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U.N. Peacekeepers Accused of Sexually Assaulting Haitian Teen
By ANSEL HERZ, MATTHEW MOSK and RYM MOMTAZ
PORT-SALUT, Haiti, Sept. 2, 2011
Haitians in this remote seaside town are demanding an investigation into allegations that United Nations peacekeeping troops pinned down an 18-year-old Haitian man and subjected him to a humiliating sexual assault.
The alleged assault occurred in July, but graphic cell phone video surfaced in recent days, showing what appears to be the four UN troops in camouflage and some wearing the trademark sky blue berets attacking the man. As the video began circulating through the coastal village, it sparked a growing sense of outrage there and prompted the victim’s mother and father to seek criminal charges against the United Nations peacekeeping officers, who are from Uruguay. Both parents submitted written depositions on Wednesday in Port Salut’s courthouse.
A medical certificate filed with the court in Haiti and obtained by ABC News, alleges the victim was beaten and had sustained injuries consistent with having been sexually assaulted.
VIDEO: U.N. Peacekeepers Accused of Sex Assault on Teen
Word of the alleged attack quickly made its way up the chain of command at the United Nations, both in Haiti and in New York, where officials are now vowing to see the incident investigated and the alleged perpetrators brought to justice. Michel Bonnardeaux, a spokesperson for peacekeeping operations based in New York, told ABC News that officials in his office first became aware of the allegations Saturday. They sent a diplomatic note to the Uruguayan mission requesting the country deploy a national investigative officer to Haiti immediately.
ABC News Exclusive
Video captured on a cell phone purportedly… View Full Size
“The defense minister of Uruguay has expressed deep concern and said they will take all the necessary action,” Bonnardeaux said. “We see this as a breakdown of the command and control structure. If the allegations are proved, the assailants must be brought to justice.”
Messages left Friday with the Uruguayan mission in New York were not returned.
Bonnardeaux said the troops involved in the incident have been confined to their barracks.
Under an agreement between Haiti and the U.N., peacekeeping troops are only subject to discipline and legal action from their country of origin. Uruguay has deployed 1,100 troops to the quake-battered island nation. Bonnardeaux said the primary purpose for the U.N. troops being in Haiti is to insure the protection of Haitian civilians.
But that is not what appears to be happening on the one-minute video, which pans out from a sideways close-up of the alleged victim’s strained face to reveal his body being held down on a mattress by the uniformed men. The alleged assailants can be heard laughing as a shirtless soldier kneels behind the Haitian victim and appears to be assaulting him. The video ends as a soldier grabs the bedraggled young man’s arm and seems to try pulling him onto his feet.
Interviewed by a reporter at the courthouse, the young man said he was snatched from behind as he walked by the U.N. base. He alleged he was beaten and sexually molested. “They’re bad people — vagabonds,” he said. The young man’s mother, a street merchant, held up a pair of black pants to show they were torn. She said it was not until the video surfaced that she discovered what had happened.
“He had stayed in his bed during about two weeks but he never told me what was wrong with him,” she said. “We’re humiliated … After I saw the video, I couldn’t stop crying.”
Uruguayan Navy Lieutenant Nicolas Casariego confirmed to ABC News that the video is real. He spoke through the barbed-wire fence that surrounds the base where the alleged incident took place.
Casariego, the base commander, called the apparent abuse in the video “a game” and said it wasn’t sexual in nature. “It’s a young guy who is normally around here, like these people,” he said, pointing to a Haitian family sitting outside their home twenty yards away. He said the soldiers engaged in “some kind of bullying, but nothing more.”
The alleged assault is just the latest in a series of incidents that have frayed relations between Haitians and the 12,000 foreign troops who have been stationed in Haiti under the U.N. banner now for several years. Anti-U.N. riots shut down major cities and thoroughfares after an outbreak of cholera last October. Rumors circulated that a U.N. base had introduced the disease to Haiti. Scientific studies by the Centers for Disease Control and others have since confirmed the source of the outbreak was a Nepalese peacekeeping base in central Haiti.
Sinal Bertrand, a Haitian parliamentary deputy from the Port Salut area, said he began talks with U.N. officials last week about other allegations against the soldiers by residents of Port Salut, ranging from sexually exploiting young women to environmentally polluting the area.
Andre Jean, a local mechanic, summed up those tensions, saying he does not believe the peacekeepers make him any more secure.
“They aren’t useful to us at all,” he said. “They just go back and forth to the beach, nothing more here in Port Salut. They just check out the young girls. If something happens to you and you go to them to ask for help, they tell you, go to the police.”
Bertrand said he is calling on the U.N. to ensure that the alleged assailants in this latest case are punished.
“If they don’t collaborate with the justice system, I’ll denounce them,” he said. “I’m expecting [the U.N.] to respond, until there’s justice.”
Ansel Herz is a freelance journalist based in Haiti since 2009 who has written for The Nation, Reuters Alertnet, Inter-Press News, Haiti Liberte and other outlets.
