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'Rebuilding Haiti': A look at the many challenges Haiti has faced since the catastrophic earthquake 3 years ago and what's still needed for recovery
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How to -- in education jobs what other challenges does Haiti still face.
And can the small nation make a comeback.
-- what the biggest obstacles facing Haiti today.
No questions of corruption brought -- these.
The government.
The government tried respected is just so much corruption -- every level then.
-- of the best thing when we were in Haiti right after the earthquake was when the 82 airborne became man and for a few months they were they were the government.
Then you -- get things done.
They they need.
The government that has authority.
Is there any sure sense of infrastructure mean people here in the United States you know we have some infrastructure we have roads we have police -- Give a sense that there's any infrastructure there don't.
Sure there there's infrastructure and and then used to do see some improvements after very.
Another earthquake -- some in the -- were destroyed him and -- come back to some degree we were there together.
Sam don't even drive normal mass software and all of a sudden there's a -- broke that news.
Hasn't been paved and it's all -- holes and that's because there earthquake there hasn't been fixed yet.
But the the Haitian people are not lazy growth Rivera hard working people when they just need an opportunity -- chance.
Is there and educational system either stoplights.
-- reserve fire department any of those things.
Well.
You -- Occasionally though you'll see your pleas from may be directing traffic but know -- -- don't have a lot of that they do have an education system.
It is an adequate no way it's not -- in -- schools has not reopened after the -- of these big earthquake.
But three in three years we have seen improvement in -- and there are few bright spots.
Obviously it's a very different situation now that it was in the immediate aftermath of the -- you don't have.
Destroyed buildings everywhere you you don't have thank god bodies in the streets.
But if you really talking about -- long term things that are necessary in order for people in Haiti to have better lives.
Stronger institutions and more resilience stage.
Those things are no better today than they were three years ago and unfortunately the country is in many ways in the same condition that it was on the afternoon before the earthquake.
The big -- is there hasn't been a lot of improvements in the country because right after the earthquake the entire country was -- chaos nearly every building over one story was demolished the -- who -- demolished.
So there's been a lot of progress yet it's look.
How do you describe it today.
-- I think you have to remember the background of Haiti even before they hate -- before the earthquake Haiti was the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.
Only 30% of the population had access to electricity.
Probably less than 5% of the road to what we would consider good.
C began with act backdrop and then you look where they are today and I still got a lot of ways to improve but there's been some progress but a lot of frustration to.
Just do you sense a frame of reference -- when I was there with you down in December.
-- to travel from the airport.
To the -- -- -- academy's about how many miles.
That's right about fifteen mouse and it took us how long the -- fifteen miles on a good that you can make into hours' notice there's something wrong next.
There's definitely something wrong as you'll see the roads even the main thoroughfares which is the -- you're riding on.
-- look pretty good per couple hundred yards and then you'll have a couple of yards -- missing road.
And that's a problem the government just hasn't been able to establish itself to make so long term improvements in the infrastructure those things that are the foundation.
I don't functioning government society where the people can be healthy and and prosper.
There's always a chance that things can improve.
I just wouldn't say that things really seem to be improving right now it seems that the same mistakes that were made before the earthquake.
They made the conditions so bad during the earthquake are still present.
And there isn't really a lot of signs of those things are changing right now.
Port Au Prince is not the best placed.
A -- -- the capital.
And it just seems so dysfunctional -- and former French but if you get out of the citadel but you do see improvement and -- -- and there's some improvements on certain parts of the city no question.
But -- is still plays a basket case in the Haitian people need help.
-- rather not lazy people these are good hard working people the great people.
They just need a little bit of help.
And that's what I want to us America's first we -- to continue to help the people and I wanna do it in the in Jesus name I wanna do and gone son's name.
And just -- of them and do the best we can for them.
And we can make a difference like can help the whole country but we can help a few -- and that's -- that's well 10 in on the few that I can help.
And do it in God's name and to show God's love to that those few that I can take care of.
What are the biggest obstacles facing Haiti.
I think the -- -- just having a government that truly is functioning looking at the long range things as infrastructure items that help to society to prosper for a long time you know Haiti's had a history of this for years.
Mean they've had one bad government after another US has a long history there you know member we first -- and an occupied -- unity from 1915 to 1934.
And then we had US forces back again after President Aristide left in 2004.
So -- had a history of these non functioning governments -- governments -- only to benefit themselves rather than the people and that takes a long time to recover.
Do you sense says today Haiti can rebuild itself the problem and I and I'm -- -- itself from the earthquake which is rebuild itself from seven decades and have squalor and lack of infrastructure.
-- -- -- -- -- I think he can occur it's going to be a slow process and it takes dedication a lot of help from partner groups from nongovernmental organizations from other national governments the UN forces are still there.
But the potential is there again if you just look at the other side of the -- as American republic you can see what the potential could be for Haiti.
Mean there's actually cruise ship -- client's stocks in Haiti -- whoever heard of a cruise ship going to Haiti so the potential is there just has to be developed and fostered and and work for the future.
The real problem comes down to a lack of durable institutions in the country and -- part of that has to do -- Interference from the outside over the years and also the functions of the state.
And functions that would ordinarily be provided by public agencies and you buy private Haitian agencies.
Being supplanted by organizations and and governments on the outside that's that's been a real problem in Haiti for decades and it's.
Been a huge problem since your -- and so problem today.
We can't judge Haiti's progress against a modern first world country.
Before the earthquake -- -- -- again poorest country in the Western Hemisphere so it has a long way to go.
