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People have all kinds of things to say about where Haiti should go from here, and how it should get there. It's an old story, that of being sure what's best for the Haitian people, trying to remake Haiti in one's own image.
People have all kinds of things to say about where Haiti should go from here, and how it should get there. It's an old story, that of being sure what's best for the Haitian people, trying to remake Haiti in one's own image.
In this case, we don't have to guess about what is best for Haitians; we have civil society itself to tell us their own priorities, needs, political demands. Now that many of the dead have been buried, a few groups are starting to brush the cement dust off of themselves and make their desiderata explicit. For example, here is what nineteen Haitian organizations from numerous sectors - from women to peasants, community media to economic policy advocates - have to say about reconstruction after the earthquake:
"The emergency aid effort we are involved in is alternative in character. We expect to advocate a method of work which will denounce the traditional practices in the field of humanitarian aid, which do not respect the dignity of the victims and which contribute to the reinforcement of dependency. We are advocating a humanitarian effort that is appropriate to our reality, respectful of our culture and our environment, and which does not undermine the forms of economic solidarity that have been put in place over the decades by the grassroots organizations with which we work.
"We would hope to see the emergence of international brigades working together with our organizations in the struggle to carry out agrarian reform and an integrated urban land reform program, the struggle against illiteracy and for reforestation, and for the construction of new modern, decentralized and universal systems of education and public health. (Statement by the coordinating committee of progressive organizations)
We have an excellent opportunity to help Haitians create a different type of disaster response and recovery, through our careful listening and horizontal solidarity. Here are a few suggestions:
I quote a former Haitian minister of culture who was speaking of U.S. aid: "The computers are not compatible."
What has befallen Haiti is as bad as it can get; we need to make sure that the rebuilding is as good as it can get. We have an excellent opportunity, following the Haitian grassroots' lead, to engage in a different reconstruction for a different future.
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People have all kinds of things to say about where Haiti should go from here, and how it should get there. It's an old story, that of being sure what's best for the Haitian people, trying to remake Haiti in one's own image.
In this case, we don't have to guess about what is best for Haitians; we have civil society itself to tell us their own priorities, needs, political demands. Now that many of the dead have been buried, a few groups are starting to brush the cement dust off of themselves and make their desiderata explicit. For example, here is what nineteen Haitian organizations from numerous sectors - from women to peasants, community media to economic policy advocates - have to say about reconstruction after the earthquake:
"The emergency aid effort we are involved in is alternative in character. We expect to advocate a method of work which will denounce the traditional practices in the field of humanitarian aid, which do not respect the dignity of the victims and which contribute to the reinforcement of dependency. We are advocating a humanitarian effort that is appropriate to our reality, respectful of our culture and our environment, and which does not undermine the forms of economic solidarity that have been put in place over the decades by the grassroots organizations with which we work.
"We would hope to see the emergence of international brigades working together with our organizations in the struggle to carry out agrarian reform and an integrated urban land reform program, the struggle against illiteracy and for reforestation, and for the construction of new modern, decentralized and universal systems of education and public health. (Statement by the coordinating committee of progressive organizations)
We have an excellent opportunity to help Haitians create a different type of disaster response and recovery, through our careful listening and horizontal solidarity. Here are a few suggestions:
I quote a former Haitian minister of culture who was speaking of U.S. aid: "The computers are not compatible."
What has befallen Haiti is as bad as it can get; we need to make sure that the rebuilding is as good as it can get. We have an excellent opportunity, following the Haitian grassroots' lead, to engage in a different reconstruction for a different future.
People have all kinds of things to say about where Haiti should go from here, and how it should get there. It's an old story, that of being sure what's best for the Haitian people, trying to remake Haiti in one's own image.
In this case, we don't have to guess about what is best for Haitians; we have civil society itself to tell us their own priorities, needs, political demands. Now that many of the dead have been buried, a few groups are starting to brush the cement dust off of themselves and make their desiderata explicit. For example, here is what nineteen Haitian organizations from numerous sectors - from women to peasants, community media to economic policy advocates - have to say about reconstruction after the earthquake:
"The emergency aid effort we are involved in is alternative in character. We expect to advocate a method of work which will denounce the traditional practices in the field of humanitarian aid, which do not respect the dignity of the victims and which contribute to the reinforcement of dependency. We are advocating a humanitarian effort that is appropriate to our reality, respectful of our culture and our environment, and which does not undermine the forms of economic solidarity that have been put in place over the decades by the grassroots organizations with which we work.
"We would hope to see the emergence of international brigades working together with our organizations in the struggle to carry out agrarian reform and an integrated urban land reform program, the struggle against illiteracy and for reforestation, and for the construction of new modern, decentralized and universal systems of education and public health. (Statement by the coordinating committee of progressive organizations)
We have an excellent opportunity to help Haitians create a different type of disaster response and recovery, through our careful listening and horizontal solidarity. Here are a few suggestions:
I quote a former Haitian minister of culture who was speaking of U.S. aid: "The computers are not compatible."
What has befallen Haiti is as bad as it can get; we need to make sure that the rebuilding is as good as it can get. We have an excellent opportunity, following the Haitian grassroots' lead, to engage in a different reconstruction for a different future.