Last month’s New York Times article on Haitian children orphaned by the January earthquake sent shockwaves through the international aid community. The piece detailed the story of Frades, a makeshift open-air orphanage facing eviction in spite of the fact that it shelters dozens of children. The orphans’ caretaker, Rev. Gerald Bataille, has faced bureaucratic hurdles in finding funding for his operation, evidence that aid on the ground has stalled.
In a recent post for AJWS’s Food Forever blog, Jordan Namerow called on readers to “tell your senators to pass the Haiti Empowerment, Assistance and Rebuilding (HEAR) Act to ensure that Haitians get the long-term aid and attention they need to build a sustainable future.” Now, AJWS President Ruth Messinger has written to the New York Times: “It is time for the international donor community to recognize that the determination and ingenuity required for a successful recovery lies within Haitian society and its grass-roots leaders. Instead of shuffling these heroes into a bureaucratic maze, we must prepare to give them the necessary tools as quickly as possible.” Read her letter in its entirety here.
