How not to re-build a nation (The Haiti Edition)
Warning: This post may make you cranky. So I've thoughtfully added a balm at the end to take the sting away
I met with a couple of clever types over at the UN in Midtown yesterday. If you’ve worked in aid or peacekeeping for any time, you know the type. In their early thirties, but razor sharp smart, a love of data, and a willingness to work hard. I’m convinced that 90% of the work at the UN gets done by 10% of the people, and these two were clearly right in the middle of that 10%.
In passing these folks happened to point me to link and a pdf and a number in a otherwise inoffensive data table which stopped me in my tracks. Of the almost $2b of humanitarian aid distributed in Haiti, only $6m of has been channeled through the Haitian government. That is less than a third of 1%!
For years, the common complaint among aid workers and donor governments and Haitians themselves was that the Haitian government can’t look after it’s own people. The state has withered, and in it’s place a patchwork of private NGOs have taken over the role of providing basic services like health care. After the quake, with considerably prodding from smart people like Partners in Health founder Paul Farmer, the key donors talked a great deal about rebuilding the Haitian government and spending aid through official government channels in order to do so. So how is it possible that 8 months later the amount of humanitarian aid given through the Haitian government is less than a rounding error?!
Granted, the level of corruption is daunting in Haiti. But it’s daunting in many countries and there are ways to work around this. And, apparently, donors are comfortable enough providing $114m in budgetary support to the government (about 20% of total disbursed reconstruction funds to date – as opposed to the far larger amounts of humanitarian aid). And they’ve been able to loan $110m to the government since the quake, too.
Ashraf Ghani, former World Bank official, Afghan Finance Minister, Secretary General candidate, and all round aid gadfly has eloquently made the point before that donors are talking out of both sides of their mouth. On the one side, they want the local governments to “stand up on their own two feet” and pull themselves up to the economic ladder. On the other side, the donors repeatedly knock the ladder away by funding non-government actors like foreign and local NGOs. This is exactly what is happening in Haiti. And it’s depressing.
Now the vaguely appropriate balm. This new song and video is amazing. Two days, two million views, and two million people humming happily along. Enjoy. (I’m dedicating it to “Emma” who is more than partially responsible for this.)
DISCLAIMER: If you are offended by the use of a specific time-honoured Anglo-Saxon expletive, even in a humorous, artistic, and lyrical fashion, don’t watch the video below. (I warned you.)
Tags Aid Effectiveness, aid spending, Ashraf Ghani, Clinton, corruption, data mining, donors, Haiti, Hand Relief International, impact, local economic impact, NGOs, Paul Farmer, peacekeeping, United Nations
So many times I hear the GOH criticized for what it’s not doing, as though it has the money to do anything. Glad to see the proof above.
Reminds me of an anecdote. While I was there, one Haitian explained it to me like this re: the # of NGOs operating in the country without following gov’t regs and at least registering their presence: it’s like I come into your mother’s house to see you and I never bring nothing for the mother, I never recognize that she’s even there–but I’m coming into her house. It’s disrespect.
Foreigners forget that there’s a difference between them laying into the GOH and Haitians criticizing their own gov’t. At the end of the day, like it or not, the GOH *is* the Haitian people. You can’t build one without the other.
Carla, great analogy. I totally agree.
Dear Scott
Im working on that large island South of Moroni that is soon to resemble Haiti. I was having a bad day reading in the local paper of the doubling of the President (of the Haute Autorite de Transition) budget when the ministries (except Internal Security) had just been handed a 50% reduction in their funding. The reductions are caused by an aid cut off of int’l budget support and a freeze for all but humanitarian aid and that will flow through NGOs. I had just finished marveling at the new hierarchy of needs in your previous post which was adding to my already twisted knicker feeling when I clicked onto your balmy song above. Thanks. 4:30 on Friday I may just call it a day and go for happy hour with a lighter heart.
So many times I hear the GOH criticized for what it’s not doing, as though it has the money to do anything. Glad to see the proof above.
Reminds me of an anecdote. While I was there, one Haitian explained it to me like this re: the # of NGOs operating in the country without following gov’t regs and at least registering their presence: it’s like I come into your mother’s house to see you and I never bring nothing for the mother, I never recognize that she’s even there–but I’m coming into her house. It’s disrespect.
Foreigners forget that there’s a difference between them laying into the GOH and Haitians criticizing their own gov’t. At the end of the day, like it or not, the GOH *is* the Haitian people. You can’t build one without the other.
Reminds me of an anecdote. While I was there, one Haitian explained it to me like this re: the # of NGOs operating in the country without following gov’t regs and at least registering their presence: it’s like I come into your mother’s house to see you and I never bring nothing for the mother, I never recognize that she’s even there–but I’m coming into her house. It’s disrespect.