Young diaspora bring human capital to Haiti

September issue is available now. Retiring in Haiti has long been a dream for many in the diaspora. So for many years, most of the people who returned to live in Haiti were from an older generation. Over the last 5-7 years that trend has shifted to a younger generation. Many young Haitian professionals have been actively involved in Haiti. Many had even worked there, on limited-time contracts for non-profits, government agencies and the private sector. However, once the earthquake hit, the diaspora returned in droves for numerous missionary trips, school-building and agricultural stimulus initiatives and to support family affected by the destruction. And many returned to live for good – including some of Boston’s brightest. Linda Accime holds a Masters of Arts degree in Sustainable International Development from Brandeis University. She was born in Miami, Florida and grew up in Boston, and had been interested in working in Haiti for quite some time. As part of her experiential learning for her graduate work, she went back to Haiti to work on a public health initiative in 2008. Through a project with Hospice St. Joseph, she worked to increase access to health care services for Haitians living in the countryside.

From Andrew Square to Port-au-Prince, Brian Concannon fights for Haiti’s causes

It may be hard to imagine any parallel between Ireland and destitute, still earthquake-ravaged Haiti, and yet there are any number: analogous gripping histories of famine, long stretches of political and economic repression, and the bad geographical luck of being adjacent to a super power or dominant force that presents undesirable attention. It is always difficult fighting a bully in your own backyard. Human rights attorney Brian Concannon wrote of these dilemmas three years ago in the Boston Irish Reporter and in the Boston Haitian Reporter. “Like the British response to Ireland’s famine, bank programs (in Haiti) do not rise to the need,” he wrote, predicting the inevitable in a column headlined: Eating Dirt in Haiti and Ireland. “They are too late—they will not provide relief for months, perhaps years. They are too little—they stop where the requirements of helping poor people conflict with the requirements of the bureaucrats’ economic theories. In the meantime, just as Ireland exported food during a famine, Haiti will keep exporting money. So more Haitians will die of the diseases of hunger, and more children will grow older without going to school.”

Suspect arraigned, held without bail in Julaine Jules murder

Shabazz AugustineShabazz Augustine stood silently in a Suffolk Superior courtroom today as he was officially charged with the heinous murder of 26 year-old Julaine Jules, his one-time love interest who was found dead in the Charles River nearly one month after she went missing from her South Boston workplace back in 2004. Augustine, 32, was arrested on a warrant issued after the Boston Police Cold Case Squad began probing the Jules murder this year. Augustine was a suspect early in the murder investigation, but according to prosecutors, his recent arrest was prompted by "incriminating remarks" that he allegedly made after the killing. The Dorchester man, who has been working at a dental clinic in recent years, was taken into custody at his workplace in Roxbury in June. He's been jailed ever since and was once again ordered to be held without bail pending his trial — which will not likely take place until September 2012.

Volunteer builders needed for PIH's Mirebalais hospital meet Thursday in Boston

Partners In Health and Jim Ansara will host a Volunteer Open House for all those planning to volunteer — or those thinking about volunteering— int he construction of a new hospital in Mirebalais, Haiti on Thursday, Sept. 1 at 6 p.m. at the Boston Beer Works, 112 Canal Street, Boston.

Hurricane Irene hits the Caribbean, headed for Haiti and US

(AP) -- Hurricane Irene cut power to more than a million people in Puerto Rico, downing trees and flooding streets on Monday, and forecasters warned it could be a major storm as it threatens Florida and South Carolina by the end of the week. There were no reports of deaths or major injuries in Puerto Rico, but Gov. Luis Fortuno declared a state of emergency and urged people to stay indoors to avoid downed power lines, flooded streets and other hazards. "This isn't the time to go out to find out what happened ... This is the time stay in your homes," Fortuno said at a news conference. The first hurricane of the Atlantic storm season posed an immediate threat to the northeastern coast of the Dominican Republic, though the center of the hurricane was expected to miss neighboring Haiti, which shares the island of Hispaniola. Nearly 600,000 Haitians are still homeless due to the January 2010 earthquake and that country could still see heavy rain and tropical-storm-force winds, said Dennis Feltgen, a spokesman for the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.

