#1482: "Haiti, the poorest country ..., " AIDS, etc (fwd)

[Robert Corbett <bcorbett@netcom.com>]

From: Max Blanchet <MaxBlanchet@worldnet.att.net>

I am much less concerned about how Haiti is

characterized than I am disturbed about the

reality that Haiti is ranked 152nd in the world

on the basis of the human development index

(HDI) published yearly by the UN Development

Program in its "Human Development Report."

HDI takes into account GNP per capita as well

as longevity and the level of education.

We are indeed  in very bad shape and I am much

more interested in the steps being taken by the

Haitian Government and society at large to remedy

the terrible predicament the vast majority of Haitians

finds itself in today than I am about how we are

perceived by others.

As a matter of fact, the argument might logically be made

that once we deal effectively with the former, the latter

might very well take care of itself, at least in part.

Some of the older folks on the list might recall how

China and South Korea, even India, were perceived

50 years ago.

Likewise, with AIDS!

We all know how badly how we were treated by CDC

and the US media. And how strongly the diaspora reacted

to this outrage.

But, the fact remains that seroprevalence is approximately

7% in Haiti and growing. This translates roughly into 560,000

of our people, mostly our young, with the virus. And unless

the problem is dealt with, we can easily project that one

fourth of our  people will have the virus within the next 20 years.

This is no joke!

Parts of Africa are already there!

What is being done about this plague?

We know that in Haiti where the health budget  amounts

to less than $5 per capita per year, very little can be

expected by way of treatment to check and roll back AIDS.

What about our political, religious, cultural leaders gettting

together as part of a vast and energetic media campaign to

educate and sensitize our youth about this plague?

One would think that on this one issue which involves the

very survival of our country, they should be able to put their

differences aside to achieve a common front in a common fight.

This is not asking too much.

After all, Museweni in Ouganda has done just that and is

credited by many with having brought AIDS growth to a halt.

Angle ekri, angle konprann!!!