What's Up Little Haiti

Détails: Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti; Création : 28 mars 2018

Dominican businessmen complaining after mass depart of Haitians.

The border zone was transformed into a ghost town after Haitian migrants, harassed by a group of people after the murder of two Dominicans in the community of Tired Mercedes, left the area.

Big and small shopkeepers are all complaining about the same thing: Business has dropped sharply due to the absence of Haitian migrants who always supported the economy of the region.

Manuel Rufino Medina, of the Association of the fishermen of the Pedernales, declared that there is nothing more to do in the city, because the population depends on trade between Dominicans and Haitians.

The Dominican population does not know what to do to continue to live. Even the sale of fish has seriously slowed down, because people on the ground have no money to buy it.

Here the traders, all what sells edible products, rice, beans, oil, cans of food and all the supermarkets depend on Haitians.

The authorities of Pedernales are afraid that a crime wave will develop in the city because of the lack of jobs, since certain companies began to close their doors.

The Haitians left Pedernales because they were pursued, and made responsible for the murder of two Dominicans.

Sales in Pedernales fell more than 80%.

Why shouldn’t Haiti take advantage of this situation by hiring these people?

The private sector could create enterprises and hire these fellow countrymen who have left the Dominican Republic to return to their country and are in search of employment.

The Court of Appeals cancels Clifford Brandt's judgment

The Court of Appeals of the Republic (Haiti) canceled the judgement to be rendered against Clifford H. Brandt, Carlo Bendel Saint-Fort and Ricot Pierre-Val. It sent the case and the involved individuals back to the Criminal Court of Gonaïves, which doesn’t have a jury, to be judged there.

The accused will remain under arrest, as long as the Court of Gonaïves has not decided on their fate.

The reporter and photographer Vladjimir Legagneur hasn’t been reachable since March 14th

Port-au-Prince, Thursday, March 22nd 2018.- The 2D Kolektif has announced the disappearance of the photo-journalist Vladjimir Legagneur since March 14.

The latter had gone to do some reporting in a neighborhood of Martissant named Grrand Ravine. Since then, he has answered any of the phone calls from his wife and friends.

A missing person report was filed by his wife with the Head office of the Criminal Investigation Department (DCPJ) on Friday, March 16th, 2018. His close friends and relatives are waiting for the preliminary results of the investigation.

Vladjimir Legagneur has been photo-journalist for more than 5 years and collaborated in several printed and online media.

“Reporters Without Borders (RSF) worries about the disappearance of Vladiir Legagneur. It calls upon authorities to lead a thorough investigation on the disappearance of the photo-journalist,” declares Emmanuel Colombié, who is in charge of the Latin American office of the organization. “It is extremely disturbing that, 10 days after its disappearance, the police was able to bring no new element."

Vladjimir Legagneur left his home on March 14th at 9 am and never returned. His wife indicated her disappearance on March 16th with the Head office of the Criminal Investigation Department (DCPJ), which asserts having opened an inquiry. Without news from her husband since then, the wife of the photographer returned in the office of the DCPJ on March 22nd, without obtaining from additional information.

Haiti occupies the 53rd place on 180 countries in the Classification of the freedom of the media established by RSF in 2017.

Daphne Campbell Cette adresse e-mail est protégée contre les robots spammeurs. Vous devez activer le JavaScript pour la visualiser.

SB 382 Signed into Law by Governor Rick Scott on March 23, 2018

(Miami, FL) -Today is a great day for many in Senate District 38. Senate bill 382: Transportation Facility Designations was a bill that was co-introduced by Senator Campbell has been signed into law. This bill honors those individuals who have done exemplary work within the community by providing them with a specific road designation. These individuals and the streets where their names will be placed have been included below for your reference:

Joseph Emmanuel "Manno" Charlemagne Street is designated as the portion of 5th Street between Euclid Avenue and Lenox Avenue in Miami-Dade County. Mr. Charlemagne was a Haitian political folk singer, songwriter and acoustic guitarist, political activist and politician. He recorded his political chansons in both French and in Creole. He took up guitar and singing at the age of 16 where he formed a band. He later organized a youth group and choir in his old neighborhood in Carrefour, Haiti. Mr. Charlemagne died of cancer in Miami Beach, Florida on December 10, 2017 at the age of 69.

Senator Campbell is honored and extremely proud that these deserving individuals will receive this lifetime commemoration for their involvement in the community and for their genuine spirit.

This will become effective July 1, 2018.

Trump didn’t want to give Haiti $11 million for cholera. So Congress found another way

Included in the $1.3 trillion spending package that was passed by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump on Friday, are $10 million to help Haiti fight cholera.

Sen. Patrick Leahy, who unsuccessfully tried to get the Trump administration last year to turn over $11 million in unspent Haiti peacekeeping money to the United Nations’ cholera plan, led the charge on getting the appropriation for small, locally based projects in communities severely impacted by the deadly waterborne epidemic.

The disease has killed more than 9,000 people and sickened more than 1 million since 2010.

“What happened in Haiti was a humanitarian disaster and not something we should walk away from,” said Leahy, a Vermont Democrat and vice chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “The amount we are contributing is small, but it shows that we want to help the families that were the worst affected by the cholera epidemic. It’s not enough to work only on improving access to clean water and sanitation, which we will continue to do.”

(The Miami Herald – Jacqueline Charles)

These Boots Are Made From Old Plastic Bottles Recovered In Haiti

Timberland’s latest man-boots have an interesting backstory. Their canvas-like uppers are recycled from plastic bottles picked up from the beaches of Haiti.

The outdoor apparel brand gets the material from a social impact startup named Thread, which works with about 1,300 bottle pickers in Haiti. Timberland’s four boots, which build on a previous set of Thread-infused products, range from the Men’s 6-inch Canvas(price $150) to the more sporty Newport Bay Thread Canvas Chukka Boots ($75).

Thread breaks down the bottles into flakes, heats up the mixture, then passes it through an extruder, like water passing through a showerhead. It then rolls and bales up the threads, so they can be spun into fabric. The material is like polyester–after all, PET plastic, like polyester, comes from oil.

Colleen Vien, Timberland’s sustainability director, says Thread’s material is a little more expensive than a comparable fabric. But the expense is worth it as it allows the brand to tell a compelling story about the product’s provenance (see the video above featuring three trash-pickers).

Timberland has a long association with Haiti. Working with the Smallholder Farmers Alliance (SFA) and the Clinton Global Initiative, it’s planted millions of trees across the island, helping farmers increase incomes and lay down sustainable seed banks. Recently, it committed to buying organic cotton from Haiti in a unique blockchain-powered project.

“It gives us an opportunity to have a conversation with our consumers that we definitely feel it’s well worth the price,” she says. “We are an outdoor company and customers expect us to do things that minimize our footprint and protect the environment. Improving people’s lives is beyond what’s expected–that’s what gets people’s attention.”BS

TIMBERLAND is Helping Rebuild Haiti’s Cotton Industry

Can using blockchain to verify cotton as organic help revive the industry in Haiti?

Haiti hasn’t grown cotton in decades. Its once-abundant industry collapsed in the 1970s due to government corruption, economic mismanagement, and U.S. embargoes. But now, thanks to a project involving thousands of smallholder farmers, apparel brands like Timberland, and a blockchain network, it could be set for a comeback. Within a few years, if all goes to plan, the island will be supplying millions of pounds of organic cotton for shoes, shirts, and other clothing sold in U.S. stores.

The Blockchain Cotton Project in Haiti is one of several around the world looking to use a distributed digital ledger for supply chain management. The same technology that tracks transactions of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies can also track commodities and products as they leave fields and move through factories and distribution centers. Blockchains have the potential to boost transparency and lower the cost of authenticating the origin of products, particularly those of an organic and fair trade variety, say supply chain experts.

“The promise of blockchain is that we can trace the purchase back to the farmer and the field. That not only increases the visibility of our supply chain but also enables us to share more robust stories with our consumers,” says Atlanta McIlwraith, Timberland’s senior manager for community engagement and relations, in an interview.

The blockchain project is led by the nonprofit Smallholder Farmers Alliance (SFA) and isn’t the first that Timberland has been involved with on the island. Starting in 2010, Timberland, the SFA, and the Clinton Global Initiative started planting millions of trees across 19 nurseries, hoping to avert serious deforestation. They encouraged farmers to tend to the trees by offering “tree currency”: seeds, tools, and training that allow farmers to increase their own yields. The project has doubled household incomes, according to the SFA, and is now self-sustaining without corporate sponsorship. The trees produce enough seeds to create recurring seed banks, as well as food, like moringa, a “superfood” which is sold to a company in California called Kuli Kuli.

In 2015, the SFA and Timberland started exploring the idea of the brand becoming not just a sponsor of Haiti’s agriculture, but also a customer. Cotton was the obvious candidate, as it had been grown there before. “We were thinking about what sustainability looks like for smallholder farmers,” says Hugh Locke, cofounder of the SFA. “They said, ‘you know, it’s been great sponsoring you guys, but what if we became a client?’ We felt that was a better basis for sustainability in the long-run because it creates a market.”

