Haiti Diaspora Federation: One Year Later By Stanley Lucas

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Haiti Diaspora Federation: One Year Later By Stanley Lucas
March 22, 2011

One year ago today, several Haitian Diaspora leaders -- with the support of the OAS -- conceptualized a Haitian Diaspora Summit in Washington to develop a strategy defining the Diaspora contribution in the reconstruction of Haiti.

Just two and half months after the earthquake, hundreds of Haitian Diaspora from the US, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Europe convened at the OAS in Washington, DC to discuss practical solutions to addressing the massive need for humanitarian assistance and longer range goals in our country.

The earthquake had galvanized the community.

We put forth a series of recommendations (see: solutionshaiti.blogspot.com/2010/04/ha... ) and discussed the launch of a Haitian Diaspora Federation.

One year later, we have absolutely nothing to show for the effort.

All momentum has been lost and the Federation is a complete failure.

Over the past year, a few people have hijacked the Federation mainly to advance personal agendas.

They have held a few meetings on Capitol Hill and with the new coordinator for Haiti at the State Department.

They inherited a seat on the Haiti Interim Reconstruction Commission (HIRC).

Yet what results are there to show for these meager efforts?

As far as I can tell, the Haitian Diaspora have not been brought into the dialogue on how to develop Haiti - in Haiti or in the US or any other country.

And there has been no effort to tap the human resources from the Diaspora - more than 83% of competent Haitians are overseas.

As far as I can tell, there have been no contracts awarded to Haitian Diaspora businesses to participate in reconstruction.

In fact, the Haitian members of the HIRC delivered a speech at one of the organization's meetings saying how the Haitian members had been marginalized from the process and were essentially serving as rubber stamps for contracts being awarded to foreign profiteers (see: solutionshaiti.blogspot.com/2011/01/ha... ).

The OAS and CARICOM have even secured projects and funding from the HIRC. The one meeting with the Federation on the Hill that I participated in was essentially a self-promotion meeting for the leader of the Federation.

And this is the main issue: a few self-interested individuals who have done nothing for the larger Diaspora community and undermined the Federation.

In one year, have they advocated for our 1.7 million brothers and sisters still living under makeshift tents?

Have they once come out and said that the foreign aid framework isn't working?

Have they said that NGOs have collected more than one billion dollars but nothing has changed in one year?

I haven't seen anything from the Federation on these key concerns.

It is clear that substantively they have made no progress and have no track record of advocating on behalf of Haitians.

The picture is equally grim on the organization front.

Has anyone received an update on the Federation's activities?

Has anyone been asked to be a part of a working group or an advisory board?

Has anyone been asked to pay dues to fund the Federation?

No. Probably because they want no accountability or participation.

But they have requested funds from the US Government.

So one year later the Federation has no real accomplishments to tout, and essentially they completely failed to capitalize on the momentum after the earthquake.

This is yet one more squandered opportunity to help our countrymen.

Something must change; we need to get our act together.

We are failing our people and allowing others to exclude us. Through our inactivity, we are tacitly accepting corruption.

I hope that the leaders of the Federation have learned a lesson from this year. Starting an organization from scratch is tough, but it is much easier if the process is inclusive and transparent.

I know the Diaspora community wants to rise to this challenge and wants to work with the few people that have begun the effort.

Let us try to turn this around and make this into a productive, inclusive organization.

In unity there is strength.

Sabine Pralin, March 23 2011, 12:30 AM

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