VIOL D’UN JEUNE GARCON HAITIEN DE 18 ANS PAR QUATRES SOLDATS URUGUAYENS DES FORCES ONUSIENNES COMPOSANT LA MINUSTAH EN HAITI
RAPPORT DU RNDDH
5 septembre 2011 I. INTRODUCTION
Le Réseau National de Défense des Droits Humains (RNDDH), informé d’un cas de viol impliquant des agents uruguayens de la Mission des Nations-Unies pour la Stabilisation en Haïti (MINUSTAH) basés à Port-Salut, dans le département du Sud, a dépêché, le vendredi 2 septembre 2011, une délégation sur les lieux afin de se renseigner davantage sur les faits.
Par la publication de ce rapport, le RNDDH se propose de partager avec les communautés nationale et internationale les conclusions de ses investigations.
II. PERSONNES RENCONTRÉES
Dans le cadre de cette enquête, le RNDDH a rencontré les personnes suivantes :
1. La victime, Johny JEAN ;
2. Les parents de la victime :
Rose-Marie JEAN, mère de la victime ;
Joseph Antoinier PROSPER, beau-père de la victime ;
Clivens DONY, frère de la victime ;
James DENIS, frère de la victime ;
Dimy JEAN, frère de la victime ;
3. Un membre de la population
Ernso VALENTIN ;
4. Les autorités
Paul TARTRE, Juge de Paix de Port-Salut ;
Octave JEAN, Inspecteur Principal, responsable du Commissariat de Port-Salut.
III. PRÉSENTATION DE PORT-SALUT
Port-Salut est une commune du département du Sud. Elle accuse une superficie de quatre vingt dix kilomètres carrés quarante-cinq centièmes (90 km245). Elle comprend quatre (4) sections communales et compte environ quarante mille (40.000) habitants.
IV. PRÉSENCE ET PERCEPTION DE LA MINUSTAH À PORT-SALUT
A Port-Salut, les agents uruguayens du contingent de la MINUSTAH sont basés respectivement au PS Hôtel, situé à la rue François Capois, à proximité du Lycée Jean Hubert FEUILLÉ et à L’Uruguay Batallion Naval Task Group, une base navale localisée à la rue du Quai, près de la cité du Bord de Mer et du Marché de Port-Salut. Ils assurent la surveillance et la protection maritimes de la côte sud du pays. Leur présence contribue à la diminution du trafic de produits illicites. De plus, ils interviennent dans les cas d’accident de la circulation, offrant leur assistance aux autorités policières en cas de sollicitation.
Ces agents entretiennent avec des filles et des femmes de la population des relations sexuelles contre les produits alimentaires. Ils ont introduit des mineurs issus de familles pauvres, dans des activités commerciales sous forme de troc. En effet, pour se pourvoir en alcool, en cigarettes, en cartes de recharge et en produits illicites comme la Marijuana, ces agents donnent aux mineurs des produits alimentaires qu’ils reçoivent pour leur consommation, à charge par ces derniers de les échanger pour eux. Cette activité connue dans la commune sous le nom de « Cambiar », a été instituée par les agents de la MINUSTAH depuis leur arrivée.
Il faut souligner que cette activité a rapproché les agents de ces mineurs qui assurent le troc à leur compte. Conséquemment, ces mineurs se targuent d’être les amis de ces agents de la MINUSTAH qui profitent de cette prétendue amitié et de leur naïveté, pour les abuser. De plus, il est fait état que les agents de la MINUSTAH mènent à Port-Salut, une vie de débauche, se retrouvent dans les bars et sur les plages à toute heure du jour et de la nuit, dorment chez leurs concubines, et établissent dans la commune des activités de prostitution contre produits alimentaires.
V. FAITS RELATIFS AU VIOL DE JOHNY JEAN
Johny JEAN, né le 12 décembre 1992, est le dernier fils d’une famille de quatre (4) enfants. Il est admis en cinquième (5ème) année fondamentale à l’Ecole Communautaire de Port-Salut. Cependant, pour des raisons économiques, Johny JEAN n’a pu aller à l’école au cours de l’année académique 2010-2011. Il est présenté par sa famille comme étant un jeune préalablement très actif, corpulent et aimant le sport, particulièrement, le football.
Johny JEAN figurait parmi les mineurs qui fréquentaient les agents de la MINUSTAH et procédaient aux activités de troc au profit de ces derniers. Mais, il s’est rapproché d’un dénommé Pocho, un uruguayen agent de la MINUSTAH lui aussi qu’il considère comme étant son ami.
Le jeudi 28 juillet 2011, aux environs de quatre (4) heures de l’après-midi, Johny JEAN revenait d’un match de football et passait près de L’Uruguay Batallion Naval Task Group, situé à quelques mètres de chez lui lorsqu’il a été violemment agrippé par un des agents de la MINUSTAH connu sous le nom de Kolke. Ce dernier l’a introduit de force dans une chambre située sur la base où se trouvaient déjà deux (2) autres agents répondant aux noms de Léo et Nicolas CASARIEGO. Ils ont fait appel à un autre agent, connu pour sa part, sous le nom de Rodriguez qui sortait nu de son bain.