Timberland has committed to meeting up to a third of its global cotton needs from Haiti–2,750 metric tons a year–assuming the project can meet quality and cost targets. The SFA recently planted the first cotton trees using funding from Timberland and Vans, which is part of the same retail group, VF Corporation (Patagonia has also expressed interest in being involved). Better Sourcing Program, a supply chain technology provider, and RCS Global, a supply chain advisory firm, are helping to develop the concept, along with students from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. For now, the project only involves a handful of farmers, but, once ramped up, it could see up to 17,000 onboard within five years, Locke says.

Blockchains create permanent ledgers of transactions as they occur. They are viewable and updatable by multiple parties who join together to ensure the record is accurate. As such, Locke hopes the system will help to cut the cost of certifying Haiti’s cotton as organic–for instance, proving that no pesticides were used during growing and harvesting. Rather than outside inspectors coming in and certifying farms one by one, the system will instead allow farmers to create their own consensus version of the authentication process.

“Most systems for tracking input and outputs, yields and net profit are very expensive and proprietary,” Locke tells Fast Company. “We want something open source. We’re still figuring out how the farmers do the live reporting. But we hope it will replace the normal organic or fair trade certification through a radical transparency approach.”

McIlwraith sees an opportunity in blockchain to improve the way brands talk about their products. She says many consumers want to purchase from companies that take a stand on social issues like ethical sourcing. Blockchains can open up supply chains and potentially take consumers down to the farmer level, by proving products have arrived in-store as advertised.

“Consumers want to purchase from brands that they trust and one of the things that helps build that trust with consumers is this transparency and the ability to tell stories about your product that aren’t just fizzle,” McIlwraith says. “They want real stories about real people and this helps make our products more relatable.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ben Schiller is a New York staff writer for Fast Company. Previously, he edited a European management magazine and was a reporter in San Francisco, Prague, and Brussels.

Détails: Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti; Création : 4 avril 2018

Haiti police find partial human remains in area where journalist disappeared

BY JACQUELINE CHARLES

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March 29, 2018 09:49 AM

Updated March 29, 2018 07:52 PM

Haiti police are investigating whether part of a body found in an area where a freelance Haitian photojournalist disappeared March 14 are those of Vladjimir Legagneur, 30.

Police spokesman Frantz Lerebours said the mangled partial remains were discovered Wednesday, along with a hat, after Police Chief Michel-Ange Gédéon ordered police to run an operation into Grand Ravine, the gang-controlled neighborhood in Port-au-Prince where Legagneur was last seen as he worked on an independent project.

“It’s the DNA [test] that will say for sure if it is him,” said Lerebours, adding that a motorcycle taxi driver who drove the victim was also killed.

On the morning of March 14, Legagneur told his wife, Fleurette Guerrier, that he was headed to the teeming slum to meet someone as part of an independent photo assignment. A freelancer who worked for several Haitian media outlets, Legagneur “really loved taking photos and he was passionate about it,” Guerrier, 31, said.

“It wasn’t about the money,” she said. “He always seized every opportunity he could to take a photo.”

A police source said they know Legagneur stopped in at a nearby police station before entering Grand Ravine, where gang members keep a close eye on people coming into and leaving the area.

In November, Grand Ravine was the scene of a deadly police raid in which two police officers and several civilians died. The deaths have raised questions about what happened during the anti-gang operation. Gang members have remained suspicious of outsiders, and police have been reluctant to go in. Even United Nations peacekeepers, before their withdrawal from Haiti in October, often steered clear of the community.

An internal police investigation was ordered into the raid, and the Port-au-Prince police director, Alain Auguste, who ordered the operation, was replaced. The United Nations Mission for Justice Support in Haiti, which supported the raid and condemned the violence afterward, has called for a judicial inquiry into the police shootings and alleged human rights violations.

On Wednesday, hundreds of journalists wearing white and holding placards took to the streets of Port-au-Prince to denounce the passivity of Haitian authorities after Legagneur’s disappearance.

Guerrier, who filed an official complaint with the chief prosecutor’s office after the march, said she filed a missing person’s report with Haiti’s investigative police unit on March 16 after spending two days searching “local hospitals, police stations and the morgue” for her husband. She said she did not hear back from police, who in a press conference on Wednesday guaranteed reporters “that we will shed light on this case.”

“There are no no-go zones,” Gédéon, the police chief, declared in a tweet. “In the days coming, Grand Ravine will be emptied of its bandits and accessible to all.”

The lack of an outcry by Haitian authorities over Legagneur’s disappearance and silence of police investigators and the chief prosecutor’s office led Haiti-based journalists to ask for help on Guerrier’s behalf from press freedom organizations such as Reporters Without Borders and the Committee to Protect Journalists. The journalists also took to Facebook and Twitter with the French hashtag #OuEstVladjimir, or WhereIsVladjimir.

A number of foreign journalists on Wednesday, from France to Latin America, also showed solidarity with their Haitian colleagues by posting photos on Twitter of themselves holding up a photo of Legagneur with the French hashtag. That same day, the Committee to Project Journalists issued a statement urging Haitian authorities to “do everything possible to locate...Legagneur and conduct a full and transparent investigation into his disappearance.”

Haiti journalist Liliane Pierre-Paul, co-founder of Haiti’s Radio Kiskeya, was among the prominent personalities who joined the marchers. She said Legagneur’s disappearance was a reminder of Haiti’s fragile democracy and “of all the journalists who never found justice, who were assassinated, those whose bodies were found and whose bodies were never found.”

“These incidents are like a scar that never goes away,” Pierre-Paul said.

Haiti installs leaders of reborn army

AFP•March 27, 2018

Port-au-Prince (AFP) - Haitian President Jovenel Moise on Tuesday installed the leaders of his country's army, a symbolic step in the impoverished Caribbean country's reformation of a military demobilized 23 years ago after decades of coups and political interference.

Human rights activists have criticized the choice of the general and five colonels who will lead the army, as they are members of the old guard.

One of the colonels stands accused of extrajudicial killings of civilians in 1994, during military rule.

"This is not an emotional or a partisan act, aimed at pleasing one political camp or group -- this is an act of state, one that is patriotic and inclusive," Moise said at an installation ceremony.

Haiti's armed forces, dissolved in 1995 by then-president Jean-Bertrand Aristide, were reborn in 2015 under the leader at the time, Michel Martelly.

The country's army, currently at 150 soldiers, was trained in Ecuador.

When he took office a year ago, Moise made the restoration of the military a priority, especially as the UN pulled its peacekeepers out in October 2017.

Faced with concerns about the military's intent, and the possibility that abuses could recur, the government has been at pains to reassure the population that the military is needed.

"Today, Haiti's armed forces are a powerful tool in crisis and disaster management for a country that is constantly confronted by natural catastrophes," said Defense Minister Herve Denis.

Additional soldiers were recruited beginning in summer 2017, but the process has stalled after hundreds between the ages of 18 and 25 signed up.

Haiti hopes eventually to field an army of 3,000-5,000 soldiers.

The funding of the military raised eyebrows both at home and abroad, given that the defense ministry's entire budget stands at 6.3 million euros ($7.8 million).

The military brass will return to their old headquarters in the heart of Port-au-Prince, facing the presidential palace. The building had been used by the culture ministry, which now needs a new home.

Haiti 2018 Crime & Safety Report

U.S. Discourages American Citizens from visiting Haiti

The U.S. Department released a report on March 28 warning against possible risks when traveling to Haiti. According to the current U.S. Department of State Travel Advisory at the date of this report’s publication, Haiti has been assessed as Level 3: reconsider travel.

Overall Crime and Safety Situation

U.S. Embassy Port-au-Prince does not assume responsibility for the professional ability or integrity of the persons or firms appearing in this report. The ACS Unit cannot recommend a particular individual or location and assumes no responsibility for the quality of service provided.

The U.S. Department of State has assessed Port-au-Prince as being a CRITICIAL-threat location for crime directed at or affecting official U.S. government interests.

Haiti is unique in the Caribbean for its relative lack of tourism, scarcity of foreign investment, and poor infrastructure.

Crime Threats

Crime statistics in Haiti are hard to verify, and they should be considered as uncorroborated when assessing the threat from criminal activity. This lack of reliable data makes it difficult to compare the crime threat in Haiti with other countries in the region, and comparisons of reported statistics should be avoided.

Traditional tourist-oriented crimes (pickpocketing, purse snatching) are less frequently reported than elsewhere in the region. This results from both a lack of tourism and underreporting.

The most frequently reported crimes against U.S. citizens in Port-au-Prince are aggravated assaults and robberies. A typical mugging in Port-au-Prince involves a group of young males who surrounds and overwhelms a victim in a public area. Reports of robberies of Haitian-Americans appear to increase around holiday seasons, but that appears to correlate with an overall increase in visitor traffic. Armed robberies against motorists/pedestrians remain a serious concern and have increased dramatically since the departure of UN Security Forces in October 2017. In recent years, many people have been robbed en route from Toussaint L’Ouverture airport. Banks continue to be a frequent location for armed robberies. Motorcycle-mounted assailants frequently follow their victim a short distance and rob them in a less public area. Shootings during these incidents are common.

