Bill Quigley: Haiti Still Starving 23 Days Later

Published on Friday, February 5, 2010
by CommonDreams.org

Haiti - Still Starving 23 Days Later
by Bill Quigley

You can walk down many of the streets of Port au Prince and see absolutely no evidence that the world community has helped Haiti.

Twenty-three days after the earthquake jolted Haiti and killed over 200,000 people, as many as a million people have still not received any international food assistance.

On February 4, the UN World Food Program reported they had given at least some food, mostly 55 pound bags of rice, to over a million people. The UN acknowledges that it still needs to reach another one million people. The 55 pounds of rice are expected to provide a two week food ration for a family. Beans and cooking oil are scheduled to come later.

The Associated Press reported that people in Haiti at small protests were holding up banners reading “Help us, we’re starving.” Over a million people are displaced. About 10,000 families are in tents, the rest are living under sheets, blankets and tarps.

One of the people living under a sheet is a brand new mother with her one-day-old baby. The New York Times reports that Rosalie Antoine, 33, and her one day old baby were living in a neighbor’s yard with puppies and chickens under a sheet in the Bel-Air neighborhood of Port au Prince.

Haiti and the United Nations estimate 250,000 children under the age of 7 are living in temporary housing. Most need vaccinations.

Flavia Cherry, of the Caribbean Association for Feminist Research and Action, this week witnessed a pregnant double amputee give birth on the ground in one of the tent camps without any medical assistance at all. “This poor mother had nothing, no milk, no clothing for the baby, nothing!”

Even people who can afford to purchase food are having a difficult time. A 55-pound bag of rice costs 40 percent more today than it did before the earthquake. Dr. Louise Ivers, a Partners in Health physician in Port au Prince, reports a 25 kg (55 pounds) bag of rice that sold for $30 US dollars (1,207 Haitian Gourdes) before the quake, now costs $42 US dollars (1,690 Haitian Gourdes).

The World Food Program reports prices are still rising and people outside the earthquake zone are having difficulty meeting their basic food needs.

Twenty-three days after the quake.

Bill just returned from Haiti. He is Legal Director at the Center for Constitutional Rights. His email is Quigley77@gmail.com

Navajo Council's New Green Economy Commissioners

IGR committee confirms Navajo Green Economy Commissioners
By Navajo Nation Council
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. -- Hon. Lawrence T. Morgan is proud to announce the formation of the first Navajo Green Economy Commission. The five commissioners who have been selected and confirmed by the Intergovernmental Relations Committee include Wahleah Johns, Samuel Woods, Keith Betsuie, Anna Rondon, and LeVon Thomas.
"Each of the Commissioners is highly qualified to carry out the intended goal of creating green jobs on the Navajo Nation," said Speaker Morgan. "Today, there are more opportunities than ever before to move towards the development of a green economy and the creation of green jobs. These Commissioners are passionate about bringing green opportunities to the Nation, and I look forward to the work they will accomplish on behalf of our people."
The Navajo Nation Council became the first American Indian tribe to pass legislation supporting green jobs on tribal lands: Legislation No. 0179-09, enacting the Navajo Nation Green Economy Commission (NGEC) Act of 2009, and Legislation No. 0180-09, enacting the Navajo Green Economy Fund Act of 2009. Both were passed during the summer session of 2009.
"On the same day we were confirmed, President Obama declared that clean energy will be the driver of our economy for the long-term. With enormous solar and wind resources, our Diné can benefit from and lead the way towards this clean energy future," said Johns.
The five Commissioners are tasked with seeking appropriate federal, state, and other funding for the Navajo Nation Green Economy Fund, and networking with local, state, national and international groups to advocate and build Navajo Nation green economy strategies. They will also be working with Navajo Nation divisions and entities to coordinate these efforts and help bring green funding to the programs. The Commission will focus will be on small-scale, community development projects for economic development to empower local communities.
"In the years to come, and as we begin to transition toward more alternative renewable energy forms as a Nation, it is my vision that chapters will be able to sustain their own local green projects, and the Commission will become tasked with coordinating large scale green projects throughout the Navajo Nation," said Speaker Morgan.
The passage of the Navajo Green Economy Commission and the Navajo Green Economy Fund
started with a shared vision. Partnerships with various non-governmental organizations were
instrumental in moving the vision of a green economy forward. The Navajo Green Economy Coalition, which consists of various non-profit organization representatives, garnered 23 Navajo Nation chapter resolutions and two agency resolutions in support of the Navajo Green Economy Legislation and Navajo Green Economy Fund, ultimately helping to turn ideas into legislative action at the Navajo Nation Council level.
"The input, guidance, and expertise from non-governmental organizations will continue to be of incredible worth as we move forward in our planning for a sustainable green economy," said Speaker Morgan. "I want to thank them again for sharing this vision with me."
The Navajo Green Economy Commission has received numerous inquiries since its passage and will begin its work immediately.
"Serving on this commission is a tremendous opportunity to lead the Navajo people to a greener and cleaner energy future," said Thomas. Thomas will serve as the youth representative on the Commission.
"I'm humbled to have been selected to this commission, and I look forward to seeing community-based green economies growing in the near future," said Rondon.
Speaker Morgan believes the concept of 'going green' is not a foreign concept to the Navajo people.
"Our livelihood has always depended on our intrinsic relationship with the land," said Speaker Morgan. "By moving towards a green economy, we will be re-shifting into a way of life that has always reflected our core values as Navajo people."