Submitted by Wright Meyer (not verified) on Mon, 07/30/2007 - 09:58.
Bryan,
There is no question that more can be done to help those Haitians who wish to improve their lives. You are right that Port-au-Prince must be the target. The city is the nerve center of the country and is the barometer by which outsiders perceive the entire country. However, I am not sure that a half-baked surge is the right answer.
Instead, development people should be taking a look at why certain projects worked in the past, why certain projects failed in the past, and how the present-day conditions affect the boilerplates of old projects.
If the recurring problems of the past are not corrected, then the same difficulties will be in place. Why not use your website more intentionally to discuss specifics of what works and what doesn't work? I think that part of that process should include discussing why Haitians are so easily portrayed as irresponsible and why outside organizations are so easily portrayed as irresponsive. The three words in your organization's subtitle "Choice, Partnership, Community" sum it all up. Of course, trying to keep such a forum from descending into a gripe session would be extremely difficult in a blog environment.
Bryan's proposed surge
Bryan,
There is no question that more can be done to help those Haitians who wish to improve their lives. You are right that Port-au-Prince must be the target. The city is the nerve center of the country and is the barometer by which outsiders perceive the entire country. However, I am not sure that a half-baked surge is the right answer.
Instead, development people should be taking a look at why certain projects worked in the past, why certain projects failed in the past, and how the present-day conditions affect the boilerplates of old projects.
If the recurring problems of the past are not corrected, then the same difficulties will be in place. Why not use your website more intentionally to discuss specifics of what works and what doesn't work? I think that part of that process should include discussing why Haitians are so easily portrayed as irresponsible and why outside organizations are so easily portrayed as irresponsive. The three words in your organization's subtitle "Choice, Partnership, Community" sum it all up. Of course, trying to keep such a forum from descending into a gripe session would be extremely difficult in a blog environment.
Good luck!