Post earthquake – and the money pouring in to Haiti from good people.

[peacetalksforall]

I have a wish that some of the people who have donated their talent and money to immediate aid to the people of Haiti will come up with the money to do two things.

Both involve some more money to be raised.

. One is to hire people who could go to Haiti to work with the government to ensure that the reconstruction involves Haitians.

. The other is to hire reporters who could provide sincere, uncompromised reports of how the money donated is being spent and if the people who have always been held down are being able to earn and learn.

Are there any Sean Penn’s and Jennifer Lopez’s or people groups or entities who could provide this kind of focused and dedicated follow-up aid?

The country is open to a rip off of the very people everyone of us has in mind when we donate.

Since contractors have probably aligned themselves to go in with their own people while the Haitian people watch and since there is a long history of ignoring the people because they are poor - this fund would address whether or not there could be sustainable help after the doctors and water and food distrubutors have left.

People are donating to the people, not the contractors and not the people at the top who are involved in the banks and money flow.

The key is accountability and the need to not leave the people out - in their own country.

It's about a new kind of aid of donated money and talent that no bureaucrat could turn down - even if part of this aid is to keep an eye on progress and report on it with quality journalism.

This aid is about allowing the people to earn and learn, not just watch outsiders earn.

It' about a fund that would pay journalists to report on all endeavors and results of all the money donated to report on whether the people are being helped in both the short and long term.

If anyone knows of sponsors for this kind of aid, please share with them. It involves some jobs for organizer-consultants and some journalists – and a chance to ensure that the Haitians are not just sitting around watching others do what they could be involved in side-by-side with outsiders. Instead of more of the same. Let the able bodied and willing people earn and learn.

This hurricane could be a turning point, but I guess I feel a focused aid program could do plenty to ensure it. When we who have just gone through a decade of learning about wealth making contracts to outsiders who do things that our soldiers used to do and learn that our government bought and paid for monogrammed towels for our soldiers and that we actually paid money to buy useless protective equipmentthat caused death - to rip-off suppliers and middle money people – it makes sense to suspect that what has been done in this country could easily be done to people who for centuries have been held down - to the bottom.
This is not all about doctors and medicine – water and food - it’s about the long term accountability – and reporting accountability.

Please K & R if you approve of the concept -

[niyad]

1. first k and r

[peacetalksforall]

2. Comments? Potential? Does anyone have connections? Why do we care so much?

[tavalon]

3. Very good ideas

I don't have any connections but you are right, this is the small window of opportunity to genuinely help these people before the leeches get attached.