Les quatre (4) agents ont maltraité à coups de poing le jeune Johny JEAN. De plus, ils l’ont contraint à s’allonger sur un matelas préalablement placé à même le sol. Son pantalon a été déchiré du côté de l’enfourchure. Retenu mains au dos, l’agent Rodriguez a été le premier à le violer par sodomisation, suivi dans son forfait par Léo. Ces agents n’ont pas utilisé de préservatif pour commettre le viol qui, selon toute vraisemblance, a été bien planifié.
Tout au cours du viol, Johny JEAN appelait son ami Pocho au secours. Ses agresseurs, ne voulant pas que Pocho vienne en aide à leur victime, ont délibérément fermé la porte à clé. Pour sa part, Nicolas CASARIEGO enregistrait la scène à partir de son portable, dans une atmosphère macabrement hilare.
Johny JEAN, après avoir subi le viol, est rentré chez lui. Il n’a raconté les faits à personne, de peur d’être stigmatisé et humilié dans la commune. De plus, en raison du fait que sa mère lui avait préalablement interdit de fréquenter les agents, il n’a pas non plus rapporté le viol à ses parents. La victime saignait et se sentait fébrile. Conséquemment, il a décidé de découcher, pour éviter tout soupçon de ses parents.
Non contents d’avoir violé et battu Johny JEAN, les agents uruguayens se sont fait un plaisir de montrer la vidéo aux jeunes habitués de la base, tous amis de la victime. L’un d’entre eux, ingénieux, a enregistré la vidéo grâce à laquelle l’exaction est rendue publique.
Parallèlement, les images, répandues sur internet et diffusées dans toute la communauté, ont interpellé un ami de la famille qui vit à l’étranger. Ce dernier a appelé la mère et a partagé avec celle-ci les informations qu’il détenait. C’est ainsi que le 24 août 2011, les parents de Johny JEAN ont été mis au courant du viol subi par leur progéniture.
Le 30 août 2011, près d’un mois plus tard, Johny JEAN a été ausculté à l’Hôpital Communautaire de Référence (HCR) de Port-Salut. « L’examen physique de la victime a révélé une lacération de deux (2) millimètres environ, en voie de cicatrisation au niveau de la marge anale. Cependant, aucune prophylaxie n’a été réalisée pour la victime en raison du délai écoulé. En ce sens, il est conseillé de faire un suivi para-clinique des maladies sexuellement transmissibles tant pour les agresseurs que pour la victime. »
Le Juge de Paix de Port-Salut, Paul TARTRE, informé du viol par clameur publique, s’est transporté le 30 août 2011 sur les lieux de résidence de la famille et a recueilli les déclarations relatives au viol. Le 31 août 2011, le dossier, ensemble le pantalon et le maillot que portait la victime lors du viol, a été transmis au Parquet du Tribunal de Première Instance des Cayes pour les suites légales.
COMMENTAIRES
Le RNDDH note que depuis leur arrivée en Haïti, plusieurs agents de la MINUSTAH sont impliqués dans des cas de viols, de vols, de bastonnades, d’assassinats et d’arrestations illégales et arbitraires. Les cas suivants peuvent être pris en exemple :
1. Le 18 février 2005, trois (3) agents Pakistanais du contingent de la MINUSTAH basés aux Gonaïves ont violé Nadeige NICOLAS.
2. Le 20 mars 2005, Robenson LARAQUE, Journaliste de Radio Télé Contact a été mortellement atteint par des projectiles tirés par des agents de la MINUSTAH qui délogeaient les anciens militaires du Commissariat de Police de Petit-Goave ;
3. Le 26 novembre 2005, au Carrefour Trois Mains, sur la Route de l’Aéroport, Marie Rose PRÉCÉUS a été contrainte de faire une fellation pour un soldat Jordanien avant d’être violée par sodomisation par ce dernier ;
4. Le 20 décembre 2006, Stephane DUROGÈNE, étudiant en troisième année au Centre de Formation Classique et Économique (CFCE) a été atteint de projectiles à l’œil gauche tirés par des agents de la MINUSTAH alors qu’il passait près du Commissariat de Delmas 62 ;
5. Le 3 novembre 2007, cent –onze (111) agents Sri-lankais sont impliqués dans un cas d’abus et d’exploitation sexuels dont sont victimes des mineurs ;
6. Le 29 mai 2008, le policier Lucknis JACQUES, affecté au Commissariat de Cité Soleil a été molesté par des agents de la MINUSTAH ;
7. Le 6 août 2008, les agents de la MINUSTAH ont brutalisé deux (2) policiers Donson BIEN-AIMÉ A2 et Ronald DENIS A3, tous deux (2) affectés au Commissariat de Cité-Soleil. Ces faits ont été perpétrés contre les victimes en dépit du fait qu’ils se soient clairement identifiés ;
8. Le 18 août 2010, un mineur orphelin, âgé de seize (16) ans répondant au nom de Gérald JEAN GILLES a été retrouvé pendu à un amandier qui se trouve sur la base des soldats népalais de la MINUSTAH, située à Carénage, au Cap-Haïtien. Ce mineur fréquentait la base et rendait de menus services aux agents qui y sont affectés ;
9. A la mi-octobre 2010, les agents Népalais de la MINUSTAH affectés à Mirebalais sont impliqués dans l’apparition et la propagation du choléra en Haïti par le déversement de déchets humains dans les rivières Boukan Kanni et Jenba entrainant des pertes humaines considérables ;
10. Le 12 mai 2011, Géna WIDERSON élève en septième (7ème) année fondamentale au Collège Centre de Formation Classique de Verrettes, département de l’Artibonite, âgée de quatorze (14) ans, est atteint de deux (2) projectiles tirés par des agents de la MINUSTAH. Cet incident s’est produit au moment où des élèves du Lycée Jacques Stephen Alexis organisaient une manifestation contre la révocation d’un (1) enseignant.
