Haiti - USA : private partnerships, the reconstruction keys
Minority Enterprise Development (MED) is it first event in importance in the USA devoted to the entrepreneurs and owners of companies belonging to minorities. MED helps these companies to develop both national and international level through a series of activities, training and business activities of business networks.
Each year, nearly 1,500 entrepreneurs and minority business owners involved in the MED. Paul Weisenfeld coordinator for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) said:
"The U.S. government is working closely with the Government and people of Haiti to rebuild their country, we are seeing encouraging signs of progress that reflect the resilience of the Haitian people. For example, in collaboration with the Haitian Government and the international community, we have removed over 881,000 cubic meters of debris through programs "cash-for-work". But we remain realistic about the magnitude of the challenges faced by over 1.6 million displaced and millions of cubic meters of rubble they remain off. The U.S. government is determined to stay with the people of Haiti to face these challenges together, building back better.
Partnerships with businesses owned by minorities is a priority for USAID. The energy and creativity of the private sector, both in the United States and Haiti, will play a key role in the reconstruction effort. It is essential that we work with the Government and people of Haiti to target four areas where reconstruction efforts are having the greatest impact:
Increasing agricultural productivity to enhance economic and food security
Improved infrastructure, including housing and electricity
The support of sustainable health care and other basic services
To make strategic investments as regards governorship, the rule of the law and safety
One of the first contracts that USAID has provided after the earthquake was with PHS, a Haitian-American company to manage a landfill debris in Port-au-Prince. It has generated more than 2,000 cubic meters of rubble a day with the program "cash-for-work" said Paul Weisenfeld which counted the story of a business owner minorities, visiting Haiti after the quake, which has established a partnership with Haitian company for the provision of 600 portable toilets, the contractor told him 'Yes, sir, things are difficult, but if someone is persistent, and if you want to work with a local partner of Haiti, there are many opportunities".
