Made in Haiti: A Good Thing?

November 2, 2010

by Alexis Erkert Depp

Photo by Ben Depp/MCC

If you’re wearing Gap, Calvin Klein or Levi Strauss jeans there’s a chance that I’ve met the worker that made your belt loops or your waistband. If you’ve recently bought Hanes underwear or a Maidenform bra, check the label. Was it made in Haiti? If not, the next pair you buy probably will be.

As part of an effort to help Haiti rebuild its economy after the earthquake, the U.S. Congress passed legislation in May of this year to extend U.S. trade preferences to Haiti through 2020 and nearly triple duty-free quotas for Haitian garment exports to the U.S. Last month the World Bank, Haiti and the U.S. signed an agreement with a South Korean clothing producer, Sae-A to build another free-trade garment assembly factory in Haiti.

Garment assembly plants that employ low-wage laborers in poor countries have been seen as a powerful strategy for economic development for several decades. But who really benefits from these factories?

Read the rest of this entry »

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Posted by Theo Sitther

More than an Earthquake – Conversations with Haitians

October 27, 2010

Photo by Melissa Engle/MCC

By Adrienne Wiebe

“We are working for life against forces of death.”  “Planting trees is giving life.” “Change happens as we heal from our slave past, and restore dignity and pride in ourselves.”  More than a month after a visit to Haiti with an MCC Advocacy Delegation in August this year, I can still hear the voices of the people I met.

Haiti has been at the centre of world news because of the devastating earthquake that struck the capital city, Port-au-Prince on January 12, 2010, killing 230,000 people, leaving one-million people homeless, and destroying much of the city’s infrastructure and economy. The primary purpose the trip was to explore the advocacy issues in the aftermath of the earthquake. However, I got a glimpse of a country that is much more than the most recent political or natural disaster that we hear about on the news. Read the rest of this entry »

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Posted by Theo Sitther

A Trip Report from Haiti

September 24, 2010

Mennonite Central Committee

Theo Sitther writes for PeaceSigns about his recent trip to Haiti:

In August, I visited Haiti as part of a delegation of Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) staff.  The purpose of this trip was to meet with MCC’s staff in Haiti, connect with partner organizations and to gain a firsthand look  at the situation on the ground.  The following are some key insights that we learned from this visit.

Decentralization: One reason for the large scale of the disaster is that aid, development, and economic policies have historically focused on Port-au-Prince.  Many of Haiti’s rural areas were neglected and neo-liberal economic policies devastated Haiti’s agriculture.  This forced many to migrate to the capital city to find work.  People were crowded into dense slums, factories, and homes when the earth shook and the buildings collapsed.

Click here to read the rest of the article.

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Posted by Mary Stata

Support a Development Plan for Haiti

September 16, 2010

Ben Depp/MCC

Eight months have passed since the devastating earthquake in Haiti and progress toward development and reconstruction remains slow. More than 1.5 million people are still living in camps and makeshift shelters in and around Port-au-Prince. U.S. development efforts in Haiti need a plan and a framework that promotes sustainable long term development.

The Haiti Empowerment, Assistance and Rebuilding (HEAR) Act has been introduced in the Senate by Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Robert Corker (R-TN) and in the House by Rep. John Conyers (D-MI). The HEAR Act articulates U.S. priorities for aid to Haiti and sets up benchmarks for success. It also includes a transparent reporting and accountability system so both U.S. taxpayers and Haitians can see where money is going and whether or not it is achieving the desired impact. The bill also includes provisions for strengthening Haitian civil society voices and for ensuring that the Haitian government and the people of Haiti are at the center of development efforts.

The Senate version was marked up and passed by the Foreign Relations Committee but the bill in the House needs more co-sponsors.

Urge your representative to co-sponsor the Haiti Empowerment, Assistance and Rebuilding (HEAR) Act (H.R. 6021).

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Posted by Theo Sitther

Haiti Trip Report

September 13, 2010

In August staff from MCC’s offices in Washington, New York, Ottawa and Akron visited Haiti as part of an MCC advocacy delegation. The purpose of this trip was to meet with MCC’s staff in Haiti, connect with partner organizations and to gain a first hand look at the situation on the ground.

Click here for a trip report that highlights key insights.

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Posted by Theo Sitther

A Theological Reflection from Haiti

August 20, 2010

"Long live Haiti, Long live development....Jesus..." Theo Sitther/MCC

In my travel to Haiti last week our group met with Jean Valéry Vital-Herne, the national coordinator for Défi Michée (Micah Challenge, Haiti), which represents Haitian protestant churches and works to eradicate poverty. Valéry spoke to us about his vision to see the church active in advocating for social, economic and political change in Haiti. His vision for the Haitian church is also applicable and needed for churches here in the United States.

Here’s an excerpt from a theological reflection by Valéry:

There is need to rethink our theology. “Theology cannot focus solely on the individual and his needs but must go one step further to discern the will of God in relation to the world in which the church is called to live out the gospel.”  There is a need for a fresh look at the Holy Scriptures, a look that will lead the church to proclaim “God’s redeeming power to every dimension of life.”  At a time where everyone is talking about a renewal for Haiti, the danger of simply maintaining the status quo is omnipresent. The church must be an active agent in this change that we all long for. A change where “justice flows like a river and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”  To get there, the church will have to risk much: reputation, riches, etc. It will have to live dangerously. We are called to live dangerous lives.  The Haitian theologian Joel D. Alexandre puts it well: “One understands that the Christian life in something dangerous.”  Living dangerously for God and His cause – this is our destiny.

Read the full reflection (PDF)>>

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Posted by Theo Sitther

Haiti Reflections

August 17, 2010

IDP Camp at Place Boyer (Kurt Hildebrand, MCC Haiti Rep.; Kayon Watson, MCC UN Ofc.; Paul Heidebrecht, MCC Ottawa Ofc.)

MCC just completed an advocacy delegation to Haiti. Staff from our offices in Ottawa, New York, Communications department and myself from Washington visited Haiti to learn, reflect and act for social, economic and political justice in Haiti.

The following reflection was written by Linda Espenshade (MCC Communications) on Wednesday, August 11:

The situation in Haiti seems simple enough. You have people with need after the massive earthquake and people who can give. You put them together and the problem is solved, right?

Underlying the obvious earthquake needs are all the other needs Haiti has had for a very long time:  A secure supply of food, education, health, stable government, human rights, safe housing and much more. Read the rest of this entry »

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Posted by Theo Sitther

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