Ces faits ne sont pas exhaustifs. Cependant, dans tous les cas susmentionnés, le RNDDH met en cause la responsabilité de la MINUSTAH et par voie de conséquence, celle de l’ONU car, il est inconcevable que des agents engagés dans une force onusienne, fonctionnent en dehors de toute règle de redevabilité et s’adonnent à des activités répréhensibles de toute sorte sous le couvert de leur immunité conférée par l’ONU.
Aujourd’hui, toute la communauté de Port-Salut détient la vidéo du viol, sujet prisé des discussions, ce qui constitue en soi une stigmatisation à l’encontre de la victime. Conséquemment, si rien n’est fait pour accompagner Johny JEAN en vue de l’aider à surmonter cette douloureuse épreuve et à reprendre les rennes de son existence, il risque de ne trouver aucun goût à la vie.
Les auteurs du viol crapuleux prémédité, perpétré sur Johny JEAN doivent être sanctionnés avec la dernière rigueur. L’Etat haïtien ne peut accepter que ce dossier rejoigne les nombreux cas de violations impliquant les agents de la MINUSTAH et placés dans les tiroirs. Johny JEAN a droit à un procès juste et équitable pour tous les torts causés à son endroit.
VI. RECOMMANDATIONS
Tout en condamnant le viol de Johny JEAN perpétré par les agents uruguayens de la MINUSTAH basés à Port-Salut, le RNDDH recommande aux autorités haïtiennes de :
Prendre toutes les dispositions pour que justice soit rendue à la victime ;
Mener des enquêtes supplémentaires sur d’autres allégations de prostitution, de viols, d’usage de produits illicites, perpétrés par les agents uruguayens basés à Port-Salut ;
Porter le Conseil de Sécurité des Nations-Unies à inclure, dans les clauses régissant le mandat de la MINUSTAH, des règles de redevabilité relative à la mission onusienne en Haïti.
Progressive Haitian-American Organization
Haiti Relief Fund
507 Sauk Path
Oakbrook, IL 60523
Tel: (630)789-1447
Fax: (630)789-1453
E-mail: phao. org@gmail.com
Bulletin No. 3
August 22, 2011
It is with great satisfaction that the Board of PHAO is able to share this report with all the donors who have participated in this effort of fundraising to alleviate the suffering of the thousands of victims of the devastating earthquake which almost destroyed Haiti on January 12, 2010. In partnership with Habitat for Humanity, Progressive Haitian American Organization is honored to announce the ground breaking in August 2011 of Santo Village which will be a permanent housing community in Leogane. This Village will be built on land donated by the city of Leogane, to shelter more than 500 homeless families. The initial phase of this project has been made possible by a donation of $75,000 allocated by PHAO for the construction of this vital community and all the infrastructures including water, sanitation, roads, drainage, lighting and services such as community health center, school, church, and safe play areas. Construction is undertaken by Habitat for Humanity and by year’s end, 150 permanent homes will be completed. We want to thank all donors who contributed so generously to make this project a success. The homeless families who will find a permanent shelter to begin a new a life, will be tremendously grateful to all the acts of compassion and generosity that made this housing community possible.
At the same time our sister organization Partners with Sassier has been able to accomplish progress on many fronts. Our schools in Sassier continue to provide the gift of education to about 850 students despite the hurricanes, cholera, and political disruptions. The St. Jean Baptiste Primary School and Pre-School and the College Pierre Toussaint Secondary School are fully operational and ready for the starting date of the new year of schooling. Preliminary expectations for school enrollment will be as followed:
a) Preschool–130, (120 in 2010-11)
b) Primary (Grades 1 to 6)–490-500, (471 in 2010-11)
c) Secondary (Grades 7 to 12)–320-340, (280 in 2010-11)
Total enrollment after the completion of the new school building will be about 900 and with the help of the World Food Programme’s school lunch we will be able to provide one hot meal a day for every student. We have been able to expand the computer lab, thanks to the donation of 27 laptops by Sidley & Austin (17) and McDermott, Will, and Emery (10). We now have the largest computer lab of any secondary school in the Grand Anse Province. The school building for the New Primary School in Sassier is on its way to be completed. The final date for completion of the school program in Sassier will be early January 2012 and we are mobilizing our resources for the start of the construction of the St. Anne School in Voldrogue. Partners with Sassier, Oganizasyon Zanmi Grandans, the Diocese of Jeremie and the Association for schools in Hispaniola have agreed to a going forward plan that would involve the construction of two primary schools per year for parishes in the Diocese.
