Hope and Struggle: Understanding International Development

Haiti – Successes and Failures of INGO’s

In his article for the Washington Post, William Booth discusses how two International NGOs, HelpAge International and Project Concern International, went into Haiti and restored order in the nursing homes. However, Booth says that six months later, “HelpAge abandoned the project after it failed to negotiate a new agreement with city hall. The group Project Concern International, which was operating a clinic on the grounds of the nursing home, also closed down after the mayor asked for rent.”

A video made by HelpAge International addressing the role they played in Haiti:

A Link to Project Concern International’s latest news:

It appears that NGOs are having problems. So what does the government have to say? According to Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive, “foreign NGOs operate in Haiti with little regard to government planning and that their presence, while necessary, can actually undermine long-term recovery efforts.

“By funneling most aid dollars through the NGOs rather than the government, which struggles with a legacy of corruption, the NGOs condemn the country to a cycle of dependence.” Despite this statement, Americans alone have donated $1.4 billion toward the relief effort.