Hundreds of children roam the streets of Santo Domingo, a city of 2.1 million. Some are Dominican and some Haitian. Many are both. Most were born there, but few know how to legally prove their citizenship as they struggle to survive.... Read more»
Over the past seven years, the Dominican government has re-written its constitution, re-interpreted old laws and passed new ones, effectively eliminating birthright citizenship. Today, a child born in the Dominican Republic is no longer automatically a citizen; citizenship goes only to those who can prove they have at least one documented parent.... Read more»
In the Dominican Republic, the lifetime risk of maternal death is one in 320, according to UNICEF. That’s almost seven times higher than in the United States.... Read more»
Haitian women make up a large portion of the patients giving birth in Dominican hospitals. In the capital of Port–au–Prince, hospitals estimate that up to 35 percent of the patients in their maternity wards are Haitian. On the border, the numbers are higher still. One hospital director estimated that three out of four of his patients are Haitian women who come there to give birth.... Read more»
Thousands — and potentially hundreds of thousands — of people who were born on Dominican soil to illegal immigrants are being told that they aren’t citizens of the Caribbean nation.... Read more»
Broadcasting from tarpaulin tents, Haiti’s radio journalists are striking a more critical tone.... Read more»
Roman Catholic priest Michel Badagbor can only wonder just how many of his parishoners visit the fetish market, where remedies to block evil spells and “juju” can be bought to ensure prosperity.... Read more»
When my sister, 101st Airborne Army Capt. Chaplain Fran E. Stuart, returned from Iraq, she was forever changed. Not only had the desert sand, gun blasts and heat penetrated her psyche during her one-year deployment, but a carcinogen had made its way into her body as well.... Read more»1
Like monks calculating the number of angels able to dance on the head of a pin, the apparatchiks of our international assistance community remain focused on dogma, never questioning the foundations of their credo.... Read more»
Pledging money is the easy part. The U.S., the lead donor and friend with the greatest interest in Haiti’s development, can do much more: its own aid programs can be more effective; and it can take steps that are far more critical to long-run prosperity for Haiti’s people.... Read more»
Three days after the quake, there’s looting and hoarding on Chile’s streets as residents wait for basic necessities to be restored.... Read more»
How can America best help the survivors of Haiti’s catastrophic earthquake? Give them visas to come to the United States.... Read more»
Sometimes, the difference between life and death is almost too absurd for words. Survivors of the Haiti earthquake reflect on how close they came to tragedy.... Read more»1
When the American Baptist missionaries came into this small village perched above the destroyed capital, Maggie Moise willingly gave away her 9-year-old twins.... Read more»
Looking do more to help victims of the Haitian earthquake? Come out to see some great local music at the Benefit for Haiti Reborn at Club Congress on Sunday.... Read more»
Most people wouldn’t consider an earthquake to be an environmental issue. But while the tremors that shattered Haiti early this month have nothing to do with the island’s degradation, the extent of the suffering they unleashed is a direct result of the country’s ecological woes.... Read more»
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