The Road Rehabilitation program for the road project between Jeremie and Sassier has been completed. The Sassier Water System Rehabilitation Project which will be funded by the Catholic Relief Services, is focusing its efforts to rehabilitate the public water system in Sassier and neighboring communities, as this water distribution system has not worked for several years. Phase 1 of this project will be started before the end of the year. By the first week of October another medical mission will be undertaken with physicians and nurses from Michigan, New York and Chicago for both communities of Sassier and Voldrogue. Partners with Sassier (Zanmi Sasye) and Oganizasyon Zanmi Grandans have been working hand on hand with different international organizations to provide education, health, sanitation and sustained development initiatives for the communities of Sassier and Voldrogue and hopefully we will be able to extend some of those initiatives to the whole province of Grand Anse.
Dr. Jean C. Alexandre
President of PHAO and Partners with Sassier
La chronique de Jacob Berger au Journal Télévisé de la Télévision Suisse sur le tremblement de terre en Haiti intitulee LETTRE A MICHELE
Bulletin No. 2
One year after the devastating earthquake of January 12, 2010 the Board of Directors of Progressive Haitian American Organization wants to publish a second report to present a summary of its activities in Haiti regarding the relief of the victims of this earthquake. With the help of several international and local philanthropic organizations, PHAO was able to alleviate the impact of 2 disastrous events that struck Haiti at the end of 2010: a violent hurricane and a deadly epidemic of cholera. First we managed to ship to Haiti a 40 foot container full of medications, IV fluid, water, and medical equipment and supplies to be used for the victims of the cholera epidemic. With the support of our sister organization Zamni Sassier, we were able to organize a medical mission in January 2011 with a medical team of doctors and nurses from Grand Rapids, Michigan to bring medical relief for the population of Sassier, a small town of 10,000 in the Grand Anse Province. We used all our resources to treat about 250 patients daily for 10 days. We plan to return to the Grand Anse Province in June 2011.
With the assistance and grant donations from Zamni Sassier, the Sacred Heart Church of Winnetka, the German Government, the German Children Mission Society, and the Catholic Relief Services we are presently building two primary schools one in Sassier and one Voldrogue two adjacent cities in the Grand Anse Province. These two schools will host about seven hundred students with capability of serving them one individual hot meal daily. We are also undertaking the construction of the road connecting Sassier and Voldrogue to the neighboring communities. The progress has been slow in achieving these projects due to bad weather, hurricane season, and constant turmoil in Haiti. Nevertheless, we are hoping to have these projects completed by the end of summer of 2011, with the help of the local population. We have been also working with Remember the Children Foundation to provide them with medication, school material, clothes, canned foods, and various supplies to be distributed to primary schools and orphanages in Port-au-Prince.
Following our project to provide shelter for the homeless and victims of the earthquake living in tent cities under precarious and abject conditions, we have negotiated with Habitat for Humanity to build a village of 600 units of permanent housing in the city of Leogane, as enough land will be acquired.
The Board of PHAO is sending its appreciation and sincere thanks to all the friends and supporters who provided funding and donations to help us alleviate the suffering of the displaced, the injured, the homeless, the women and children who have been victimized by the series of catastrophic events which struck our impoverished country. We feel it is important to update our donors and partners on the charitable projects in Haiti that we have successfully completed and that we have planned for the future. Once again many thanks from the Progressive Haitian American Organization and may God bless you all.
Dr. Jean C. Alexandre, Sr.
President
Progressive Haitian-American Organization
Haiti Relief Fund
507 Sauk Path
Oakbrook, Il 60523
(630) 789-1447
Bulletin No. I
In the wake of the devastating earthquake which made so many victims in Haiti and brought much catastrophic destruction on January 12th in this impoverish country, we like to express our appreciation and gratefulness to all our friends who extended their sympathy and generosity to help us in this difficult moment.
On January 14th, with the collaboration of the International Strategic Institute of Diplomatic Research, we sent to Port-au-Prince through the Dominican Republic more than $400,000 of medical supplies and material for this crisis including: water, bandages, dressings, basic supplies, surgery kits, first aid and medication packages for 25,000 families. We also put together a special urgency fund for the victims and a special fund available for funerals.
In partnership with organizations like Zanmi Sassier, Poto Mitan, Men Kontre, Neges Foundation, Jimenez Foundation, we were able in early February to put together a team of 10 doctors and nurses for a medical Mission in Jeremie, capital of the Grand Anse Province for 12 days.
In this city of 90,000 and the surrounding areas, legions of refugees and survivors of this earthquake with amputations done in primitive conditions, badly infected wounds, multiple fractures and severe medical ailments, were seeking asylum, fleeing Port-au-Prince.
We had brought with us more than $300,000 worth of badly needed medical supplies and medicine, allowing our courageous medical team to work timelessly day and night to save dozens of life and bring relief to these victims. In spite of difficult conditions and lack of infrastructures, countless patients were treated and some twenty plus (20+) surgeries per day were performed.
