Displaced Somalis Support American Haiti Response (Kind of)

by Sidney Traynham · 2010-02-03 16:47:00 UTC
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HaitiIt’s a beautiful thing when the world comes together to support America’s efforts in Haiti. Just ask some war-displaced Somalis, Darfuris and Pakistanis.

Earlier this week, the U.S. Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) sent emails to its regional offices requesting that they cut their humanitarian budgets by 40 percent in order to support the massive humanitarian response in Haiti. And while there are some promises that these budget cuts will eventually be replenished, it all seems a bit, well … immoral.

As the humanitarian assistance arm of the U.S. Agency for International Development, OFDA oversees and funds the American government’s response to humanitarian catastrophes –- ranging from assisting cyclone survivors in Burma to supporting conflict-displaced Darfuris.

OFDA funds are not the budgets for long-term development projects that help poor people become less poor. This is the pool of money that helps people not die in the midst of humanitarian disasters. So effectively, the U.S. government is saving lives in Haiti by cutting humanitarian budgets elsewhere with some hopeful promises to replenish.

Even more strangely, OFDA may even have to reimburse the Department of Defense and FEMA for some of their roles in the Haiti response (apparently the U.S. military can pay for guns with inscribed Bible quotes, but not food for hungry earthquake survivors).

Absolutely, the human devastation in Haiti is astronomical –- and extraordinary U.S. government funding support is fully needed. But the solution is not to borrow against other humanitarian assistance programs across the globe.

Maybe I can offer up a few alternatives. How about buying less ‘smart’ bombs in the $708 billion 2011 defense budget? Or maybe skim a little off the top of the returned bank bailout money? Or how about imposing a Haiti tax on the forthcoming corporate investment in America’s elections?

But in all seriousness, Haiti needs a supplemental budget request. It does not need a loan from other disaster survivors.

Photo credit: IFRC

Sidney Traynham is an aid worker and writer working in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
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