Vehicle break-ins and thefts from vehicles, occupied or empty, occur frequently. Unattended vehicles with visible valuables are subject to break-ins. There have also been reports of pedestrians opening unlocked doors of idling vehicles and snatching valuables.

Violent crime appears to remain predominantly gang and/or robbery-related. Robberies are most common in Port-au-Prince and affect affluent areas frequented by visitors (Petionville). Gang-related violent crime was centralized in specific areas of Port-au-Prince (Cité Soleil, Carrefour, Martissant), none of which are traditional tourist/business areas; however, criminal gangs have expanded or at least shifted their operations to more affluent areas frequented by visitors (Petionville).

Homicides continue to be a major concern. In 2017, there were 890 reported homicides, with 79% occurring in Port-au-Prince. (Statistics are grossly underreported by the government of Haiti, and with the departure of United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), statistics are considered unreliable.)

Residential theft (burglaries, home invasions) trends over the past few years have suggested a decline in traditional criminal burglary and a rise in home invasions. There was a continuation of home invasions in the more affluent areas of upper Port-au-Prince in 2015, 2016, and 2017. The bulk occurred in middle-class neighborhoods (Delmas 75, Delmas 83, Laboul, and Pelerin) outside the traditional expatriate residential areas. Assailants have little fear of resistance from residents and do not appear to consider whether a residence is occupied. Criminals are not reluctant to use violence; however, the vast majority will brandish a firearm/weapon, fire it randomly, tie up their victim(s), and abscond with currency or a vehicle. Criminals do not seem overly concerned with police response, as they know none will be dispatched quickly.

Other Areas of Concern

Cite Soleil remains an area of particular difficultly for Haitian National Police (HNP) forces to rein in. Other areas of concern include Belair, Carrefour, Fort National, Simon Pele, Martissant, and Grand Ravine.

A Young Haitian is selected as a World Fellow by Yale University

Ralph François, a young Haitian sociologist who later became an IT programmer, is one of 16 professionals worldwide to have been selected as a World Fellow by Yale University.

Since 2016, along his colleague Daphné Charles, Ralph created COCREAD, an entrepreneurial incubator in a disadvantaged district of Capané Vert. The main mission of COCREAD is to support entrepreneurship within the Community of Vila Rosa and also to provide technology training to girls. Currently two arts and craft organizations are incubated and seven girls from the area are receiving training in IT programming including practical sessions around artificial intelligence and robotics.

Aware of the huge opportunity this represents François wants to reap the most out of it. Besides the 4 months which he will spend on the campus of Yale University to learn and to network, he will also have the task of mentoring students on social entrepreneurship. "I am frankly pleasantly surprised to have been selected. Generally the beneficiaries of this scholarship are connected with big organizations. Cocread is a rather young initiative,” he explained.

The cohort of 16 men and women who have been selected as 2018 World Fellows brings the total number of World Fellows since the program’s start in 2002 to 327 Fellows, representing 90 countries. This year marks the 17^th cohort of World Fellows.

“I am honored to announce the 2018 World Fellows,” said Emma Sky, director of the Maurice R. Greenberg World Fellows Program. “The talent, bravery, and resilience of these individuals is quite extraordinary. They are amazing role models for Yale students.”

The World Fellows program is Yale University’s signature global leadership development initiative and a core element of Yale’s ongoing commitment to internationalization. Each year, the University invites a group of exemplary mid-career professionals from a wide range of fields and countries for an intensive four-month period of academic enrichment and leadership training.

“I am thrilled to welcome the seventeenth class of World Fellows to campus,” said Yale President Peter Salovey. “These remarkable leaders and innovators bring immense expertise and insights to our university. While they are on campus, they contribute to our academic excellence through teaching, scholarship, and research, and they improve our community by participating in public service. Although they are on campus for four months, they remain engaged with Yale faculty, staff, and students long after the fellowship ends. They continue to be ambassadors for Yale and share our mission to improve the world today and for future generations.”

The mission of World Fellows is to cultivate and empower a network of globally engaged leaders committed to making the world a better place. The program is part of the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs, which prepares Yale students for global leadership and service through its master’s program in global affairs, master of advanced study in global affairs and undergraduate major in global affairs.

Candidacy for the 2018 International Writing Program (IWP) Fall Residency …

The Embassy of the United States is pleased to announce a call for candidacy for the 2018 International Writing Program (IWP) Fall Residency, which is scheduled to be hosted by the University of Iowa from August 18 -November 6, 2018. The IWP brings approximately 35 emerging and recognized writers from around the world to Iowa City for an intensive 12-week cultural exchange.

------------------------------------------------------------------

IWP FALL RESIDENCY PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

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2. (U) IWP was founded in 1967 and is the most prestigious program of its kind in the United States. The University of Iowa is also home to the world-renowned Iowa Writers’ Workshop, and in 2008 Iowa City was designated the first UNESCO City of Literature in the United States. Two IWP alumni – Orhan Pamuk of Turkey and Mo Yan of China – have received the Nobel Prize in Literature.

3. (U) The Fall Residency convenes emerging and recognized writers from around the world for an intensive 12-week program designed to spur creativity, support professional development, and promote freedom of expression. The 2018 Fall Residency is scheduled to take place from August 18-November 6.

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SELECTION PROCESS

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4. (U) The IWP is open to established and emerging writers working primarily in the genres of fiction, creative non-fiction, screenwriting, drama, and poetry. Except in extraordinary cases, candidates should have at least one published volume of work or have works appearing in significant publications over a period of at least two years. Candidates must be fluent in English, comfortable with cross-cultural dynamics, and eager to engage with other writers from diverse cultures. Candidates must be adults between the age of 21 and 65, non-U.S. citizens who are able to travel to the United States and stay for the full 12 weeks. Family members and others are not allowed to accompany the writers during the Fall Residency.

5. (U) The deadline to submit your candidacy is April 6, 2018. Please provide a literary-focused CV and a representative writing sample in English (original or translated). A standard sample will contain 10-15 pages of clearly formatted material. Please also provide biographical information and a justification of why you should be selected.

6. Your application to participate in this program should be sent by email to the following addresses:

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Nathalie Gardère

Director, American Center Port-au-Prince

Public Affairs Section

U.S. Embassy Port-au-Prince

Your key to information

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(Office) +509.2229.8342

Police: Delray Beach, Florida man kills wife, sister-in-law and himself in shooting

A Delray Beach, Florida neighbor tells WPBF 25 News she never expected to wake up Sunday morning and find out her neighbor shot and killed his wife, sister-in-law, and himself.

"It just hurts my heart. My heart goes out to the family, especially the kids," said neighbor Pearlie McMiller.

The double murder-suicide happened just before 6am at a home on NW 13th Ave.

"An adult male in the house killed two adult females and then killed himself," said Dani Moschela, Delray Beach Police spokeswoman.

Detectives said Julien Techeler Rosemberg shot and killed his wife Pierrena and her sister Lourdine Cazeau.

Police then said he walked outside to the backyard of the home and turned the gun on himself.

"When I was walking I saw this lady laying in the door. A there's a guy laying across the field back there," said McMiller.

Investigators said there were four children between the ages of five inside the home, but thankfully none of them were injured.

Unfortunately, police said the frightened children were forced to run past bodies for safety.

Neighbors are now reminiscing on memories they shared with the kids.

"I'm going to miss them kids. On my day off, it would look forward to seeing them playing around, having fun," said neighbor Reginald Griffin.

Police said the Department of Children and Families have been notified and the children are in the custody of family.

"I know its going to be a tough fight after what went on this morning, but God is good. So, I just hope this doesn't affect those kids life in the future," said Griffin.

Detectives said there were no reports or calls from the home related to violence.

Détails: Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti; Création : 19 avril 2018

Haiti is proudly represented in the official video of the 2018 FIFA World Cup

Last Thursday: Jason Derulo released the music video for his track "Colors" which is the anthem for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The video proudly begins with aerial views of The Citadelle Laferriére, and continues with countless images of Haitian dancers, the Haitian flag and a special cameo of Wyclef Jean.

The new clip was a double homecoming for Derulo as it was filmed at The Citadelle Laferriére (a mountaintop fortress located in the north of his homeland of Haiti) and Miami, the city where he was raised.

Jason had this to say, "As the lyrics say, 'There's beauty in the unity we've found.' We're inundated everyday with negative news and it's hard to remain positive. That's why it's more important than ever to unite with people in your community to try and make a difference.

"As a Haitian-American, I've become more and more invested in giving back to where my family is from. To that extent, this song is a bit of a launch of plans that I am excited to reveal soon..."

It is now confirmed that the visit made in Haiti last March by the Coca Cola spokesperson within the framework of shooting clips of the official song of the 2018 World Cup 2018, was not a decoy. Throughout the 3 minutes 49 second video, filled with colors, performances, and flags - in sign of a celebration of the diversity-, the audience gets a unique opportunity to discover the Citadelle – a masterpiece built by King Henry Christophe.

