Haiti’s aftermath: Gourdes and cents

Last Friday we examined one of the human costs of January’s earthquake in Haiti: immigration and repatriation. Today we take a quick look at the economic damage to post-earthquake Haiti.

The Caribbean nation had held for years the designation as the most impoverished country in the Western hemisphere. The country’s economy was gradually improving in 2009 though not without some problems such as widespread corruption. Unfortunately the earthquake dealt a massive blow to Haiti’s financial state.

What can be done to rebuild Haiti? On the one hand, foreign countries are trying to figure out how best to help Haitian reconstruction efforts. Conversely, there is the anxiety that international efforts will lead to exploitation of Haitians.

There is no easy answer for how to help restore Haiti’s economy, which the Inter-American Development Bank estimates could cost around $14 billion. In the meantime, some Haitians have certainly not rested on their laurels:

“Business is coming back little by little, despite the damage in the neighborhood, I guess because we Haitians like to keep our hair cut,” says Savien Franciscain, who is running both chairs at the tiny barber shop he operates in Port-au-Prince’s heavily damaged center. “I reopened Sunday, and it’s been pretty good ever since.”

Image- AFP
Online Sources- Christian Science Monitor, USA TODAY, The Latin Americanist, New York Times, The People’s Voice, Reuters