Second annual IRC event held for Haiti

By: Candace Sierra/Contributing Writer

life@fiusm.com

On the two-year anniversary of the tragic Haitian earthquake, the International Rescue Committee at the University is shedding light on the Haitian community’s past struggles, current issues and future triumphs.

IRC is working diligently to raise awareness about refugees from the world around. The club gains its name from the global nonprofit organization that responds to humanitarian crises and resettles refugees in the U.S.

After the devastating earthquake, IRC’s Miami office turned their efforts to aiding their neighbors in Haiti. Together with IRC at Miami Dade College-Wolfson, the Haitian Student Organization, Sigma Iota Rho, Golden Key and other University organizations, IRC not only commemorated the second anniversary of the earthquake but also discussed the work still needing to be done.

IRC’s all-day plans began with a serving of traditional Haitian bread and hot chocolate.  This was followed by a panel of prestigious speakers, including Marjory Sheba, a Haitian journalist and writer, Guy-Gerard Gachelin of IRC Miami, Michael Capponi, a tourism leader in Haiti, and Ralph Latortue, ambassador of Haiti to the Bahamas.

The University’s IRC chapter also invited Ron Duprat, a native Haitian of “Top Chef” fame who provided desserts and insight on his experience at home post-disaster. Later in the afternoon, there was an official moment of silence held in the GC Pit as well as a night of commemoration.

The panel discussion began after a short moment of silence followed by Sheba reading aloud her moving poem titled “730 Days and Counting,” which chronicles the struggles of the Haitian people from the day of the disaster through their perseverance today.

The piece openly addresses the struggles present today in Haiti and raised questions about what must be done.

Possibly the most anticipated speaker was Latortue, a former consul general of Haiti in Miami.

Many were eager for information on the current conditions of Haiti and its people.

“Results are starting to show,” Latortue said. He went on to say that 50 percent of debris had been removed, and the number of displaced citizens went from 1.5 million to less than half a million.

He also said that the nation was aiming to create 500,000 temporary jobs within the next year. It was to be assumed that all of the speakers were going to address the need to rebuild Haiti. Latortue took a different take on reconstruction by addressing not the need to rebuild but to build better. He wants to build what once did not exist. He described a new kind of leadership and a business diplomacy for the future. Latortue also spoke of the need to invest in Haitian tourism in order to create more permanent jobs for his people.

The next speaker brought up similar points; however, he hails from Miami Beach. Capponi, of Capponi Group, is beginning a new world of tourism within the nation of Haiti.

After taking 20 or more aid trips within the first year after the earthquake, Capponi became disillusioned about the progress being made. He spoke about his distaste of simply feeding these displaced families fish and rice on a daily basis as opposed to helping them rebuild their lives.

He wanted to put the power back into the hands of the people of Haiti. During one of his humanitarian trips, he discovered the historic port town of Jacmel. The city is the apparent inspiration for much of New Orleans’ architecture. Eventually, Capponi moved 150 people from a tent city in Port Au Prince to Jacmel.

He gave them homes, tools and supplies to begin recreating Jacmel. His plans for the future include hotels, cafes and all of the bustling beach attractions seen across the Caribbean. Furthermore, he hopes to build a tourism school in order for the townspeople to learn the ways of the business. The discussion took a turn towards the hopeful as the speakers began to address the plans for leaving the people of Haiti with a bright future.

“Haiti post-earthquake was almost as if Armageddon or [the] apocalypse had occurred,” said Gachelin. After visiting Haiti within days of the earthquake, Gachelin described the affected cities as post-apocalyptic but pointed out that even within the tent cities he saw signs of resilience — always. Like the other panelists, there is the sense of devastation but hope due to the spirit of the Haitian people. Miami’s IRC office works to help Haitian citizens who have come to the states. “It was interesting to hear about the refugee experience because most of the news coverage only deals with the people still in Haiti,” said sophomore Christina Anton. The organization works to help these families avoid reliance on the government. The refugees are provided with clothing, food, health care, cash assistance and even furniture provided by El Dorado on a monthly basis. Gachelin spoke about the need to help the country of Haiti, but also their citizens around the world and especially here at home in Miami.

It was a morning of somber memories but also hope for the future of Haiti. Two years after the earthquake, it was important to hear the way such current issues are being addressed in Haiti — but also here at home.