January 1st 2009 marked the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution. Bloggers from across the region took note of the occasion, with the voices of the Cuban diaspora being some of the most outspoken.
My big, fat, Cuban family remembers the experience of being forced to flee her country:
After the disasters they went through in 2008, Haitian people celebrated the start of 2009 more or less happily - in Haiti, January 1st marks not only New Year, but also the date when in 1804, the island got independence from France, becoming the first black democracy in the world.
Some French-speaking Haitian bloggers pay homage to the anniversary while readying themselves for the difficulties their country will have to face in the future:
From natural disasters to lightning bolts of the athletic kind, 2008 was a busy one for the Caribbean blogosphere. Here are some of the highlights…
‘Tis the season - and nowhere celebrates Christmas quite like the Caribbean! Here's a glimpse into what bloggers are doing to get into the spirit of the festivities…
The number of Haitians living in the Dominican Republic is not currently known. However, according to Joan Guerrero of Duarte 101 [es], the Autonmous Universities of Santo Domingo and Haiti will conduct a census to determine the number.
The Haitian Blogger reports that storm victims are dying of starvation because of the delay in getting goods to the island: “The situation is that aid agencies are in control of foreign aid to Haiti and the Haitian government as usual, is being cut out of the picture and were not approached directly for assistance, making it difficult for coordinating the massive effort.”
Haiti Innovation posts detailed information about a campaign to improve access to clean water in Port-au-Prince. "Their approach is to provide cost effective tablet chlorinators and to build the capacity of community members to manage them."
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AIDG's 4th Annual Holiday Party
I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Konbit Pou Ayiti says that “although most of the world has moved on from the tragic stories of the four powerful storms that thrashed Haiti in August and September, Haitians certainly have not. In Gonaives, people are still living on the roofs of homes that are covered in mud. In the south and southeast, hunger that was once a part of daily life is now becoming famine…”
Blesh Family in Haiti makes a visit to the General Hospital where some of the victims of the Petionville school collapse were taken: “We are glad we went & it was nice to be able to get the kids to smile but the situation is so devastating. Many of the parents had multiple children in the school…it was heartbreaking.
Duration: 15 min 49 sec
The challenge they set speakers at the Business Innovation Factory (BIF) is to tell a story, specifically a personal story. Not your standard spiel. Not your normal pitch. So here’s my narrative. It combines Greek myth and a little Diana Ross to talk about the need for R&D and business development for poverty alleviation. It’s from the heart. It’s how we hope our work can impact the world.
If you like what you see in the vid, please pass on the link to friends/reblog this post/stumble it/etc. We need all the help we can get.
Flooding in Cap Haitien [9.2.08]. Cap Haitien was relatively lucky compared to cities like Gonaives, Hinche and Cabaret which experienced devastating flooding.
In Haiti, the floodwaters from September’s onslaught of hurricanes are subsiding. People are trying to get their lives back on their feet, but progress and reconstruction are unbearably slow. In addition to work we’ve been doing to get a municipal biogas plant set up in Cap Haitien, we’re doing several smaller projects to help communities meet some of their most pressing energy needs.
Doing Theology from the Caribbean republishes an essay written by a Haitian-Bahamian tenth grader who, after watching The Diary of Anne Frank, notices parallels between the Jews and Haitians.
Duration: 2 min 17 sec
Developing countries are now facing a triple hit - food, fuel and finance, the World Bank President, Robert B Zoellick warned [October 09, 2008]. Speaking ahead of the annual meetings of the Bank and IMF, Mr Zoellick said governments must look beyond the financial crisis to contain a mounting human crisis that could push millions of the worlds poorest people to the brink of survival, and wipe out development gains.
Source: AIDG Blog [Appropriate Technology, Development, Environment]Bookmark/Search this post with:
Haiti Innovation wonders what's next for the hurricane-ravaged town of Gonaives, while Jamaican litblogger Geoffrey Philp focuses on a new book about Haiti.
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