Two weeks later on February 25, in collaboration with our generous friends from the U.S. and our allies on the ground, we were in the city of Leogane, Haiti which was 90% destroyed, to bring food, water, and basic supplies to some 2,500 families, giving them rations for 15 days. Working with the Mayor of Chicago, we were able to secure the donation and transfer of 3 ambulances loaded with supplies and medications to Port-au-Prince.
On March 20, we were back in the Grand Anse Province for 10 days with another medical team of 14 nurses and doctors from Michigan. This time we were able to fly some $600,000 of medicine, medical supplies and surgical equipment to St. Antoine Hospital in Jeremie including orthopedic, obstetrical and gynecological instruments, dermatome, anesthesia machine and equipment. In the country town of Sassier, where an exodus of earthquake survivors and orphans took refuge, we were treating more than 300 patients a day. At the same time we were able to undertake a distribution of 2 weeks supply of food and water to some 1800 families.
We will continue our efforts to provide relief to the victims and survivors of the earthquake by planning a third medical mission in one of the other 7 cities affected by this disastrous earthquake. Because of the impending rainy and hurricane seasons we will focus our energy toward providing stable shelter for the homeless population living in the streets and makeshift tents without any protection from the natural calamities.
We, at the Progressive Haitian American Organization, want to thank all of you brothers and sisters who have supported our efforts to alleviate this human tragedy and who generously gave us the means to sustain this relief program for the Haitian victims of the earthquake.
Dr. Jean C. Alexandre, Sr.
President
Haiti reconstruction plan
International business
Man with plan, for Haiti
A South Floridian has assembled celebrities, activists and fellow entrepreneurs to redevelop Haiti as a hip tourist destination.
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By David Adams
Special from Poder Magazine
JACMEL, Haiti — South Beach nightclub promoter and entrepreneur Michael Capponi is standing in the soon-to-be inaugurated lobby of his latest luxury development.
Men are hammering away to restore an historic old building to its former glory. Capponi is holding forth about the amazing vibe the place has, comparing the semi-derelict building to Ernest Hemingway’s famous old Key West residence, which is a popular tourist museum.
“Visitors will enter here,” he says, treading over rubble-strewn debris. “We’re keeping it very traditional-Caribbean style; brick built, open to the outside, no air-conditioning.”
The 39-year-old Capponi, who made his name in the early ’90s on SoBe with a string of nightclubs, is in his element. Famous for promoting venues like Warsaw, Amnesia, B.E.D. and LIV, he knows “the secret sauce,” as he calls it – ambience, energy, big-name people – required to create a new in scene.
Only this isn’t SoBe, and Capponi isn’t standing in any old derelict building. This is a derelict building in one of the most derelict countries in the world: Haiti.
And that’s not all. Capponi’s new mission involves fixing up a whole city – if not the entire country.
“I think we can revitalize this country completely and make it a place people want to visit,” he says. “It’s doable.”
Until last year Capponi had never set foot in Haiti. But on Jan. 17, 2010, five days after a devastating earthquake hit southern Haiti, killing an estimated 250,000 people, he found himself on a private jet with a relief team he assembled of doctors and a dozen Miami Beach firefighters. It wasn’t a new role for Capponi, who had long been involved in humanitarian causes.
The experience marked him for life.
Capponi has been back 32 times. At first it was as just one of the many relief workers. But that soon evolved into a deeper commitment. He bought 700 tents and built a camp for 3,000 homeless earthquake victims in the capital Port-au-Prince, paid for by several fundraisers Capponi organized with the United Way of Miami-Dade, of which he is a board member.
Now he has gone one step further. Frustrated by the slow pace of the international recovery effort and his desire to resettle the tent city dwellers, Capponi has launched a tourism redevelopment project in Jacmel, a quaint town on the south coast known for its local artists and papier-maché handicrafts.
The idea was born last December when he was invited to visit Jacmel by actress Maria Bello and her friend, venture capitalist Reza Bundy. He saw the potential right away, and immediately began creating a new vision for the historic downtown district. In no time he had teamed up with Haitian business leaders eager to see the town reborn.
Within weeks Capponi had architectural plans ready, as well as a rendering of how the new Jacmel might look. Next he began bringing families from his tent camp in Port-au-Prince to a new camp in Jacmel financed by the United Way and the Miami-Dade County League of Cities.
Capponi’s project has since mushroomed into a plan to redevelop the city and the surrounding coastline, involving a group of American and Haitian activists and entrepreneurs, all united in the quest to rebrand the country as a hip tourist destination.
“This is a dream come true. We want to be a Caribbean cultural destination,” says Yanick Martin, the director of the state’s regional tourism office, who owns an art gallery in Jacmel.
“Michael has developed this crush on Haiti,” says Danielle Saint-Lot, a former tourism minister who lives in Jacmel. “What’s interesting about Michael’s project is that it has a concrete business perspective. That’s what we needed, his business approach.”
Some of the group have been involved in Jacmel for some time, including Bello and New York film director David Belle who runs a film school in Jacmel, the Ciné Institute. Others, such as legendary designer Donna Karan and tennis star Venus Williams, were introduced to Haiti after the earthquake, along with Capponi.