The Haitian flag is also featured prominently in the video. Jason Derulo raises proudly while he pronounces the words: "Show your true colors - show your real colors," as if to claim his real Haitian origins.

Acting Secretary Sullivan’s Meeting With Haitian President Jovenel Moise

Acting Secretary of State John J. Sullivan met with Haitian President Jovenel Moise on April 13, 2018 on the margins of the Summit of the Americas in Lima, Peru to discuss security and economic growth in Haiti, as well as democracy in the region.

Acting Secretary Sullivan thanked President Moise for his leadership as Chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and urged consensus within the organization to promote and defend democracy. The Acting Secretary and President Moise also discussed the importance of continued support for the Haitian National Police.

The two leaders agreed that Haiti and its partners should increase efforts to improve the investment climate in Haiti to create jobs for Haitians and increase economic prosperity.

Haiti launches campaign to vaccinate over 2 million children against diphtheria, with PAHO support

REPORT

from Pan American Health Organization

Published on 03 Apr 2018

Port-au-Prince, 10 April 2018 (PAHO/WHO) - In the coming weeks, more than 2.3 million Haitian children between the ages of 1 and 14 are expected to be vaccinated against diphtheria, a bacterial infection that causes throat inflammation and difficulty breathing and that in severe cases can lead to death.

The diphtheria vaccination campaign was launched in mid March by Haiti’s Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP) with support from the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), UNICEF and other partners.In this first phase, campaign activities are focused on 27 communes in eight departments (Artibonite, Center, Nippes, Nord, Nord-Est, Nord-Ouest, Sud and Sud-Est). According to a preliminary report, around 1 million children ages 1 to 14 were vaccinated.

On April 8, a similar campaign is slated to begin in Haiti’s Ouest department, the most populated in the country, and will seek to reach more than 1.2 million children ages 1 to 14.

“The ministry has decided to conduct a campaign in 40 communes where diphtheria has been confirmed or is suspected,” said Laurent Adriane, MSPP Director General. “Making vaccines available is the goal of the Ministry of Health and its main partners, such as PAHO/WHO and UNICEF.”

Since the beginning of this year, Haiti has reported 14 confirmed cases of diphtheria and 48 probable cases. Children under 15 are the most affected, and nearly half of the confirmed and probable cases were not vaccinated. During this period there have been six deaths among the probable cases and one among the confirmed cases.

“This vaccination campaign seeks to reach all those children who have not received the essential vaccines to be protected against diphtheria,” said PAHO/WHO Representative in Haiti Luis Codina. “This is also the largest preventive vaccination campaign in the country since 2016, when similar efforts were made towards the elimination of measles and rubella.”

PAHO/WHO is collaborating with Haiti in the response to the diphtheria outbreak with technical and financial support of the operational costs of the vaccination campaign.Vaccines against diphtheria and immunization supplies are being acquired through the PAHO Revolving Fund, a pooled procurement mechanism that allows countries in the region to purchase vaccines at affordable prices. Support is also being provided for purchases of diphtheria antitoxin to treat cases, and antibiotics for cases and contacts.

To carry out this campaign, more than 6,300 vaccinators have been mobilized, organized in 3,181 vaccination teams. They were trained by departmental and national supervisors, with the support of PAHO/WHO experts. Local supervision and independent monitoring of vaccination coverage will take place during and after the campaign) to ensure the technical quality of the campaign.

US joins the Haitian National Police to open the police substation in Diegue

April 13, 2018 -- The community of Diegue gathered today to open a new police sub-station, financed with the support of the U.S. Embassy’s Office of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. U.S. Ambassador Sison shared, “I am proud to celebrate with Diegue as you build a strong and safe community,” emphasizing the importance of security and community policing to the ability of communities to prosper economically.

Senator Antonio Cheramy, Haitian National Police West Department Director Berson Soljour, Commissaire Jean Gospel, the Mairie of Petionville, CASEC, ADIPOD, and many others from the Diegue community attended the event. The new police sub-station will host ten police officers assigned to the community. This new facility cost $105,400 to construct and is located on property donated by the local community.

The United States has provided more than $250 million in assistance to the HNP since 2010. This includes more than $60 million in infrastructure projects in Port-au-Prince such as the Vivy Michel, Martissant, Habitation Leclerc, Grand Ravine, Cite Soleil, and refurbishment of the Portail Leogane Commissariat. U.S. support to the Haitian National Police extends beyond construction projects, however. American police experts support with technical training and assistance to fight drug trafficking, support community policing, support correctional services, and work with the principal directors of the police towards the goal of strengthening administrative and management systems.

The United States has been an important partner of the Haitian National Police for over 20 years.

New Mission in Haiti Preparing Transition from Peacekeeping to Development Role, Under-Secretary-General Tells Security Council Ahead of Mandate Renewal

REPORT

With the United Nations Mission for Justice Support in Haiti (MINUJUSTH) fully operational, preparations have already begun for that follow-up peacekeeping operation to make way for a new United Nations presence by the end of 2019 that would focus on the Caribbean nation’s long-term sustainable development, the Organization’s top peacekeeping official told the Security Council today.

Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, introduced the Secretary-General’s latest report on the Mission ahead of its decision on renewing its current mandate, which expires on 15 April. Included in that document was a list of 11 benchmarks for an exit strategy for MINUJUSTH, which the Council established through resolution 2350 (2017) as a successor to the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH).

Briefing the Council, he reviewed the progress the Mission had made so far in fulfilling its mandate to assist the Government of Haiti to strengthen rule of law institutions, to support and develop the Haitian National Police, and to carry out human rights monitoring, reporting and analysis.

“While achieving results should remain our common priority, we have already started to prepare for a transition to a non-peacekeeping presence, based on lessons learned in Haiti and in other contexts,” he said, explaining that a transition strategy was being drawn up — in consultation with the Government — that would build on existing United Nations-wide instruments, such as the United Nations Development Assistance Framework.

He said he was strongly encouraged by the willingness of and efforts by Haitian President Jovenel Moïse and his Government to create a climate for change. In that regard, he welcomed the President’s priorities on State reform and the maintenance of political and social stability, adding that the United Nations stood ready to support the Government in devising a clear road map for reforms, taking into account the Mission’s capacities on the ground.

“We have many reasons to be optimistic that this path to progress is irreversible, while we need to jointly — Haiti, the United Nations, international and regional partners — continue investing in the success of the country and United Nations engagement in it,” he said.

In the ensuing discussion, Haiti’s representative said his was a country of peace, with democracy being consolidated, institutions established under the Constitution functioning in a regular manner and human rights being respected and upheld. He reported progress in such areas as security, good governance and respect for the rule of law, and underscored a significant drop in violent crime. That said, he acknowledged that the Government was fully aware of progress yet to be made, having inherited the consequences of decades of neglect, structural handicaps and bottlenecks that would have to be tackled over the long term.

He said his Government had taken note of the Secretary-General’s withdrawal strategy for the Mission, but emphasized that nothing would be possible without scrupulous adherence to reciprocal obligations and a genuine spirit of solidarity, mutual respect and trust. He added that Haiti welcomed the Secretary-General’s initiative on cholera, although the $7.7 million raised so far for the United Nations Haiti Cholera Response Multi-Partner Trust Fund was woefully insufficient, and called for goodwill and predictable funding to ensure just compensation to cholera victims, their loved ones and others.

Canada’s representative, speaking on behalf of the Group of Friends of Haiti, said structural reforms must address such challenges as prolonged pretrial detention and prison overcrowding, sexual and gender-based violence, greater women’s participation in decision-making, reforming and strengthening of the justice sector and enhancing social services. The Group welcomed steps taken by the Haitian Government towards greater security, stability and prosperity, and recommended that the Council extend the Mission’s mandate for another year with no changes to its level of resources.

The representative of the United States said Haitians themselves were taking the lead when it came to security and law enforcement. When peacekeeping worked well, countries could develop their own capacities to protect their citizens and put in place their own political processes. Welcoming the benchmarked exit strategy for MINUJUSTH, she said the United States was a long-standing friend and partner of Haiti — one that would continue to support its security priorities as well as its political and democratic development.

Chile’s representative was among several non-Council members from Latin America to take the floor, saying the international community should not lose sight of what had been achieved. The Mission could only consolidate progress made by closely cooperating with all national actors and through the active involvement of the international community, she said. Welcoming a significant reduction in cholera transmissions and fatalities, she applauded consultations with civil society, local leaders and cholera victims with a view towards addressing the scourge.

Also speaking this morning were representatives of Bolivia, Netherlands, Equatorial Guinea, Poland, Ethiopia, Côte d’Ivoire, Kuwait, China, United Kingdom, France, Sweden, Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, Peru, Argentina, Brazil and Colombia, as well as the European Union.

How Haiti is Making Some of the Best Rum on Earth

Rum culture may be a mainstay throughout the Caribbean, but one of the most overlooked countries in spirits, Haiti, is making a sugarcane spirit called clairin that's unlike any rum you’ve tasted.

Many people still view rum through the lens of the dark, rich and sweet offerings of decades past. But clairin, a traditional rum made in Haiti, showcases the spirit in its most essential, and some say, finest form. And it’s finally making the leap to the United States.