US makes criminals priority for deportation

Originally published: August 18, 2011 Updated: August 19, 2011 WASHINGTON (AP)- Many illegal immigrants who were facing deportation despite having no criminal record will be allowed to stay in the country and apply for a work permit under new rules from the Homeland Security Department. Republicans are balking at the change. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced Thursday that the department will focus on deporting illegal immigrants who are criminals or pose a threat to national security or public safety. Napolitano announced the plan in a letter to a group of senators who support revamping the immigration system. Under the change, approximately 300,000 deportation cases pending in immigration court will be reviewed case by case.

Port-au-Prince mayor says he plans to clear huge quake camp

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) _ Thousands of Haitians living in one of the biggest tent camps created after last year's earthquake could soon have a new home: the mountains north of Port-au-Prince. City officials plan to relocate the almost 20,000 people living on the 42-acre (17-hectare) Champs de Mars plaza across the street from the crumbled National Palace if the central government approves, Port-au-Prince Mayor Jean Yves Jason said Wednesday.

In Remembrance of Lenord Fortune, “Azor”

Lenord &quot;Azor&quot; Fortune (1965-2011)

Lenord "Azor" Fortune (1965-2011)The old saying is Tanbou frappe, Haitien kanpe —or “when the drum’s struck, Haitians stand!” That’s been the case for us throughout the many years that Racine percussionist Lenord Fortune, or “Azor”, used his talents in music to carve a national and international path for Haiti’s roots tradition. The Island does not lack for talented percussionists but Azor - like his renowned predecessor, “Ti Roro”- could make the drums talk, sing, scream, shout and - sometimes, even whisper. His amazing ability with a hand drum was only matched by his astounding talent as a vocalist. His videos were celebrations of the sounds, colors and movements of the African in Haitians. He set his scenes on Haiti’s lush mountains and its vibrant waterfalls and sung the trials and tribulations of his native land in plain-worded truths. He was a rarity among his kind – a “tambourineur” who was as comfortable in an “all vocals” acoustic setting and equally at peace with the best of Haiti’s electric music traditions.

Diaspora groups launch national listening tour in Boston

On July 14, a group of leaders from the Haitian diaspora launched a national listening tour in Boston. The Haitian Fund for Innovation and Reconstruction (HFIR) based in New York, Konbit for Haiti out of Florida, the Lambi Fund from Haiti, and Oxfam America headquartered in Boston with offices in DC - collaborated with the Boston Haitian Reporter – to convene a working meeting. The goal was to hear the diaspora perspective on issues that can be addressed through coordinated advocacy.

Participants engage in brainstorm about advocacy priorities on July 14. About 25 local community leaders, entrepreneurs,human rights advocates and young professionals gathered to discuss priorities in setting an advocacy agenda. The group eagerly provided their input on the major sectors that need to be bolstered and prioritized, from education and governance to the justice system and infrastructure.

Evictions Report: Government adds insult to injuries of displaced

The Haitian Government is violating the rights of Haitians more seriously than the non-governmental organizations (NGOS). During recent weeks, destroying the camps of the internally displaced people has become something normal. And now the Mayor Jean-Yves Jason of Port-au-Prince has evicted 514 families that were living in the Sylivo Cator soccer stadium, without respect to their rights or their dignity.

A protest by civil society organizations against the presence of MINUSTAH on July 28, 2011. This is yet another time that the Haitian Government has violated the International Convention on Human Rights, which recognizes the rights that all victims of natural catastrophes have to live with dignity.Mayor Jason of Port-au-Prince declared: “The government doesn’t owe people anything, the 10,000 gourdes ($500 U.S.) the government gives is charity for them to restart their lives.” That is the kind of declaration we might expect to hear from the mouths of NGOs, not from those who govern - those to whom we have given a mandate to govern us. Of the 514 families that were living in the stadium, there are 124 (about 600 people) that the Mayor agreed to relocate in another space. However, the other nearly 400 families were left in the streets with only 10,000 gourdes and no other assistance to find an alternative.

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