629/many-question-whether-haiti-quake.html#storylink=cpy
HAITI | TWO YEARS LATER
Many question whether Haiti quake donations were put to best use
Two years after the devastating earthquake in Haiti, many complain that they haven?t seen where billions in donations were spent.
By Frances Robles
frobles@MiamiHerald.com
Half the money world governments pledged to Haiti never showed up. Half the money American private donors raised for Haiti hasn?t been spent. And many millions went to things like gasoline, car rentals and salaries.
Two years after the ground shook in Haiti, more than 500,000 people remain on the street, many of them wondering why all that assistance did not lift them out of dire straits. In a nation where the minimum wage is $5 a day, international aid groups say seven-figure donations aimed at rebuilding the health care, housing and school systems were just not enough to alleviate a country mired in poverty.
So while families continue to live in plastic tents, some organizations are running dry and major reconstruction projects are taking years longer than anticipated. Even after the billions were spent and billions more promised, experts say it will be another 10 years of spending before people see serious results.
Read more here:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/01/09/2581629/many-question-whether-haiti-quake.html#storylink=cpy