Haiti

The government of Haiti has been keen in the involvement of the population on the proper articulation of its policies that affects citizen. In this concern, last year in the month of September, the government initiated a project dubbed Gouvènmananlakayou, which provides space and avenue for dialogue between the government and the public on how to properly implement its policies and ensure that the benefits are felt by the entire population.

As such, there havebeen plans by different stakeholders, spearheaded by Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe, local elected officials, ministers of government, civil society and community organizations, to discuss these matters. These groups have, therefore, organized the discussion on the 8th output of program Gouvènmananlakayou, which would take place in Anse-à-Veau, in the department of Nippes.

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President Michel Martelly visited Saint-Michel de l'Attalaye (Artibonite) to inaugurate a modern building that will house the Peace Court, the Office of National Identification and the Office of Civil State of this commune. The President has expressed his gratitude to the people who were actively involved in the project including United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). The President has reminded the importance of the roles and the trust people keep on bailiffs, lawyers, clerks and judges who have always remained behind every active judiciary system. The department of justice always plays a pivotal role to maintain peace and harmony within a society.

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Petit-Goâve is a small town of 12,000 residents, located in the Ouest Department, lying 42 miles from Port-au-Prince. When the 2010 earthquake hit, Petit-Goâve suffered serious damage, particularly from an intense aftershock of 5.9 magnitude. Its epicenter was virtually beneath the town.

A week after the January 12th earthquake, military ships coming from Spain and the U.S. arrived with relief aid for Petit-Goâve. In addition, Aid for Haiti, a not-for-profit American relief agency, arranged for temporary medical facilities and personnel to provide services to the community.

The one hospital Petit-Goâve contained was non-functioning in the aftermath of the quake. In response to the crisis, the Norwegian Red Cross sent its Emergency Response Unit to set up a field hospital. It has become a fully functioning medical facility, with two well-equipped surgery rooms, a fleet of ambulances, and emergency medical technicians. The hospitable also receives dependable electricity service.

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On Thursday, April 3, 2014, the City of Marigot, a municipality in the the Jacmel Arrondissement, in the South-East Department of Haiti, has entered into a partnership with the IRADEL (Institute for Research and Support for Local Development) and the Delegation of the European Union in Haiti to launch a project for supporting the development in local areas including the enhancement of the capacity of the local civic authorities and people's access to basic amenities. The City of Marigot as per 2003 Census has an inhabitant of 50,734. Initial funding for the project will be provided by the European Union to the tune of €485,000.
The project has been designed to improve the capacity of the local authority in such a way that it can offer more efficient services to the inhabitants, the level of public services can be improved and different stakeholders involved in the community services can be engaged in the spirit of a participatory management through dialogue. It has aimed to implement five micro projects such as: (a) support for activities related to the breeding of fish, goat and other livestock; (b) rehabilitation of rural roads; (c) protection watersheds; (d) construction of a vocational training center and (e) marketing of agricultural products.

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February 2014 was a good month for the region of Gros Morne and its inhabitants. The proceeds from a charity event held in their honor were delivered to them for use in various projects to be undertaken within the town. The nearly $8,000 worth of donations was procured at a Haiti Benefit Dinner held on February 7 at Damariscotta Mills' St. Patrick's Church. Handing over the proceeds to the town at the end of the month was the Lincoln County Ecumenical Committee.

Present at the handing over was Dean Curran, the committee's co-chair, and the founders of Haiti Benefit Dinner, Frazier and Susan Meade, both hailing from St. Andrew's Church in Newcastle. The group spent two days in the town that can be described as extremely impoverished, visiting the sites to benefit from the proceeds.

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The reconstruction and rehabilitation of 16 neighborhoods of Nerette and Morne Hercule are funded by United Nation (UNOPS, ILO, UNDP and OIM). These neighborhoods were severely damaged in the 2010 earthquake. The rehabilitation project is designed to facilitate five thousand families living in six camps to find their new homes. On March 12, 2014, a delegation team of 'Haiti Reconstruction Fund' visited the project area to collect data for publishing an informative journal with every achievement under the program. Two days later, a team of the Interministerial Committee for Territorial Planning (CIAT) under the first National Urban Forum (held between March 10 and 17) visited the two neighborhoods of Nérette and Morne Hercule in an appraisal attempt on the investment made so far.

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The village of Belloc has a population of approximately 1,500 individuals. The community maintains neither electricity nor paved roads, but has social structures in place such as a head master, a mayor, and a voudou priest. The village is also home to a sugar cane mill that processes raw cane into cane juice this is done by using a gas generator. The juice is then processed, by boiling, into Kleren, a super-strong rum of 100% proof.

The village of Belloc has an excellent water station, which provides potable drinking water in a country where clean water is a precious commodity. Basic sanitary convenience is somewhat absent in many rural areas of Haiti; trips into these area will reveal the fact that water sources are often contaminated through human waste.

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Belmont University, located in Nashville, Tennessee, is a Christian college, which stresses not only academic excellence, but spiritual development. The latter is achieved through community service. The undergraduate programs at the university include a number in the fields of health and medicine.
Belmont is always looking for opportunities to serve in diverse communities around the globe, grow their understanding of different cultures, and apply their skills, talents, and knowledge to better people's lives.

In May 2013, Belmont began partnering with Live Beyond, an assistance organization dedicated to helping people recover from natural disasters. Live Beyond, whose base of operations is in the U.S., is a multi-service program facilitator. It offers a wide range of healthcare, education, and community development services, as well as agricultural and environmental programs. Live Beyond has been working in Haiti since the 2010 earthquake.

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On Saturday, March 22, 2014, The city of Jeremie was in crisis as a major fire erupted in the Historic center.

Despite the attempt of the local Fire Department to control the fire, it did not stop the fire from spreading which consumed several homes in the area.

Coincidentally, the fire took place during a visit by the Martelly-Lamothe Government on the occasion of the program "Gouvènman Lakay ou"

Dife nan Jeremy. Anpil Kay boule nan nan yon Katye istorik Jeremy-an. Malgre effort ponpye, sa pa te ampeche plizye_ kay te boule.

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Reverend Jules Campion of the Our Lady of Fatima Bible Center put on a three-day religious event in the tiny village of Bois Neuf. At the ceremonial site, he and other priests performed a Catholic cleansing ritual, with Voodoo and evangelical components. The gathering was the biggest of its kind Haiti had witnessed in years.

The event began with the Catholic practice of sprinkling holy water over the heads of the crowd. This was followed by exhortations of the priests to cast out evil spirits, as the participants tumbled to the ground, screaming.

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