“Michael seems to have found his calling,” says Miami Beach commissioner and condo lawyer Michael Gongora. “He’s been through a lot of adversity and he clearly wants to give back.”
Capponi’s character was molded by the school of hard knocks.
He began working for nightclubs at 15, organizing private parties, racing up and down Washington and Collins on his skateboard posting fliers. By his own estimate he was earning as much as $10,000 a month before he even graduated from high school.
But his drug habit spun out of control and by the winter of 1995 he wound up homeless on the streets of New York, before he accepted the offer of a plane ticket from his father to enter a methadone program in Belgium.
His treatment had barely begun before he collapsed in a coma and was diagnosed with a brain tumor. The tumor was benign, though removing it required major surgery and three months in the hospital. As if that wasn’t enough, while he was recovering his father had a stroke and died.
That was when Capponi decided to turn his life around. After a detox period in Canada he found himself drawn back to Miami Beach.
“I helped make Miami Beach part of what it is and I left in disgrace,” he says over a plate of conch at a Jacmel hotel overlooking the bay. “I had to come back and fix that.”
In 2005, he started the Capponi Group, which includes construction, design and development components.
He also threw himself into community activity, especially with the homeless. “Michael is wonderful. He has a lot of compassion,” says Marilyn Brummitt of the Miami Rescue Mission, which runs three centers for the homeless in Miami-Dade and Broward counties.
Combining his work with the homeless in Miami and Haiti makes perfect sense, he says.
“Living in a material, lavish world you’re not always that comfortable with it, but then you go back to Haiti and you see how that is and you’re very appreciative of what you have…. It puts a full perspective on everything.”
In Jacmel, he has his hands full. “The first thing we are going to do is clean up the beach,” he says driving over the litter-strewn sand in a rented land cruiser, as, nearby, a number of goats and pigs nose through the trash.
“I see the road paved and a bar over there,” he says, pointing to some thatched huts under palms swaying in the salty breeze. The city’s only beach hotel, La Jacmelienne, sits empty.
Capponi and his partners have already begun work on restoring a 19th century former coffee sorting house on the Jacmel seafront and making it into a 44-room, boutique hotel. The project includes a spa, adjacent shops, including a French patisserie, and a tourism information center to promote local attractions including hiking tours to local waterfalls, horseback riding, boat trips to picnic on out-of-the-way beaches, scuba diving and water sports.
A second-floor infinity-edged pool, above the old coffee sorting pits, will offer a spectacular view over the bay. The hotel will also feature a Venus Williams tennis academy with its use split between hotel guests and an after-school program for the local kids.
The hotel is scheduled to open in November as the first phase of the project. “Donna [Karan] loves it. She was walking through here the other day saying, ‘I’m picking the colors right now, and the furniture,’?” Capponi says.
Karan is also working with local artisans to develop lines of handicrafts to sell to tourists, as well as exporting to her high-end outlets in the U.S.
Capponi persuaded Haitian hip-hop artist Wyclef Jean to fund a hospitality school to train local Haitians for the coming tourism boom. Meanwhile, Belle plans to expand the Cine Institute into a full-fledged university for the arts.
The restoration of Jacmel could provide a new sustainable development model for Haiti, Capponi believes.
While he supports the multi-billion dollar efforts of foreign governments and aid agencies to reconstruct Haiti, “it became apparent to me that you can’t keep giving people stuff for free,” Capponi says. “We need to make a gradual shift from charity to empowerment. We need to empower the people of Haiti.”
To learn more about Jacmel go to www.discoveringhaiti.com. Also visit poder360.com for a picture gallery and film about the project
David Adams is the U.S. and Miami editor of Poder magazine.
MESSAGE FROM RAYMOND RENE M.D
Jérémian, Founder of “Combite Grand’Anse”
The earthquake of January 12th hit the country of HaitiPort-au-Prince was particularly affected.
From January 15th to January 25th more than 15,000 peoples migrate to their native town of Jérémie, among them traumatized peoples physically and psychically crippled, amputated with infection and homeless. No more hospital beds for admission, not enough nurses and doctors to provide care. Food and shelter are now scarce.
We, Haitians citizen, Jeremians, humanitarians and Christians, let’s rush to help our unfortunate brothers and sisters by any mean we can: physical or professional assistance, donation of medicine, money, food. Let’s bring them hope by our solidarity and generosity.
A medical team, mainly made of Jeremians, flew on Sunday, February 10 to Jérémie. By next month, a popular canteen will be opened.
Get in touch through:
- POTO MITAN INTERNATIONAL
- 1507 E 53rd STREET, 332
- CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, 60615
Or call: 773-966-7189 or 773-991-8194 for more inquiries.
MESSAGE DE RAYMOND RENE M.D
Représentant de Poto Mitan International en Floride
Les répercussions du tremblement de terre du 12 Janvier dernier affectent désormais tout le territoire d’Haïti.
A Jérémie, du 15 au 25 Janvier, la population a augmenté de plus de 15.000 personnes, parmi lesquelles des traumatisés physiques et psychiques, des estropiés, des amputés avec infection, des sans logis. Cet exode crée une situation d’extrême gravité pour la ville de Jérémie et le Département de la Grand’Anse déjà en proie à des crises démographiques et sociales complexes.
