On behalf of Haven and all the charities present, I thank the Chairman, Deputy Pat Breen and members, for giving us the opportunity to discuss the situation in Haiti.
I will give a brief outline of Haiti's past and then outline the problems and solutions to the current situation. I will speak on Irish involvement and our focus on Haiti week. I will not mention the programmes of the individual charities because each delegation will have an opportunity to discuss its role during the question and answer session.
Back in the 17th and 18th centuries Haiti was known as the jewel of the crown. It was one of the wealthiest colonies and was the place to go in the Caribbean. It exported 50% of the world's coffee and 33% of the world's sugar when it was under French rule. Unfortunately Haiti was a victim of slavery and up to 40,000 slaves were sent from Africa each week. Under the leadership of Toussaint Louverture, the Haitians revolted against the slavery system and was the first republic to gain independence in 1804. This was a significant achievement at this early stage.
Having gained independence, Haiti was boycotted by the US because it did not recognise slaves. A number of dictators ruled the country before the US military occupation from 1915 to 1934. A number of natural disasters drove the country into the ground. Today Haiti has a population of 9 million but it is only the size of Munster. It is extremely poor and was so before the earthquake. Then the average person lived on $1 to $2 a day, with one in four being malnourished. More than 70% were unemployed.
The reason we are making a presentation today is to mark the second anniversary of the earthquake, which took place two years ago last week. In 2010, 230,000 died in 35 seconds, including 42,000 children, leaving 1.2 million homeless. These are horrendous statistics. The impact of this destruction can be seen on the streets of Port-au-Prince.
I arrived in Port-au-Prince a few days after the earthquake. I have worked in this sector for 15 years and have never seen anything like the despair, destruction and sadness on the streets. It was harrowing. It also shocked and surprised me that within a week the traders were up trading again. This shows the resilience and determination of the people. The painters were out painting. Everybody who has ever been to Port-au-Prince will notice the vibrant colours of the art displayed on every street corner. It is ironic how beautiful and colourful this is. For a country with high levels of illiteracy it is amazing to see canvass being used to express emotions and to document events.
The response of the agencies to the disaster was fantastic. There was great co-ordination between them and in a short period, many lives were saved and suffering was alleviated. People from all over the world, including half of US households, donated money or sent people to help in Haiti. The Irish were outstanding in pledging money and sending people to support Haiti. Pledges of money, up to many billions, were made but less than 40% of it was committed and seen on the ground. We have to concentrate on the positive aspects. It is only two years later. Of the 1.2 million people who were homeless, 500,000 of those now have a place in which to live. The amount of rubble was once described to me as being the size of a highway between Port-au-Prince and Los Angeles and half of this rubble has been cleared. Many lives were saved and suffering alleviated by the work of the agencies. Some Haitians say their lives are better since the international community turned its attention to Haiti. Unfortunately, this does not resonate for most Haitians and there are many problems in Haiti today. There is the general problem of the 800 camps still in use. More than 500,000 people live in these camps. Families are living under plastic sheeting, enduring 40O C heat or torrential rain. They have no access to sanitation, no showers and a sewer running through. We would not put a dog or a cat to live in these conditions.
More than 50% of the population does not have access to health care. Almost 4,000 schools were destroyed and to date, only 636 schools have been rebuilt. Of a total population of 9 million, half are under the age of 18 years, half have never been to primary school while fewer than 20% attend secondary school. There are also the macro-problems of land tenure. There is a significant dysfunctional system of land tenure and it is very difficult to acquire land. We have gone through the process of trying to acquire land, we have procured the necessary documents and visited the ministry for finance, the lawyers have signed the papers but when one begins to work on the project, three other people turn up with the very same documents. This is very time-consuming and very frustrating. There are problems with importing goods. There is currently up to a six-week delay on importing goods for humanitarian work. Furthermore, the custom officials have been known to charge hefty fees on any goods coming into the country even when they are for the use of non-governmental organisations, NGOs.
These problems are very significant but with the help of the charities and the help of the international community and the Irish Government, these problems can be resolved. There is a great Irish involvement in Haiti and many links have been forged between the two countries. I refer to investment, humanitarian involvement and aid links. The charities attending the meeting today do incredible work. Digicel, owned by Denis O'Brien, employs 900 people directly and 70,000 indirectly in Haiti. The Java Republic coffee company set up a relationship with Haitian coffee suppliers. The Country Crest food company has a model farm in Haiti. These companies are providing essential employment in Haiti. I refer also to absolute gems such as Ms Gina Heraty who has been working in Haiti for the past 18 years, working with disabled children up in Kenscoff. This is just the tip of the iceberg. I think Haiti has a really special place in the hearts of Irish people.
The solutions are varied and widespread but many of the charities at this meeting are already addressing the issues I highlighted, whether in the areas of education, health, water and sanitation or shelter. We are here today to ask the Government to come on board with the charities and to commit longer term funding to this country which is the poorest country in the western hemisphere.
We want to fly the flag for Haiti and keep it in the public eye. This is the aim of Haiti Week, bringing together the business, music and arts community and leading Irish NGOs to raise awareness of Haiti and to raise funds. Mr. Bill Clinton came to Dublin to launch this event last October. Several events have been organised this week, including art and photographic exhibitions, an event called Host at Home for Haiti with people cooking Haitian recipes and inviting friends to dinner, concerts, a fund-raising ball and as the Chairman mentioned, President Martelly and ministers are coming from Haiti this Friday. Haiti was in the news following the earthquake and it was on all the television screens but then it vanished from view. It became a forgotten country again. It is up to us who are here today to continue flying the flag for Haiti.
The poverty and the destruction made Port-au-Prince a very despairing place to visit but this is without taking into account the resilience of people and the magnificence of the beautiful countryside. These give me hope for a better future for Haiti. It is important that Ireland should be part of this future. I hope our efforts here today and the committee's understanding of the situation in Haiti will help push this struggling country on to the long-term map for Irish aid.
