AP reports a $20-million Haiti loan fund via Bill Clinton

Friends and family have asked me if I’m still blogging about Haiti. Many express dismay that earthquake recovery there has been pushed off the mainstream media’s radar screen by BP’s oil spill.
Well, this afternoon, I’m happy to report that as of an hour ago, Haiti is back on the radar screen — at least that of Bill Clinton, the Associated Press, and now yours:

Former President Bill Clinton announced a plan Thursday to help Haiti recover from the Jan. 12 earthquake with loans to small and medium-size businesses backed by aid from the world’s richest man.

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton, center, speaks to members of the media prior to the first board meeting of the Interim Haiti Reconstruction Commission in Port-au-Prince, June 17, 2010. C (AP Photo/Alexandre Meneghini)

I like so many things about this.
I like that Bill Clinton is still engaged in this problem.
I like that the rich guy is not from the USA — Carlos Slim (pictured here to the left) is a Mexican billionaire (also in the photo is Haiti Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive).
I like that AP chose to report on this important announcement.
And I really like that the grant is all about getting Haitian-owned and run businesses launched or back on track. Believe me, if my home collapsed in an earthquake, destroying my computers which are my livelihood, I’d really appreciate a loan so I could get myself up and running again. I imagine plenty of Haitian business men and women feel the same way.

NPR on how foreign aid can hurt Haiti

NPR’s Adam Davidson and Caitlin Kenney visited Artibonite in Haiti to see how the massive influx of foreign aid has affected the Haitian economy.

L’Artibonite, a Haitian town two hours north of Port-au-Prince, wasn’t damaged in this year’s earthquake. But the foreign aid that flowed into Haiti after the quake has been a blow to the area. Most of the people in l’Artibonite earn their living by growing and selling rice, Haiti’s staple food. But the influx of foreign food aid has meant that many Haitians can now get rice for free. As a result, the price of rice in Haiti has plummeted.

A local resident said she’s not mad at the NGOs, she and her neighbors just wish the aid would make it up to their region, too.

Mirana Honorable, a rice farmer, has to choose between selling enough rice to pay for her children to go to school, and having enough rice for her family to eat. Mirana Honorable, a rice farmer, has to choose between selling enough rice to pay for her children to go to school, and having enough rice for her family to eat.

For the full story (text and audio), click here.

Alzheimer’s Assn seeks advocacy specialist

The Alzheimer’s Association National Office is looking for a dynamic, experienced public affairs professional to do the following:

Implement state and federal grassroots advocacy efforts;
Maximize the use of cost-effective internet and other electronic technology to advance the advocacy goals of the Association;
Provide quality e-advocacy technical assistance to Association staff.

This position is based in Washington, DC.

The Alzheimer’s Association is the world’s leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer care, support and research. We are the largest private funder of Alzheimer research and the premier source of information and support for the more than 5 million Americans with Alzheimer’s disease and their 11 million families and caregivers. Number 85 on the Philanthropy 400 and ranked eighth in the health care sector, the Alzheimer’s Association was recently named one of Non-Profit Times 50 best places to work for 2010.

For more information and to apply, click here.

Panel discussion 6/23: Haiti and disaster communications – Needs, lessons learned, opportunities

Please join us for this brown-bag lunch event sponsored by Progressive Communicators of Washington, DC (PCDC):

Format: Panel discussion, bring your own brown-bag lunch
Date & time: Wed., June 23, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m.
Location: World Wildlife Fund, 1250 Twenty-Fourth Street, NW, Washington, DC
Event sponsor: Progressive Communicators of Washington, DC (PCDC), http://PCDCnetwork.org
RSVP: Email CPowell@CPknowhow.com with “Haiti Lunch” in the subject line – Space is limited,* so reserve today!

A disaster the magnitude of the Haiti earthquake, and in our own hemisphere to boot, drew unprecedented media attention. Donations poured in. Some NGOs – including Save the Children, ACDI/VOCA, CHF International, and HelpAge International – realized that having strong, on-the-ground communications support could make a tremendous difference in getting word out about the disaster’s impact. Home offices thirsted for stories on how individual lives were affected.

Disaster communications can play a critical role in supporting an organization’s advocacy, fundraising, donor communications and even program (PSAs, messages to disaster-affected populations). Humanitarian relief organizations are more aware of this potential than ever since the January quake. What function do emergency communications professionals play on the ground? What are the opportunities for freelance communications professionals?

