Dear Haiti Friends,

I have heard from a couple of different sources in Haiti that people are cautiously optimistic about the defeat of gang members in their intended takeover of a police station north of Mirebalais.  This was a collaboration between police, local volunteer neighborhood security groups, and the UN forces which have recently been re-classified from back-up and support for police work to gang intervention, a more active role.  All hope that more troops will arrive soon.  Some equipment has already begun to arrive from the U.S.

With regard to the construction of shelters for some of the remaining refugees in Cange, Thomonde, and Hinche, Pere Alphonse has sent preliminary plans and cost estimates.  The Haitian Gourde is as of today just over 131 to the US Dollar, so the total cost (if all goes smoothly!) for each shelter will be just below $28,000.  I asked whether they were thinking about possible other uses for the shelters after the immediate crisis is over, and as they will be on land provided by the local Episcopal churches, they envision using them for expansion of some programs that have already been in place, possibly including extra classrooms for elementary, high school, or trade school classes, or a small clinic or dispensary.  They are not counting on their being available any time soon, as the large amount of destruction of houses in Port-au-Prince, Mirebalais, and other areas means that there may be a displaced population permanently on the move for quite some time whenever peace and security are restored.  I am attaching the documents he sent — you can see that the plans are very modest, providing the bare necessities.

My thanks to Beth Carson for forwarding this article from the New England Journal of Medicine by Didi Farmer, widow of the late Paul Farmer, MD, a founder of Partners in Health and the creator of the Socio-Medical Complex in Cange.  It’s a lovely tribute to his vision for the best kind of health care for all.