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Although one year has passed, Haiti is still in ruins, still waiting on the promised aid from countries around the world. BlackVoices has kept you up to speed with everything that the island nation is going through, even when Haiti stopped being front-page news. Join us as we relive the Haiti earthquake, aftershocks, recovery and stalled rebuilding effort.
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Once the earthquake hit and claimed thousands of lives, many people spoke about the disaster, from Rush Limbaugh spewing hate as usual to Wyclef Jean, who ended up becoming a spokesperson for Haiti. Of course, President Barack Obama also weighed in on the tragedy.
Unfortunately, reports of violence began to come from Haiti, so much so that it began to deter people from donating, so Hollywood stepped in by re-recording Michael Jackson's hit 'We Are the World' to raise money for Haiti as well as host various fundraising telethons. As displaced people topped 1 million, critics still spewed bitter rhetoric and the Haitian people began disposing of the dead.
February brought the saga of the American missionaries who were caught smuggling Haitian children across the border to the Dominican Republic. The missionaries claimed the children were orphans, even though their parents were found alive. The parents claimed that they gave the children away, leading to the dismissal of all charges. But this story serves as a cautionary tale of how people can take advantage of others during crisis situations.
February also brought the misappropriation of medications that were donated to Haiti, serving as a warning of what could happen to money if given to the country. There were also some glimmers of hope, though, in March as people began to reach out to Haiti, visit the country to survey the damage and tackle the issues of the rebuilding process as well as volunteer on the ground.
As soon as hope emerged, a devastating practice of raping women and children in the temporary tent camps began to take hold. This reality still grips the country.
The Haitian Declaration of Independence was found, after searching through the rubble, and a baby found in the rubble was reunited with her parents. First Lady Michelle Obama made a surprise visit to Haiti, although prisoners that were in jail escaped through the dilapidated walls.
Haiti began to fall out of the main news stream in May and June as protests mounted against President Rene Preval and his efforts to get aid to the people of Haiti. Internationally, people began to take an active interest in adopting Haitian children in an attempt to "rescue" them.
Haiti's infrastructure and government has been wrought with corruption and greed. As Preval's leadership came to an end, many who donated were left wondering who would be in charge of rebuilding Haiti. August brought Wyclef Jean's failed attempt to run for president of Haiti without even being a citizen. His IRS troubles may have contributed to the demise of his campaign.
Throughout the misery and suffering, there was always someone with an outstretched hand to Haiti. Senegal opened its doors to international students and a Brooklyn physician went to Haiti to provide urgent care.
But when it rains, it pours. The cholera outbreak claimed thousands of lives and led to violence against the U.N. peacekeepers. As the cholera spread to Port-au-Prince, it turns out that the Haitian people were right to blame the U.N., who had recently launched an anti-rape campaign in Haiti, since the Nepalese peacekeepers were linked to the original outbreak of cholera. Here, the help did more harm than good.
The Haitian elections took center stage during the fall, after the hurricane season ended. The right leadership could open the coffers to Haiti if the leader could persuade the world community to trust him and his administration. As Haiti began to prepare for rebuilding, Haitian contractors found themselves locked out of lucrative contracts, essentially taking money away from the Haitian community.
Haiti is the land of miracles, but Haiti should be much farther along in redevelopment one year later. Chile experienced a devastating earthquake one month after Haiti and had a plan for rebuilding by March. People should not be forced to live this way.
One year later, Haiti looks pretty much the same.