Jun 17, 2009 6:43 pm US/Eastern
Clinton's Appointment May Bring Hope For Haiti
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
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View of the collapsed College Promesse Evangelique in Petion-ville on Nov. 8, 2008. At least 82 people were killed when the school collapsed on Nov. 7, with an estimated 700 people inside the building.
Thony Belizaire/Getty Images
While the national spotlight has faded on Haiti, as it tries to recover from the devastation of four hurricanes in 2008, the plight of the suffering there continues. The images were shocking and the destruction widespread.
"They were just recently clearing the streets from mud as this has been months," Delane Bailey-Herd told
CBS4 reporter Gwen Belton.
Bailey-Herd is with Food For The Poor, a South Florida based charity helping Haiti rebuild. But she is encouraged that more help may be on the way with the recent appointment of former President Bill Clinton as an envoy to the island nation.
Bailey-Herd says, "Not only will it give visibility as to what's going on in Haiti, but will attract other people to come and give help."
Mr. Clinton has already raised hundreds of millions of dollars in aid for the Haiti, through his Global Initiative Organization and he has a relationship with the country that spans decades.
While the former president has a long history with Haiti, some activists question whether he can really make a difference in the country, one of the poorest in the world and still struggling with political infighting.
"I think Haiti can benefit, if they get their act together because President Clinton alone, no matter how serious and how, you know, impactful he is, will not be able to solve the problems of the country," says Marlene Bastien.
Bastien is a Haitian activist and executive director of Haitian Woman of Miami (FANM). She says while Mr. Clinton is popular with many Haitians, there is still skepticism because of broken promises made in the past.
"They remember what happened after, while he was campaigning for the refugees' policy that he promised, that he did not deliver," she says.
She and others working to help Haiti get back on its feet are also a bit fearful of a setback, as another hurricane season gears up.
Still, Bastien, who has spent all of her adult life fighting for her native country, remains optimistic as the country slowly shows signs of recovery from last year's deadly storms.
FOOD FOR THE POOR
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Food For The Poor
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