A year later, some progress has been made. There’s still a long way to go, however, in rebuilding the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.
On the anniversary of the earthquake in Haiti, the media are refocusing its collective lenses on the victims of the disaster. Last January’s earthquake was answered with $2 billion in donations from the United States, one of the largest international aid efforts ever conducted through private organizations.
A year later, international aid organizations are asking one another where all the money went. The Red Cross still has $250 million in the bank — about half of what it raised — and some are wondering why, in the face of a cholera outbreak and the tents dotting the outskirts of Port-au-Prince, it hasn’t made a major withdrawal.
While it’s far from us to judge how the Red Cross distributes the donations (so long as the needy get the lion’s share), we understand why the organization hasn’t pumped all $500 million into Haiti all at once. This isn’t a problem solved by throwing mounds of money at people. Rebuilding takes not only cash, but time and effort. So long as a charity isn’t stealing donations or funneling the majority of its funds into “administrative costs,” other organizations’ critiques only slow the recovery process.
A year later, Haiti needs long-term recovery.
