Home » Our work » Around the world » The Caribbean » Haiti

The Atlantic hurricane season commenced on June 1 and will last until November. Given the destruction wrought by several storms and hurricanes last year, particularly to Haiti and, to a lesser extent, Jamaica, there is guarded optimism that the region will be spared further devastation this year.

There are serious concerns over the possible effects the spread of the H1N1 virus or swine flu will have on the tourism industry. A premier regional sporting event has already been cancelled as a result of the pandemic.

The continuing global economic slump has resulted in a number of countries exploring the potential of negotiating more support from the International Monetary Fund and other international financial institutions, in order to prevent job losses in the public sector and to ease the pressure on vulnerable communities.

The recent appointment of former US President Bill Clinton as the United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for Haiti has fuelled great expectations. Many believe the former president will be able to use his offices, contacts and influence to secure funding for various development programmes.

Highlights from our projects

• Final preparations have been underway for the hosting of a regional blind cricket tournament in Guyana. The participating teams will include joint 2008 champions Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago, as well as Barbados and Guyana. A fundraising celebrity match will also be taking place as part of the tournament.
• In Jamaica, district hospitals at Black River, May Pen and Christiana were visited by the Executive Director of the Caribbean Council for the Blind, with a view to establishing vision centres at each location. That would bring the number of vision centres in the southern region of Jamaica to four.
• As part of Blindness Awareness Month 2009 the St. Lucia Blind Welfare Association (SLBWA) hosted several activities which received extensive media coverage, including a low vision sensitisation session at JQ Mall which included displays of low vision aids and devices, assessment kits and vision screenings, an assembly for people living with blindness and low vision, involving clients, parents, students and service providers, a walk for sight, a SLBWA staff retreat and a sunset cruise fundraiser.