A regional spirit unregulated in its home country, clairin occupies a distinct, terroir-driven space in the rum spectrum. It even stands apart from better-known sugarcane distillates like rhum agricole or Brazilian cachaça.

Rum’s place in Caribbean culture is well known, but little is said about Haitian bottlings, despite the country housing more than 500 local distilleries—arguably more than any other country in the region. This booming DIY distilling scene makes Haiti home to some of the most diverse rum production in the world.

These hundreds of distilleries are called guildive in Haiti’s native Creole. It’s a French adaptation of “kill-devil,” an early colonial slang for rum. Guildives are small, rustic and run without electricity producing enough rum to serve their immediate village and not much more.

“The person with the most money in the neighborhood [owns] the guildive, producing clairin with a donkey pressing the cane juice that goes into wild fermentation,” says Garcelle Menos, account manager for spiced-clairin brand Boukman. “Most of the time, they’re a combination of column and pot stills, very small columns and very small pots.”

To make clairin, sugarcane is hand-harvested and carted by animals to the press. The resulting juice is moved to tanks where it ferments spontaneously. While there is no certification, clairin is largely organic simply because there is no industrialized farming or pesticides used in these remote villages. Low-yield varieties of sugarcane like crystalline and Madame Meuze, long ignored by industrial producers, are still planted and favored by local distillers for their concentrated flavor.

Published on April 12, 2018

TOPICS: Spirited Away

About 15 000 Haitian migrants have been repatriated on the Haiti-Dominican border so far this year

Published 2018-04-13 ¦ Le Nouvelliste

The wave of Haitians' repatriation living in irregular situations on the other side of the border continues. For the first three months of this year, no less than 14,782 cases of Haitians' repatriation were listed at official and unofficial border points. Among these repatriates, 56 were unaccompanied minors who were found in Malpasse and in Cornillon/virgin forest (West), said the Group of support for the repatriates and for the refugees (GARR).

A number of these repatriated people, pointed out GARR, "denounced the ill-treatment which they received from the Dominican authorities" before they were taken to the border. The repatriated immigrants declared they lived between three months and ten years in Dominican Republic. They lived for the greater part to Barahona, Tired Matas, San Juan, Santo Domingo.

Some of these migrants also undergone other blatant violation of their rights. Some of them assert having been locked into a bus which shuttled in the streets of the Dominican Republic in search of other Haitians. They were then led in a prison center and kept for more than three nights in inhuman conditions.

GARR also recounted that the border points which had most influx. Ouanaminthe/Dajabon (Northeast) is the official border point having welcomed the largest number of repatriates with a total of 6,893. The border Carisal/Comendador, Belladère comes in the second place with 5,989 repatriates. The official border point Anse-à-Pitre/Pedernales (southeast) welcomed more than 1,500 repatriates. Malpasse/Jimani with 290 repatriated people and Cornillon/virgin forest with a total of 110 people came in last.

Détails: Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti; Création : 3 mai 2018

Some Little Haiti businesses have a new landlord: a developer who wants them out

BY RENE RODRIGUEZ

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April 27, 2018 05:30 PM

Dozens of business owners in Little Haiti are facing the reality that they will have to close their shops. River Esquinas LLC, the company owned by Thomas Conway, is evicting the longtime tenants of two strip malls near Northeast 82nd Street and Second Avenue, which Conway purchased in March — even though the tenants say they all payed their rent on time.

Some of the businesses — which include a tuxedo shop, clothing store, tax and immigration services and restaurants — have been in business as long as 30 years. But because they are operating on month-to-month leases, Florida law allows the landlord to terminate their tenancy with only 15 days' notice.

The eviction is the latest clash between longtime residents of Little Haiti and real estate developers who are scooping up land in the area, betting that the development in nearby Wynwood and Edgewater will spill northward into the economically-deprived neighborhood.

"Little Haiti used to be a blighted, depressed area in the 1970s and 80s," said Marleine Bastien, executive director of the Family Action Network Movement (FANM), an advocacy group for immigrants and low-income families. "Little Haiti is now a very diverse, thriving, wonderful neighborhood built by Haitian immigrants out of sheer resilience and determination. Now several years later, developers are coming from left and right, displacing those immigrants who built this community, displacing businesses and forcing them out."

According to court documents, Conway has initiated eviction or termination of tenancy proceedings on 13 of the 15 businesses at 8200 NE Second Ave. and 201 NE 82nd St. The two unaffected businesses — a Metro PCS franchise and the art/design furniture store The Empty Apartment — both moved into their location in 2017 and have two-year leases.

Last Thursday, FANM organized a press conference, where 35 owners and employees from the affected businesses announced a series of demands: A six to 12-month stay of the eviction notices to allow the shop owners time to relocate, a commitment for the right to return once the buildings have been renovated, and equal treatment for all Haitian business owners.

"We're demanding a lot, but we deserve a lot," said Cartine Vilson, community organizer for FANM. "We Haitians deserve the right thing. We are asking for help. We have a voice and we need people to hear us."

Conway, who keeps an office at the Made at the Citadel co-working space a half-block away from the two malls, did not respond to repeated requests from the Herald for comment.

Government officials have not met with the store owners, according to Bastien.

The group says it has called on Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, District Five city commissioner Keon Hardemon and the Miami City Commission to help them secure new spaces for their businesses. Bastien said that the group has been requesting a meeting with Hardemon "for weeks," without response. She said Mayor Suarez had replied to the group's plea but a meeting has not yet been set.

In an email to the Herald, District Five executive assistant Kiara Garland stated that Hardemon's office is unaware of any conflict between the business owners and Conway.

According to public records from the Miami-Dade County Property Appraiser's Office, Conway bought the 30,000-square-foot strip mall at 201 NE 82nd St. in March for $6.2 million under the corporation River Esquinas LLC. The sale of the 51,000-square-foot lot at 8200 NE Second Ave. has not yet been recorded, but the website RealtyTrac shows the property was sold in March for $6.25 million.

The impacted business owners say Conway wants them out because they are longtime tenants who pay lower rents for spaces that have not been renovated. Marie Jeannine Desir, who owns the clothing store Jeannine Variety Store Plus, pays $1,800 per month in rent for her shop, which she has run for 11 years.

"I don't have a husband: This business is what I pay my bills with," Desir said. "The developer told us he needs everybody out because he wants to rebuild the place. He's already brought people to look at the buildings. I need help. This is the only place I have."

Rene Rodriguez: 305-376-3611, @ReneMiamiHerald

U.S. Ambassador Highlights U.S. Government Partnership

with Haiti in the South Department

Les Cayes, April 27, 2018 - United States Ambassador to Haiti Michele J. Sison traveled to the South Department this week to observe firsthand how the United States is working with Haiti to strengthen government institutions, increase economic opportunity, improve health and education, and advance security and stability.

Highlighting priorities of good governance, the role of civil society, and providing support to Haitian security, Ambassador Sison met with key Haitian leaders during her trip, including Haitian National Police Nippes Department Director, Commissaire Divisionnaire Ludwige Bertrand, who graduated from the Inter-American Defense College (IADC) with support from the U.S. Department of State's INL Bureau; the President of the Cayes Municipal Council, Gabriel Fortuné; and Cardinal Chibly Langlois, the highest-ranking member of the Catholic Church in Haiti as well as local community and civil society leaders.

The Ambassador explored major U.S. Government investments in Haiti's development and resilience, visiting the FINCA Health Center, where the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) support integrated health services including vaccinations, nutrition, HIV care, and pre-and post-natal care to approximately 25,000 people in Les Cayes. She also visited Les Cayes' Emergency Operation Center with Dr. Jerry Chandler, one of 10 disaster preparedness centers across Haiti led by the Haitian Directorate for Civil Protection with support from USAID, the U.S. Forest Service, and the U.S. Department of Defense.

At the Haitian National Coast Guard Base, the Ambassador delivered remarks highlighting ongoing cooperation between the U.S. State Department (INL), the U.S. Coast Guard, and Haiti's Joint Maritime Task Force to strengthen maritime security and combat maritime narcotics trafficking. She also visited the Les Cayes office of Haiti's Tax Directorate, where USAID has supported the Government of Haiti with improved technologies to increase tax revenue that can be used to better serve the Haitian people.

Ambassador Sison toured Ecole Nationale Remy Zamor and donated books to the students and teachers, who received resiliency training through a partnership between USAID and UNICEF after Hurricane Matthew in 2016. She then traveled to Coteaux to see a microgrid supported by USAID and the United Nations Environment Program and highlight U.S. Government commitment to helping the Government of Haiti expand electricity access. While in Coteaux, the Ambassador met with local communities that sustained significant damage from Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and have rebuilt and created safer homes as well as community-based disaster response protocols with support from USAID and Catholic Relief Services. She also toured the impressive Botanical Gardens of Les Cayes with Agronomist William Cinea, a U.S. exchange alumnus.

