AMERICA/HAITI-It is urgent to help Haitians affected by the earthquake to become self-sufficient

West Hartford (Agenzia Fides) - In spite of the enormous aid to the Haitian people hit by an earthquake 16 months ago, the Caribbean nation still needs a lot of support. A note of the Catholic Transcript, the magazine of the Archdiocese of Hartford, Connecticut, reports that before the earthquake, the illiteracy rate in Haiti was 52%, and half the population lived on less than $ 1 a day. The country has the highest infant mortality rate in the region and there are only 2 doctors per 10 000 inhabitants. Agricultural productivity was so low to fulfill only 28% of the gross domestic product. Haiti has produced only 49% of the requirements it needs, forcing the country to import food. In the program of the Diocese of Norwich "Outreach to Haiti" and the Church of St. Peter Claver, Jude Marie Banatte, the Haitian doctor, who worked with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) for 11 years, spoke about the activities of CRS on the island and the progress made after the earthquake. "Agriculture does not meet the needs of the country but in Haiti hunger or malnutrition is not suffered, " said the doctor. Since the earthquake, the CRS has distributed 25 million rations and over 1.2 million homeless people have been housed in open spaces. The CRS aims to help Haitians to become self-employed and to pay for their keep. At the moment 11 000 people are engaged in fee collection of the debris, they clean the canals and build shelters. 1,300 water and health units have been installed , despite these achievements, the people have the impression that enough has not been done. (AP) (Agenzia Fides 09/05/2011)