News

Oxfam: Time to Lead on Haiti’s Tent Cities

By: Caribbean Journal Staff - July 12, 2011

Above: a tent city in Haiti (Photo: UN)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

International aid group Oxfam warned that leadership is needed from new Haitian President Michel Martelly’s government to help the 630,00 people still living in tent cities in the country.

Relocating the over-600,000 people still living in the camps was never going to be a quick fix,” said Roland Van Hauwermeiren, country director for Oxfam in Haiti. “But the new government, once confirmed, must take key decisions on issues that are preventing people from leaving the camps.”

According to Van Hauwermeiren, the need for help included settling legal issues over land tenure, creating jobs to help people pay rent and removing rubble still covering streets.

Another threat existed for residents of Haiti’s tent cities: eviction.

“The Haitian government must protect those people who have been displaced by the earthquake from now having to face the second trauma of being forcibly evicted from the camps where they have been living,” Van Hauwermeiren said.

Martelly has developed plans to close six camps with approximately 25,000 people.

Almost a quarter of refugees living in these cities face the threat of eviction, according to a recent report by the International Organization for Migration.

Popular Posts w punta cana

A New All-Inclusive W Hotel Is Opening This Year in Punta Cana 

The first-ever all-inclusive W Hotel in the Caribbean is opening this year in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Caribbean Journal has learned.  The hotel, part of a broad expansion for parent company Marriott International, is on the list of expected 2024 […]


Why Grenada Is a New Caribbean Luxury Hotspot

beach house silversands

From its world-renowned chocolate to its pristine beaches to a region-leading focus on sustainability, Grenada is as fascinating and unique as destination as you’ll find in the Caribbean.  But in the last few years, the lush Eastern Caribberan island has […]


5 Adults-Only Resorts to Visit Right Now in the Caribbean 

galley bay

Sometimes you just want that extra degree of serenity, of privacy, of seclusion. There is a reason, after all, that adults-only resorts are booming in popularity, particularly in the Caribbean: travelers want to know that when they arrive, they know […]


Related Posts nobu los cabos

Frontier Is Adding a New Nonstop Flight to Los Cabos 

It’s one of the most popular hotel destinations in Mexico: Los Cabos, which has seen a broad boom in recent years with the entry to market of brands like Nobu, Thompson, Marriott and Waldorf Astoria, among others.  That has led, […]


This Former Caribbean Rockefeller Resort Is for Sale

caribbean rockefeller resort

In 1986, Laurance Rockefeller, the founder of Rock Resorts, developed 27 acres of prime beachfront land into what was for decades one of the sought after places to stay in the Caribbean. Now, the four-star, 150-room resort is for sale, […]


Vote for the 2024 Caribbean Green Awards, from Green Energy to Sustainable Hotels

caribbean green

Hotels serving organic food grown by local farmers. Airports powered by large solar fields. Pristine coastlines protected by marine parks. Real estate developments fueled by clean energy. It’s an exciting time for the Green movement in the Caribbean, a region […]


SUBSCRIBE!

Sign up for Caribbean Journal's free newsletter for a daily dose of beaches, hotels, rum and the best Caribbean travel information on the net.


No. Thank You