The deluge of international relief items after the massive Jan. 12 earthquake is doing little, if no good at all, for small Haitian businesses, The Wall Street Journal reports. The provision of relief goods, which are sourced from foreign nations, has led to lower domestic prices.
“Of course we welcome the relief, but nobody wants to buy water if there’s free water on the streets,” said Alex Zamor, owner of a Haitian drinking water factory. “We should be helping Haitian companies instead of companies in Florida.”
According to Peace Dividend Trust, as little as 5 percent of aid money is spent in needy nations.
The U.S. Agency for International Development said that most Haitian businesses could not handle the volume of orders following the disaster. It also took into account the quality of products such as tarpaulins. U.S.-made plastic tarpaulins, USAID Haiti mission director Carleene H. Dei noted, can better weather Haiti’s rainy season.
But Dei expects the rebuilding phase to see increased activity by local firms as suppliers and contractors.
“We are very cognizant of the fact that the way to develop Haiti is to work with local organizations,” Dei told WSJ. “We are making every effort to do that.”