She concludes her time in the region launching TechCamp Okay, a public-private initiative that gathered more than 30 entrepreneurs from the region and offered the opportunity to engage in hands-on capacity building and networking with the region's leading government, academic, civil society, and business experts. The TechCamp Okay program is themed "Entrepreneurship: Adapt, Empower, and Measure." All are encouraged to engage in the TechCamp conversation on Twitter April 27 - 29 using #TechCampOkay.

DJ Michael Brun wants to restore pride in Haiti

AFP

The Haitian DJ Michael Brun has participated in some of the biggest music festivals and his songs have been heard and streamed millions of times. But for him, this fast ascent is only the introduction of his new creation.

The 25-year-old young man abandoned the electronic music which made him a success for the sounds of his native Haiti, seeking to rediscover the prestige of this small Caribbean nation, which is generally in the headlines because of disasters.

His new song title, "Bayo" (Give, in Haitian Creole), offers a lively melody inspired by rara, the music of the Haitian carnival, with a suspicion of African rhythms and a dose of electronics.

His video clip of lively colors aims to be a celebration: children showing their best dance steps, and three featured singers, including the rapper Strong G. who was discovered by Michael Brun during a recording on the Island of La Gonâve.

A Port-au-Prince native, he settled in New York and spent the last five years perfecting his music.

" I reached a stage where I felt comfortable with my level as producer and where I could envision this mix of Haitian music by having a respectful and solid posture," the told the AFP, at a nearby café in Brooklyn.

Michael Brun and J Balvin collaborate on music for the World Cup

The song Positivo, the collaboration of the young Haitian DJ Michael Brun and the Colombian star J Balvin, was retained as theme of the World cup 2018 by Telemundo Deportes. The sports branch of the TV network in Spanish language in the United States took advantage of the ceremony of Billboard Latin Music Awards to make the revelation on April 26th. A video extract of the title was broadcast while the official release of the song was announced for Monday, April 30th.

Satisfied and honored to have been able to work with a big name of Latin music on a song for the World cup, Michael Brun promises other collaborations in future with other international artists.

With this composition, the television channel can boast of maintaining its concept of uniting the Latin American around this big sports event. But, for Michael Brun this is a golden opportunity to touch another audience and to assert his status of international DJ.

A Belgian relives Haiti earthquake eight years after Journalist and atheist tells how she got to appreciate the power of religion

BY HG HELPS

Editor-at-Large

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PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Journalist Maude Malengrez left Belgium for Haiti in 2003 with a blank page and pen ready to take notes of what the north Caribbean island was like.

The reality was one of wide-eyed amazement soon after the aircraft touched the Francophone soil similar to that of her native land. Her assignment was to cover a debut theatre festival in the country's capital, Port-au-Prince — which still continues. On that initial trip, she met people whom she described as “very interesting”, numbered among them writers, poets, and human rights defenders.

“I was kind of overwhelmed by all these people who were so bright, talented; but also, so much concern about what was happening in the society and trying to change it,” she shared with the Jamaica Observer during an interview in this humungously poor country recently. “I thought it was very inspiring. It was my first experience. Then I came back several times as a journalist to cover various things — development issues and things like that.”

It was at that point that she convinced herself that she wanted to have the experience of living and working in the former colony of France, the only country that she would have resided outside of her native land.

Ten years ago, in 2008, she made that huge step to relocate. During the early period Maude worked in media as a freelancer, and then she was snatched up by FOKAL — the Foundation for Knowledge and Liberty — to create a media support programme.

During the first week of her new employment, a life-changing event occurred, not only for herself, but for several hundreds of thousands who also called that huge country home. On January 12, 2010, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck the country, its epicentre 25 kilometres southwest of Port-au-Prince. Not since the 18th Ccentury did such a quake hit the place. Two aftershocks the same day measuring 5.9 and 5.5 on the Richter scale also intervened. More aftershocks were to follow way into November of that year at various points.

“I was at work at FOKAL when the earthquake hit Haiti,” Maude recalled. “I was hired by FOKAL five days before the earthquake. When the earthquake hit, it was very terrifying. A part of the office collapsed. I soon found out that the house that I lived had also collapsed, so I had to, like others, stay in the parking lot for the first few days.

“The place shook so much that we all fell. That's how I stayed alive in that building. It is a brick building, but made of wires, but it can shake without collapsing right away. Its gonna stay as long as possible for you to escape.

“The first people that helped were Haitians helping Haitians. There was solidarity and the strength of the people. The people helped each other a lot, neighbour helping neighbour. There was so much tenderness in the way the people were behaving with each other. People were always touching you. It was kind of something about being alive. It was very strong. These people are heroes until now. I was feeling terrible that I could not help like some people.

“The Cubans had more doctors coming in, on top of the many Cuban doctors that were here before worked overtime. Cubans are loved here because of the health care. They are really the ones who did the job in the remote areas.”

Unlike in normal times when doors had to be locked at night, in the aftermath of the earthquake most doors remained open throughout the dark, at least for the first week after, oblivious of potential looting, which Maude said was almost non-existent, despite news to the contrary presented by major global news organizations.

The need to keep the doors open, she reasoned, was more to open the lines of communication… that others would know that there were people alive in the houses.

“I will always remember that everything was completely open. Only a few incidents of looting occurred downtown. Some international press focused on that, but it was not the true story. Some people were stealing in an effort to try and sell things back to survive, but the stealing wasn't major.”

A week after the quake struck, Maude left for her native Belgium to stay with family. She remained there for a little over a month.

Her supply of food had run out, she had no money, no place to stay and, despite her best wishes to help others, it was almost an impossibility to reach out to others without the requisite resources. That's why leaving for Belgium was the next best thing as, on the one hand, the scarce resources that were trickling in from foreign donors would be shared by one less body.

Practicing her journalism was hampered by telecommunication hurdles. Even trying to make a blog with friends, to put up names of some people who she knew were alive so that people in the Diaspora could know their status, almost fell flat, as the Internet connection was horribly weak.

By the time she returned to Haiti, there were thousands of aid workers and representatives of non-governmental organizations all over the place.

Now, eight years after, has the restoration process gone fast enough? This was the obvious question put to her.

“I wouldn't qualify fast enough. When you look at Italy or Latvia, there have been earthquakes 15 years ago and they still haven't recovered from them. Everywhere its difficult, but here the problem is that the way it was managed … the post-earthquake management. I don't think it did any good for the feeling of ownership for the people here, because it was like turning everyone into victims needing help for everything, which wasn't true. But because of the relations of power between the strangers and the aid people, and the Haitians and the politicians, it kind of resulted in collateral damage. It's not just the building and the dead people, but some social dynamics that were created and perverted things that did some harm,” the senior journalist said.

Despite all the challenges, Maude has no immediate plans to leave Haiti.

“I don't know if I am going to be here for the rest of my life or for how long, because I don't like to make pronouncements because you never know what will happen in your life, and I know it's a country where its somehow difficult to live; not necessarily for me, but its difficult to see my friends wanting to leave the country because they see no hope here and I understand there are so much challenges and so many ways to be disappointed by the situation.

“I love the people here. They are brilliant and funny, but sometimes they are traumatized too, so that's the difficult part of it.”

She will continue in her role as media support program coordinator for FOKAL — a job in which she mainly identifies training for young journalists in Haiti.

“It's also why I am staying here. Everyone is replaceable, but it's just that I feel that it can be useful for young people to create more job opportunities here, to also organize things like debates, conference, shows, screenings, and everything,” she said of her job.

First Lady of Haiti Martine Moïse Commemorates World Malaria Day, Expresses Commitment to Elimination Alongside Global, Political, and Scientific Leaders

UN Foundation Report

Hispaniola is the last malaria endemic island in the Caribbean. On World Malaria Day, Haiti declares it is ready to beat malaria – malaria elimination in the Caribbean is within reach.

Recently, the First Lady of Haiti Martine Moïse and more than 300 government officials, civil society representatives, scientists and technical partners of the global health and development community gathered to celebrate World Malaria Day and increase awareness of Haiti’s commitment to eliminating malaria, a preventable yet deadly disease that threatens half the world’s population and kills a child every two minutes.

In addition to causing severe illness and death, malaria has a negative impact on Haiti’s already fragile economy, exacerbating poverty, decreasing productivity, slowing progress in a country where more than half of the population already lives on less than U.S. $2.44 per day.

Yet, Haiti and its partners are committed to eliminating malaria by 2020. With the right resources, partnerships and momentum, the Caribbean can be a malaria-free region, thus bringing the world one step closer to global elimination.

“I am passionate about Haiti’s goal to keep our people safe from malaria,” said Martine Moïse, First Lady of Haiti and Chair of Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria’s Country Coordinating Mechanism. “Haiti is committed to working together with partners to eliminate malaria to protect every Haitian family from this disease.”

“We have the tools today to beat malaria in Hispaniola and know that the benefits of creating a malaria-free Caribbean far outweigh the costs,” said Dr. Dean Sienko, vice president of health programs for The Carter Center, a member of the Malaria Zero Alliance. “It is also important to work together with other vector-borne disease programs such as lymphatic filariasis, zika, and dengue, to maximize information and resources.”