CONFIRMED SPEAKERS:

Kate Conradt, Director of Media and Communications, Save the Children – Kate, a former journalist and a five-year veteran at Save the Children, was in Haiti the day after the earthquake. She was interviewed as early as Day 2 by many media outlets, including NPR, CBS News and The Guardian. She started at Save just before Hurricane Katrina, so can compare/contrast the two disasters from a comms perspective.

Sandra Bunch, Senior Director, Public Relations & Communications, ACDI/VOCA – An RPCV with a decade of experience in international development communications, Sandra can discuss ACDI/VOCA’s comms strategy given the organization’s long-term presence in Haiti working on food security.

Cindy Powell, Principal, CP Knowhow LLC, was in Haiti during Month 2 after the quake serving as a consultant to HelpAge International, an NGO that advocates for and serves older people in developing countries. Media placements include The New York Times, The Washington Post, Associated Press, Miami Herald, and more.

(To be confirmed): Randy Lyness, Director, The Americas, CHF International– Randy has 25 years of experience in international development and has made at least two trips to Haiti since the quake. Randy can discuss Haiti’s prospects for recovery within long-term context of other Latin American and Carribbean countries. He has been interviewed on NPR and other major outlets about Haiti’s needs for transitional shelters.

*IMPORTANT: If you have RSVP’d and your plans change, please notify us 24 hours in advance as it is important to have an accurate head count to organize this event. No-shows may mean we unnecessarily turn away people who would have liked to attend.

Save the date: June 23 luncheon panel on Haiti and Disaster Communications

Save the date: Luncheon panel on Haiti & emergency communications — Wed June 23 in Washington DC. Featuring yours truly, as well as comms folks from Save the Children, ACDI/VOCA and (hopefully) CHF International. Sponsored by PCDC, Progressive Communicators of DC. More soon.

Depends underwear in colors & prints – It’s never too late!

Saw this Facebook post from a friend tonight:

I just saw a commercial for Depends–now in new colors and prints! Uh, who are you trying to impress?

Depend® Underwear for Women in Colors and Prints

Well, I got news for you, FB fuddy duddy. Older people still have it in ‘em to fall head over heels. And drop their drawers for a little nookie.

In fact, a University of Chicago study just a few years ago shows that more than half of OP still have sex. And CBS News thought that was purdy durn newsworthy:

Lead author Dr. Stacy Tessler Lindau, an assistant professor of geriatrics, as well as obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Chicago Medical School, says that sexuality is an essential component of life, no matter what age a person is.

And this Twilight Sex phenomenon ain’t new. TIME Mag reported on OP gettin’ it on in a Florida old folks home way back in the early 1970s:

Rather than marry, many elderly men and women pair off in what one geriatric counselor calls “unmarriages of convenience”—relationships established for companionship and sex but never formalized because, as married couples, they would receive less income from Social Security and other retirement benefits than they do by remaining single.

So maybe it’s us middle-aged folks that are the party poopers. But many think nursing home staff need to loosen up and allow a little more nookie on those craft-matic automatic adjustable beds, as MSNBC reported two years ago:

“Most staff have the same mindset many of us do, which is ‘I don’t want to think about my parents having sex, let alone my grandparents,’” Gayle Doll, who directs Kansas State University’s Center on Aging, told LiveScience. The researchers suggest educating staff about sexuality and making sex in nursing homes less hush-hush.

Heck, at the rate I’m going, I kinda look forward to flirting during Bingo and while eating my soft-food cafeteria meal, dentures on my lunch tray.

Maybe colorful, patterned Depends will be the new thong before too long. Might not be such a bad thing after all….

Some real progress in Haiti – CHF International update

Just got this update across the transit, and am delighted to see CHF International making a real difference in Haiti: CHF Continues Major Cleanup and Job Creation Program in Petit-Goave

The rubble’s getting cleared and Haitians are getting cash for work — an average of $62 per person. It’s a double-header.

Here’s one program participant CHF quotes on its site: Ms. Deliverance Pierrot, a 55-year-old survivor of the earthquake.

Before January 12, I had a small business selling food, but I lost everything in the earthquake. With this money, I am going to pay my debts. I can say that if I did not have this program, my situation would be extremely difficult because I have no other options. Even if the work is hard and the sun burns, I am obliged to do this because if I don’t, I won’t have any money – and without money, a person cannot live. Therefore this program represents something extraordinary. In sum, I would like to thank God and the people responsible for this program, who have permitted me to be a beneficiary today.

Deliverance Pierrot, 55 -- Photo from CHF International

Go CHF!