We had the first meeting of the members of this solidarity mission to Haiti in which leaders of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops and Development and Peace will be participating (see December 7 Press Release) in Montreal. Within a few hours, an outline emerges of the reconstruction programs that Development and Peace is supporting in the country. Then we look at the schedule of the various appointments and visits that have already been planned.
Paul Cliche, Deputy Director of Development and Peace's International Programs Department, explains the organization's response to disasters. "Three words: emergency, reconstruction and development. It is a mistake to try to separate these realities. For us, they are a continuum." In Haiti, the January 12th, 2010 earthquake obliged Development and Peace's partners to jump into emergency assistance, work on rebuilding and then plan for development over the longer term so that people will be better prepared to collectively face new challenges.
These are all concepts. They will come to life in the coming days as the mission meets with, among others, members of the Mouvman Peyizan Papay (Papaye Peasants' Movement), the "restaveks" of Foyer Maurice Sixto and the women members of Fanm Deside.This blog intends to report until December 21on the daily happenings of this solidarity mission. Those who want to learn more about the many partners of Development and Peace in Haiti will be able to consult special pages on our work in Haiti since the earthquake.