To commemorate World Malaria Day, a special malaria health education video was created by the Haitian Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP) together with The Carter Center, as part of the Malaria Zero Alliance of partners. This video, titled “Malaria Alanba” (Malaria Go Down) brings together seven of the top performers in Haitian popular music and airs on television and radio stations across Haiti today. Earlier this month, Haiti’s MSPP Minister Dr. Greta Roy Clemen appointed musician and “Alanba” contributor Mr. Michael Benjamin, aka Mikaben, to be the country’s first Goodwill Ambassador for Health. The health promotion music video can be viewed here.

Hispaniola, which includes Haiti and the Dominican Republic, is the only remaining island in the Caribbean where malaria is still endemic. According to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), Latin America and the Caribbean have made significant progress in curbing the burden of malaria since 2000. Currently 20 of the 21 malaria endemic countries in the region have committed to end this disease for good. Today, 109 million people in the Americas are still at risk of contracting the disease, and approximately 7 million are at a high risk.

“Elimination in Hispaniola is within reach,” said Margaret Reilly McDonnell, Executive Director of the United Nations Foundation’s Nothing But Nets campaign. “Increased focus and funding on global elimination is critical, and we applaud the efforts of the country of Haiti toward ensuring that no one dies from a mosquito bite.”

“Haiti is ready to reach zero deaths and no more local transmission by 2020. Between 2010 and 2017, reported cases of malaria at the national level decreased from 84,153 cases to 18,983 cases,” said Dr. Jean Frantz Lemoine, PNCM’s Coordinator. “Malaria testing in the population has increased steadily since 2015 due to Rapid Diagnostic Tests and community-based care — more than tripling community case detection between 2016 and 2017. This proves Haiti can end malaria for good in the coming years.”

More partnerships and resources are required to end malaria for good. For more information about malaria elimination efforts in Haiti, visit http://www.malariazeroalliance.org.

Détails: Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti; Création : 9 mai 2018

A study reveals the number of Haitians living in DR

Foreigners in Dominican Republic amount to 570,933 according to a national survey of immigrants. Haitians represent 87.2 % of this figure. The data was compiled in 2017.

According to these estimations, there was an increase of 46,300 people since 2012. This amounts to an average of 9,260 people a year.

The Secretary of Economy, Planning and Development, Isidoro Santana, explained that the Haitians and the Venezuelans who enter the Dominican Republic are motivated by work, because 80 % of them are between 15 and 45 years old.

He specified that those who are under the age of 15 represent 7.2 %, while those who are 65 years or older make up only 2.7 %. This is sign which proves that these immigrants are pursuing work in the Dominican Republic.

Haitians are still very represented in the Dominican employment market. Three quarters of them (76,4 %) occupy the following three business sectors: 33.8 % in the farming sector, 26.3 % in construction and 16.3 % in business.

Dominicans are currently doing everything they can to stop the number of immigrants entering their country, particularly Haitian. In 2017, the number of immigrants reached the figure of 847,979 people, that is 8.3 % of the total population of the country. Last February, Dominican authorities strengthened their border following declarations made by Danilo Medin to the bicameral Congress.

Clairin, the Haitian spirit that’s going to get a lot of Americans drunk this summer

This coming summer promises to be the one when Clairin, a spirit from Haiti, finally makes its way onto cocktail menus in the cool parts of the United States. Bottles from Maison Velier, with their colorful labels, have been popping up in bartender Instagram feeds and on the shelves at little liquor shops for a few months now, which means you’ll be able to order some for your imminent summer parties. If you like clearly defined trends, you could say that it’s perfectly poised to take on mezcal’s mantle as the hot small-batch spirit, a spot the smoky agave-based go-to has occupied since at least 2012. Which means you should know a little something about it.

Clairin is technically a rhum agricole—made from sugarcane juice rather than molasses—that usually doesn’t make its way into glass, much less stylized exported bottles. The producer behind the three varieties that have made their way to the U.S. market, Velier, has created strict rules around its own production, but that’s not how it’s done in most of Haiti, according to Boukman Rhum ambassador and rum educator Dani DeLuna.

The spirit can be made from either fresh sugarcane juice or sugarcane syrup, which is pressed at a distillery and then fermented for about a week—this can be spontaneous or helped along by the addition of baker’s yeast. That fermented juice is then distilled in a single pass, in what is often a hand-built still. These operations are known as guildives, and it’s said that there are more than 500 of these scattered across the country.

“When you're driving around Haiti, there is sugarcane growing all over the place, the most sugarcane I've ever seen in the Caribbean,” says DeLuna. “From time to time you will see a shack, a stack of sugarcane, and a fire, and you know that's a guildive. Basically everyone makes it, then they put it into plastic jugs and send it off to the market.”

There in Haiti, it’s a subsistence spirit, which is why the bubbling popularity of Clairin abroad could be a major boost to the country’s economy.

“It has the potential to be a promising game-changer in Haiti's export trade if pursued responsibly,” says Garcelle Menos, a longtime bartender and first-generation Haitian-American who got into rums while working at Miss Lily’s 7A in New York’s East Village. For Haitian families, she says, Clairin is an everyday dram her male relatives would sip neat with anise leaves or cinnamon sticks inside the glass.

“I advise folks to enjoy the first sip without a modifier,” says Menos. “You get extremely interesting and unique notes; it's wise to see how your palate responds. One person might get a little more hogo [funk], and someone else might get more grass and green banana.”

But if you want to work this spirit into your cocktail arsenal, rum expert and Brooklyn-based bartender Shannon Mustipher suggests splitting it with other funky rhum agricoles, cachaças, or Jamaican pot-still varieties in classic drinks.

“A daiquiri is a great way to show the Clairin in a more unadorned way and to let the character of the spirit shine through,” she says, “whether you are doing a split or the Clairin on its own.” Mustipher also suggests simply mixing it with tropical juices such as guava, passion fruit, mango, and soursop for an easy beach-style sipper.

As for which bottles to pick up, Velier’s Sajous variety is the all-around suggestion. “It's herbal, bright, and fresh,” says Mustipher. “I find it the easiest to mix.” And if you’re still looking for more, DeLuna says that “Casimir and Vaval are more for those who like truly funky shit.”

How to celebrate Haitian Heritage Month in Miami

JACQUELINE CHARLES

May is all about celebrating Haiti and all things Haitian and in South Florida, there is no shortage of events or parties during Haitian Heritage Month.

From the largest Haitian music festival in the United States, to a celebrity chef cook off, to Haitian film screenings, May is dedicated to showcasing Haitian heritage.

The month kicks off with a free art exhibit at North Miami Public Library and the Little Haiti Book Fair featuring Haitian-American writer Edwidge Danticat and culminates with the Haitian History Bee. In between, there is the biggest Haitian party weekend, organized around Haitian Flag Day (May 18th).

While Catherine Flon sewed the first Haitian flag on May 18, 1803 in the city of Archaie in Haiti’s Artibonite Valley, Haitian music fans will be waving their flags on May 19 at the 20th annual Haitian Compas Festival, which moves to Mana Wynwood, 318 NW 23rd St., this year. And how does it plan to celebrate the milestone? With a Living Legend Award and Hall of Fame Award, of course. The latter celebrates the achievements of 20 of Haiti’s most prominent movers and shakers and influencers – some of whom live in South Florida.

Can’t make Compas Fest? There are lots of parties before and after the show. That includes former Haiti President Michel Martelly, whose alter ego, “Sweet Micky” will be performing during the Sounds of Little Haiti – Haitian Flag Day edition—at 6 p.m., May 18, at the Little Haiti Cultural Complex Courtyard, 212 NE 59th Terr.

Here is a list of things to do for 2018 Haitian Heritage Month:

May 1-31

Lakou Lakay art exhibit at North Miami Public Library, 835 NE 132nd St., North Miami . Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Thursday; 9:30 a.m– 5p.m. Friday and Saturday; Closed Sundays. Free.

May 3

PAAM Free Haitian Heritage Night featuring Akoustik, Nancy St. Leger, NSL Danse Ensemble, Rara Lakay, DJ Whiskey Chick and craft demonstrations. From 5 to 9 p.m. Perez Art Museum, 1103 Biscayne Blvd. To RSVP here.

May 4

The Institute of Contemporary Art Miami present a conversation and book signing with author Françoise Elizée and photographer Pipe Yanguas, on their newly launched book, “Haiti Rediscovered – The Quintessential Potomitan.”6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., the Institute of Contemporary Art Miami, 61 NE 41st St., Miami. Must RSVP Cette adresse e-mail est protégée contre les robots spammeurs. Vous devez activer le JavaScript pour la visualiser.

Forged Path: Culture, History and Freedom gallery opening, 6 p.m., Little Haiti Cultural Complex, 212 NE 59th Terr.

