Happy Hearts - Haiti Observer Blog

The ceremony that was conducted to award the Haitian President, Michel Martelly, was accompanied by demonstrations by Haitians and North Americans. The ceremony that was entitled "Happy Hearts Fund" featured super model Petra Nemcova awarding the president for his "leadership in education", and was taken by the dissenters to be very unfair to the people of Haiti. Over 100 Haitian and North American activists mobilized outside the Cipriani restaurant with only 48 hours' notice, seeking attention for their grievances to be taken seriously.

The issue that was being addressed by the protesters was the question brought to former U.S. President Bill Clinton "Where is the money for reconstruction?" The answer they got was "In whose pocket?" Clinton had the responsibility of giving out the money that was pledged to reconstruct houses and other structures in Haiti after the earthquake that happened four years ago. The only reported action taking was the clearing the rubble from the streets. After the disaster, still over 200,000 people are living in tents despite the pledge to construct houses for them. In fact, only a few people have benefited from the pledge. However, some of the houses are poorly designed and located in unsavory places while others are incomplete.

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