[CCIH-Haiti] CCIH member says what Haiti needs most is health, farming, and education

[MartinRS at aol.com]

Here are the recommendations of Rick Santos, President and CEO of CCIH  
member IMA World Health, _www.imaworldhealth.org_ 
(http://www.imaworldhealth.org) , for the  rebuilding of Haiti, in an article in the Baltimore Sun. Rick 
and two  of his IMA colleagues happened to be in Port-au-Prince during the 
earthquake and  were trapped in the rubble of the Hotel Montana for 55 hours 
before being freed  by rescuers.
 

What Haiti needs  most
 
Aid worker who survived quake says focus should  be on health, farming and 
education
 
_www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bal-op.haiti11feb11,0,7858765.story_
 
(http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bal-op.haiti11feb11,0,7858765.story) 
 
By Richard L. Santos
 
February 11, 2010
 
In Haiti, Focus on the Basics
 
I recently returned to my family in Silver Spring after spending 55 hours  
trapped in the rubble of the collapsed Hotel Montana in Port-au-Prince, 
Haiti.  The intense emotions I felt while waiting for help, and those I 
experienced as I  heard that two colleagues did not make it, still pale in 
comparison to what I  felt when I was on the way to the U.S. Embassy after being 
pulled from the hotel  rubble. The scale of destruction was truly heartbreaking.
 
Relief is essential. But it is only the beginning. What are the priorities  
once it is time to move from relief to recovery and rebuilding? This will 
be the  discussion when the international community meets in March at a 
pivotal Haiti  donor conference.
 
Based on our organization's work in Haiti, and my 20 years of working in  
the international development field, I suggest that the international 
community,  public and private, focus on three areas.
 
•Health care. This is the first priority because it is  foundational to all 
else. According to the World Health Organization, life  expectancy at birth 
is 60 years in Haiti. This compares to 77 years in the U.S.  Healthy life 
expectancy - the average number of years that one can expect to  live in 
"full health" - is only 43 years. Even before the quake, health care was  poor. 
Neglected tropical diseases and other preventable illnesses inflict  
terrible suffering, and primary health care is insufficient, especially among  
children. Neglected tropical diseases and a lack of primary health care  
incapacitate large numbers of Haiti's working-age population, restricting their  
ability to earn a living and contribute to society.
 
While the U.S. Agency for International Development and private groups have 
 made great strides in the battle against neglected tropical diseases, it's 
not  nearly enough. A basic health care system, accessible to all Haitians, 
is  necessary. Development groups have experience setting up basic health 
care  systems in South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and other 
difficult  environments. The same can and must be done in Haiti. Only when 
Haitians obtain  a basic level of health care will they be able to build a stable 
economy and  society.
 
•Agricultural development. Haiti was self-sufficient in  rice for 200 
years. For many reasons, including U.S.-initiated changes in  Haitian trade 
policy, this reversed in the 1990s. Haiti became a net rice  importer. When 
rice-related jobs disappeared, thousands of Haitians moved to  Port-au-Prince and 
other cities. Many of these are the unemployed people who  lived in the 
poorly constructed shantytowns flattened by the quake.
 
The earthquake is forcing many Haitians back to the countryside. It is  
essential that the international community help find ways to develop 
sustainable  agriculture. As with those successful projects implemented after 
Indonesia's  tsunami, the key is a workable plan to move agricultural production up 
the value  chain. This means the transfer of processing, marketing and other 
skills that  enable local people to build and develop comprehensive 
food-related  industries.
 
•Education. According to UNICEF, 62 percent of Haitians  can read and 
write. Haiti will not develop any kind of sustainable economy, nor  a truly 
participatory political system and accountable government, until it  raises that 
number.
 
This has become that much more difficult with the destruction of many of  
Haiti's schools. The international community, with a significant commitment 
from  the Obama administration, must dedicate whatever it takes to rebuild 
and upgrade  Haiti's school system. To help staff these new schools, the 
federal government  could mobilize the many Haitians living in the U.S. who are 
searching for ways  to become directly engaged in the country's development. 
An expanded Peace Corps  is first step. Another is a "Haitians Teaching 
Haitians" program. Participants  would not only impart "the basics." They would 
also share how they built  businesses, made sure their children received a 
good education and became  engaged in their local communities, including the 
political system.
 
The international community's response to date gives one hope that, this  
time, things will turn out differently in Haiti. If the nation is to truly  
experience a rebirth, those who seek to help must focus on the basic building 
 blocks of a sustainable society. This time, let's really help the people 
of  Haiti help themselves.
 
Richard L. Santos is president and CEO of IMA World Health, a nonprofit  
organization based in New Windsor providing health care services and supplies 
to  vulnerable and marginalized people. His e-mail is 
_ricksantos at imaworldhealth.org_ (mailto:ricksantos at imaworldhealth.org) .
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