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Réa Dol vs. the Republic of NGO's

The past few months have brought SOPUDEP's work to the publics attention through the international media and activist groups. This latest article from The Huffington Post starts to dig a bit deeper than just a program acting in a moment of crisis, but what separates them from the pact in a never ending sea of foreign and local NGO's that seem to bog Haiti down.

There has been a fair amount of healthy debate around this article. I should mention that it is easy to see big NGO bad and small good, but real life isn't like that. There are bigger NGO's doing good in the country (Rea has said so herself) and there are small ones that are trying to take advantage of the situation. It's not the word NGO that should be demonized, but just careful attention paid to the people who run them.

Yes there is too much foreign presence that everyday successfully hollows out more of Haiti's already weakened government. Yes there is not enough support for Haitian grassroots projects and lack of acknowledgment that the success of rebuilding their country falls on them, but we can't lump every foreign group together as a threat to Haiti's solidarity and call it a day.

This is a vast and serious topic that needs to be explored and talked about by charity supporters and activists everywhere. Question the organizations and people you support!