Moving beyond the remittance/transfer dependency

Karl SalomonSince the 1980s, the level of remittance to Haiti has dramatically increased, and so has Haiti’s dependence on the Diaspora. According to the Inter-American Development Bank, Haitians abroad remitted $1.87 billion (US) to their relatives in Haiti in 2008. This amount is more than a 900 percent increase from the $106 million mark of 1980, based on The World Bank’s data. This astounding amount made up more than 26 percent of the country’s gross domestic product for that year and averaged out to about $5 million per day.

February edition of Boston Haitian Reporter now in circulation

BHR February 2010(Friday, Feb. 12) —The February edition of the Boston Haitian Reporter is now circulation throughout the Greater Boston area. The edition features in-depth coverage of the aftermath of the Jan.

Boston University team relays news from their post-EQ visit

Seth Rolbein, a Boston University news editor, offers an interesting first hand account of his post-Jan. 12 visit to Haiti in the online BU Today. It is one in a series of articles by Rolbein, a member of a Boston University delegation which traveled to Haiti via the Dominican Republic following the earthquake. The feature includes a photo slideshow of the scenes the BU team witnessed.

Menino: Feb. 11 forum to focus on earthquake-related ‘scams’

The city of Boston has organized a community forum for Thursday to address what Mayor Tom Menino calls “potential scams and fraudulent activity” that are targeting Haitians in the aftermath of the Jan. 12 earthquake. The meeting will be held on Thursday, Feb. 11 at 4:30 p.m. at the Haitian Multi-Service Center on Columbia Road in Dorchester.

Tonight: Harvard for Haiti concert at Sanders Theatre

Harvard for Haiti concertStudents at Harvard University have organized a Friday, Feb. 12 concert that will raise funds for Partners in Health. The event will be staged from 7-8:30 p.m. at Harvard's Sanders Theatre. Tickets: $10 student, $25 regular admission (buy here or at the Harvard Box Office in Holyoke Center; all proceeds go to Partners In Health (PIH). If you can't make it: There will be a live webcast of the event, so you can still watch and donate here. To end your evening: Mingle with performers and speakers after the event downstairs at Cambridge Queen's Head Pub at SAGHAH's* Gateway to Global Health! Performers and speakers include: President Drew Faust, Dean Evelynn Hammonds, PIH Executive Director Ophelia Dahl, Mass. State Rep. Linda Dorcena Forry, Harvard Humanitarian Initiative Director Michael VanRooyen, award-winning internationally acclaimed violinist Ryu Goto, internationally acclaimed pianists Charlie Albright and Malcolm Campbell, Harvard Glee Club, the Pan-African Dance and Music Ensemble, the Caribbean Club Dance Team, Kuumba, and more. Donations are accepted before, during, and after the concert.

Boston doc urges construction of medical facilities in Haiti

Updated Feb. 9, 2010— Read this op-ed in today's Boston Globe by Dr. Laurence Ronan and Dr. Lisa I. Iezzoni about the urgent need for long-term care facilities in Haiti.- Ed.

Mission 4636: An overview of the project that YOU can assist from here

The folks who developed the Mission 4636 project — which is helping Kreyol-speaking Haitians and Haitian-Americans in the States direct help to earthquake survivors. This video gives an overview of the project and gives guidance on how we can help.

Mission 4636 from CrowdFlower on Vimeo.

Feb. 20 fashion show to benefit relief effort

A fashion show organized by local Haitian-Americans will hit the stage at the Artist for Humanity Epicenter (100 West Second Street in Boston) on Feb. 20 for “Shake the Runway,” an event to benefit the victims of the recent earthquake in Haiti.

Governor Patrick creates "catastrophic leave" program for state workers

Gov. Deval Patrick on Thursday signed an executive order permitting executive branch employees to donate earned vacation and personal leave time to colleagues with relatives in Haiti. The move, supported by Haitian state lawmakers Linda Forry and Marie St.

Scientists study potential for another, larger earthquake

Nathan Hodge at Haiti ReWired posts on alarming reports from seismologists and NASA scientists now studying the Haitian fault line that triggered the Jan. 12 earthquake. Southern California Public Radio looks at same issue today.

Pages