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<DIV>Here are the recommendations of Rick Santos, President and CEO of CCIH
member IMA World Health, <A href="http://www.imaworldhealth.org">www.imaworldhealth.org</A>, 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.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV align=center><BR><FONT size=5><STRONG>What Haiti needs
most</STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=center> </DIV>
<DIV align=center><FONT size=3>Aid worker who survived quake says focus should
be on health, farming and education</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=center> </DIV>
<DIV><A href="http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bal-op.haiti11feb11,0,7858765.story">www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bal-op.haiti11feb11,0,7858765.story</A></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>By Richard L. Santos</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>February 11, 2010</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>In Haiti, Focus on the Basics</STRONG></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>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.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>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.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>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.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>•Health care</STRONG>. 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.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>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.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>•Agricultural development</STRONG>. 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.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>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.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>•Education</STRONG>. 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.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>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.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>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.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><EM>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 </EM><A href="mailto:ricksantos@imaworldhealth.org"><EM>ricksantos@imaworldhealth.org</EM></A><EM>.</EM></DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>