Lakou Lakay art exhibit, opening reception, 6 to 9 p.m. North Miami Public Library, 835 NE 132nd St., North Miami. Free

May 5

Little Haiti Book Festival featuring award-winning author Edwidge Danticat, and others from Haiti and the United States. Presented by Sosyete Koukouy & Miami Book Fair/Miami Dade College, 6 to 9 p.m., and 11 a.m. -7 p.m. on May 6 at the Little Haiti Cultural Center Complex, NE Second Avenue and 59th Terr. Free

Little Haiti Beautification Day, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Little Haiti NET, 63O1 N.E. Second Ave., Miami

A celebration of Haitian roots and culture at Zaka Fest 2018, 5 to 11 p.m., Little Haiti Cultural Complex, 212 NE 59th Terr., Miami. Call 954-643-2833 for more information.

May 6

Lakou Lakay, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Bayfront Park, 3O1 N. Biscayne Blvd.

May 10

Haitian Heritage Day Celebration, 6 to 8 p.m., Little Haiti Cultural Complex, 212 NE 59th Terr.

May 11

Screening of “Kafou,” a dark-comedy with English subtitles directed by Haitian filmmaker Bruno Mourral, 7 p.m. at the Overtown Performing Arts Center, 1074 NW 3rd Ave, Miami, FL 33136. $5 for Overtown residents and $13 for general admission.

Black Lounge Film Series Screening of “Liberty in a Soup” 4-5:30 p.m. at Culmer Overtown Braqnch Library, 350 NW 13th St. Free. RSVP here.

SPICE IT UP! Miami Haitian Heritage Month Celebration “Real Men Cook” 7 p.m. Caribbean Marketplace, 5925 NE Second Ave., Miami. Cost $50. RSVP at 305-492-7868 or EventBrite.

Performance: Jamilah Sabur “Beneath the rivers, there are no borders,” 8 p.m. Little Haiti Cultural Center, 212 NE 59th Terr.

May 12

Tap Tap Unveiling, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Caribbean Marketplace, 5925 NE Second Ave., Miami

May 13

Joël and Mushy Widmaier in concert, 6 to 9 p.m., Amaturo Theater at Broward Performing Arts Center, 201 SW 5th Ave., Fort Lauderdale. Tickets $23.58 – 35.00, available at Ticketmaster or Broward Center.

May 16

Pre-Compas Fest Unplugged, 7 p.m., Little Haiti Cultural Complex, 212 NE 59th Terr. Cost $20. Call 855-736-7420 or EventBrite.

May 17

A Conversation With…Diaspora Speaks, Caribbean Marketplace, 5925 NE Second Ave., Miami. Free

Haitian Compas Festival Kickoff Party featuring NuLook, Sweet Micky, T-Vice, Cafe Iguana, 8358 Pines Blvd, Pembroke Pines. Doors open 10 p.m. $40. For more information call 305 945-8814.

May 18

Sounds of Little Haiti – Haitian Flag Day edition — featuring former Haiti President Michel Martelly, aka “Sweet Micky” 6 p. m. Little Haiti Cultural Complex, 212 NE 59th Terr., Miami

Youth art competition: Forever 1804, presented by Kultural Kontractors, 5 to 6:30 p.m. Little Haiti Cultural Complex visual arts building, 212 NE 59th Terr., Miami.

Afrikin 2018| art, culture and fashion, 6 to 11:45 p.m., 144O Biscayne Blvd., Miami.

Haitian Compas Festival All Black Affair featuring Nulook, Djakout #1, Harmonik, KAI, and Mikaben, Cafe Iguana, 8358 Pines Blvd, Pembroke Pines. Doors open 10 p.m. $40. For more information call 305 945-8814.

May 19

20th annual Haitian Compas Festival featuring the top bands in Haitian music. Doors open at 4 p.m. Mana Wywood, 318 NW 23rd St., Miami. Cost $40 to $120 for VIP. For a list of parties associated with the event go to www.haitiancompasfestival.com

May 20

Haitian Compas Festival All White Affair After Party featuring Kreyola, Vayb, Djakout #1, Cafe Iguana, 8358 Pines Blvd, Pembroke Pines. Doors open 10 p.m. $40. For more information call 305 945-8814

May 21

Haitian Compas Festival Official After Party featuring Roody Roodboy, 5Lan, Harmonik, Kai, DJ TonyMix, Cafe Iguana, 8358 Pines Blvd, Pembroke Pines. Doors open 10 p.m. Pembroke Pines $40

May 25

Poetic Lakay, 7 to 11 p.m., Caribbean Marketplace, 5925 NE Second Ave., Miami.

Best Nation Ayiti, 9 a.m. to noon. Little Haiti Cultural Complex, 212 NE 59th Terr., Miami.

May 26

Anniversary of the official naming of Little Haiti and Caribbean Market Day, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Caribbean Marketplace and Little Haiti Cultural Complex, 5925 NE Second Ave. Miami.

May 28

The Haitian Compas Festival sponsors a Mass in memory of departed Haitian musicians at 11 a.m. at Notre Dame d’Haiti Catholic Church, 110 NE 62nd St. Miami.

May 30

Little Haiti Senior Day, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Little Haiti Cultural Complex, 212 NE 59th Terr.

May 31

Lakou Lakay: In My Own Backyard – Mother’s Day edition. 11 a.m.- 3 p.m. Free. Bayfront Park, 301 N. Biscayne Blvd.

Haitian History Bee finale, 10 a.m to 1 p.m. Stephen P. Clark, 111 NW First St., Miami.

Jacqueline Charles

Bahamas moving to ban plastics

NASSAU, Bahamas (CMC) — The Bahamas government says it will ban plastics such as shopping bags, food utensils, straws and styrofoam food containers by 2020.

Environment and Housing Minister, Romauld S Ferreira, said his ministry is working to develop a phase-out plan for single-use plastics.

“We will also move to make the release of balloons into the air illegal, as they end up in our oceans, releasing toxins and injuring marine life.

“Additionally, we will become a signatory to the Clean Seas Campaign, which was launched in January 2017 by the United Nations Environment. It aims to increase global awareness of the need to reduce marine litter by engaging governments, the private sector, and the general public,” Ferreira said.

He said that with the assistance of a diverse group of environmental professionals and other stakeholders, including the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce, the government will embark on a nation-wide public consultation and educational outreach campaign.

“We will visit communities and schools, hold town hall meetings and meet with businesses to gather valuable data that will assist us in developing a fair and reasonable phase-out plan by 2020 and associated legislation,” he said.

“In the coming weeks we will be reaching out to businesses that have already incorporated sustainable food products within their daily operations. As the Minister of the Environment and Housing, I must commend your efforts to take responsibility for how your business impacts our environment. Thank you.”

Toronto restaurant ordered to pay $10,000 after asking black customers to prepay for their meal

Emile Wickham is seen in downtown Toronto on April 26, 2018, in front of the restaurant where, in 2014, he and three friends were asked to prepay for their meals. Mr. Wickham filed a complaint with the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal, alleging the establishment discriminated against his party because they are black.

The Ontario Human Rights Tribunal has ordered a Chinese restaurant in downtown Toronto to pay a black man $10,000 as compensation for a rights violation after it required him and three black companions to prepay for their meals.

In May, 2014, Emile Wickham went to Hong Shing Chinese Restaurant, a popular establishment just east of Toronto’s Chinatown, for a late-night birthday dinner with friends. After the server took their order, he told the group they would need to pay for their meals in full before receiving them, according to testimony Mr. Wickham gave at the April tribunal hearing. They questioned the server, who explained this was restaurant policy, and they obliged.

But Mr. Wickham was unsettled by this. Realizing he and his companions were the only black people in the restaurant, he approached other diners to ask if they’d been required to prepay and all said no.

When the server later returned to the table, Mr. Wickham and his friends questioned him about the policy, and the server admitted they were the only ones who had prepaid. He and another staff member asked Mr. Wickham and his friends if they wanted a refund. The group took their money and left the restaurant.

In her decision, adjudicator Esi Codjoe concluded that restaurant staff had violated section 1 of the province’s human-rights code – which guarantees equal treatment when accessing goods, services and facilities – when they treated Mr. Wickham as “a potential thief in waiting.”

“His mere presence as a Black man in a restaurant was presumed to be sufficient evidence of his presumed propensity to engage in criminal behavior,” she wrote.

Staff from Hong Shing did not attend the tribunal hearing, nor did they send legal representation. But in November, 2015, six months after Mr. Wickham had filed his human-rights complaint, the restaurant submitted a response to the tribunal through a lawyer. In it, they explained the restaurant “attracts something of a transient crowd” and dine and dashes were common, so they adopted a policy requiring customers whom staff did not recognize as regulars to prepay for their food.

Ms. Codjoe rejected this explanation in her decision, saying there was no evidence such a policy existed, that the other patrons that night were regulars or that Mr. Wickham’s party was advised of this policy when they were at the restaurant.

When reached by phone and e-mail following the decision, staff at Hong Shing said they were unfamiliar with the incident and said ownership had changed since it occurred. They did not respond to any further questions.

In a photo taken by the server on the night in question, which was submitted as evidence in the hearing, Mr. Wickham and his three friends are sitting at a table where an unused stack of plates and cutlery are in front of them, along with a tray that holds the cash they just put down for their food. In the background, three other tables can be seen and the patrons appear to be white, South Asian and East Asian.

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