Il n’y a plus de lits à l’hôpital pour admettre les rescapes, pas assez de médecins pour les soigner, ni d’infirmières, ni suffisamment de pain pour les nourrir, ni de toit pour les abriter.
Nous Haïtiens conscients
Nous, Jérémiens patriotes
Nous, Amis d’Haïti au cœur humain
Nous, Frères et Sœurs à foi chrétienne
Courons à leur secours suivant nos possibilités : assistance physique ou professionnelle, envoi de médicaments, d’argent, de nourriture. Ne laissons pas périr nos frères, soyons solidaires et généreux.
Je vous encourage personnellement à envoyer vos dons à :
- POTO MITAN INTERNATIONAL
- 1507 E 53rd STREET, 332
- CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, 60615
Or call: 773-966-7189 or 773-991-8194 for more inquiries.
A MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE-DIRECTOR OF POTO MITAN INTERNATIONAL, M JACQUES SAINT-SURIN
Jacques Saint-Surin
“The situation is dire, disturbing and troublesome” in Jérémie as it was reported to us by Dr Jean C Alexandre, PMI President. Yes, in deed, “More help is needed in the area of food, shelter, clothes and medicine”.
First of all, allow me to share with you the history behind Poto Mitan International.
Four years ago, I found Poto Mitan, along with Dr Jean C Alexandre. This is an organization dedicated to the welfare of new Haitian migrants in the City of Chicago and committed to the socioeconomic and cultural development of Haiti. Dr Jean C Alexandre, a dear friend, encouraged me in the effort knowing my long-time devotion and compassion to helping the less fortunate human beings.
At that time, I was managing the Kids Voice, an organization I have created and engaged in the educational, intellectual, spiritual and academic development of Haitian and American youths. Programs such as after school tutoring, ESL for new migrants, Radio and Broadcasting skills, the basics of Journalism and Creative Writing, Visual Arts and Crafts, Acting and Theater techniques were being taught since the organization inception, in 1989. As a result, many former Kids Voice members are now journalists, writer, teachers, college professors, art instructors, actors, social activists and humanitarians as well. We take great pride in these noble accomplishments.
Now, our focus, while still on the youth, is fully committed to bring a breath of fresh air to the suffering of the thousands of displaced victims of the recent earthquake in Haiti. Our work and mission to alleviate the current suffering of these unfortunate people can’t and will not be possible without your generous contribution and humanitarian intervention.
Thus, I am appealing to your compassion and generosity to help us fulfill this moral and noble mission. Contributions of all sorts are welcome. Food, clothes, shelter items, first aid kits and most of all cash are needed for the success of this enterprise. We are a not-for-profit organization with Internal Revenue tax-exempt status. Therefore your contribution is tax-deductible.
However, if you contribute $500.00 or more, not only will you receive a tax-deductible voucher for your cash donation, but also one of the nicest original artwork replicas of renowned Fine-Artist, Jacques Saint-Surin listed below.
Log on Poto Mitan International.com or call us at 773-966-7189 or 773-991-8194 for more inquiries. You may also send your checks to: POTO MITAN INTERNATIONAL, 1507 E 53rd Street, suite 332. Chicago, ILLINOIS 60615.
We have also set up a PMI Haiti Relief Fund at Fifth Third Bank. Therefore you may make a direct deposit to Poto Mitan International bank account indicated below:
-ROUTING NUMBER: 042000314
-ACCOUNT NUMBER: 7237695791
REPLICAS OF ARTWORK BY JACQUES SAINT-SURIN
(N.B._ Replicas are not originals but the artist artwork mechanically reproduced. However, they are partially hand-painted and signed by the Artist. All artwork will be shipped un-stretched, rolled and unframed, free of Shipping and Handling charge unless otherwise specific conditions and terms agreed upon)
© 2010 by Jacques Saint-Surin. All photographs are copyrighted. Reproduction in any part is prohibited without prior written permission.
“THREE GENERATIONS”
Replica on Canvas
20×24
$500.00
© 2010 by Jacques Saint-Surin. All photographs are copyrighted. Reproduction in any part is prohibited without prior written permission.
“HOPE”
Replica on Canvas
18×24
$500.00
© 2010 by Jacques Saint-Surin. All photographs are copyrighted. Reproduction in any part is prohibited without prior written permission.
“L’ABONDANCE” (ABUNDANCE)
Replica on Canvas
20×24
$500.00
© 2010 by Jacques Saint-Surin. All photographs are copyrighted. Reproduction in any part is prohibited without prior written permission.
“COMMERAGES”
Replica on Canvas
18×24
$500.00
© 2010 by Jacques Saint-Surin. All photographs are copyrighted. Reproduction in any part is prohibited without prior written permission.
“MARKET IN THE MIST”
Replica on Canvas
20×24
$500.00
© 2010 by Jacques Saint-Surin. All photographs are copyrighted. Reproduction in any part is prohibited without prior written permission.
“HEARTLAND OF THE SOUTH”
Replica on Canvas
24×36
$800.00
