Blog 6: Two years after the earthquake, Haiti is trying to clear tent cities

           Families in Haiti are still being affected by the earthquake that occurred just over two years ago.  Many families are being asked to relocate from their current place in Champ de Mars; a camp that has been created to provide shelter to those still without housing.  These families are being asked to relocate and rent community property in order to “clean up” the slum area that has become of the camp.  Champ de Mars is not the only camp in Haiti that is being affected.  Government programs and outside support are offering a total of five-hundred dollars for these families to relocate out of Champ de Mars.  While this is some money to help families relocate, it is not nearly enough.  Families are not able to provide well for their families and reestablish themselves in their own homes.

            While it is good that the government and other programs are doing something to help, I do not think they are doing enough.  If the government wants people out of Champ de Mars, they should be making a greater effort to provide better, cleaner housing for these families.  Providing some aid is helpful, however if they keep at the pace they are going in fixing up houses and relocating the families, who knows what will become of Haiti in the next five or ten years.  The government needs to step in and advocate for these families.  Children and their families need to be able to live in a safe environment and have opportunities to be kids, if they do not have the proper housing, or are constantly concerned with where they will end up, these families and children will feel lost.  I think better efforts need to be put in place in order to relocate the families sooner rather than later.  I also think that more aid should be given to each of these families in order to help them recover from all they lost two years ago.  

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/clearing-earthquake-camps-in-haiti-is-not-pretty/2012/01/27/gIQAnxzNOR_story.html