2015 CARIFESTA Haiti

A delegation of officials from CARICOM, visited the Musée du Panthéon National Haïtien (MUPANAH), especially accompanied by Ms. Michele Gardere Frisch, the Director of the Museum as well as members of the Organizing Committee of CARIFESTA Haiti 2015.

This visit is part of a prospecting tour of sites that will host the Carifesta events that will take place from 14 to 23 August in Port-au-Prince, Cap Haitien, Les Cayes, Gonaives and Jacmel.

Haitian Judge dismiss abuse case against US citizen

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — A judge in Haiti has dismissed the case against a U.S. citizen who was accused of abusing residents of an orphanage that he has run for three decades in the Haitian capital.

Michael Geilenfeld, who had been in custody since his Sept. 5 arrest, was released Wednesday after a brief trial before a judge in Port-au-Prince.

Five former residents of the St. Joseph's Home for Boys had accused Geilenfeld of physical and sexual abuse. None of the alleged victims, all adults now, testified at the trial.

Defense lawyer Alain Lemithe said the accusations were vague and unsubstantiated.

"They had nothing against him," Lemithe told The Associated Press on Thursday. "They had no proof whatsoever so he has been released."

Manuel Jeanty, a lawyer for the victims, said neither he nor any of his clients attended the proceeding because they weren't notified in advance that it would be taking place. He said he planned to file an appeal.

"The justice system is not working," Jeanty said.

Geilenfeld, 63, founded the St. Joseph's Home for Boys in 1985. His charity grew to encompass three homes, a guest house for missionaries and a dance troupe that toured the U.S. and Canada to promote the organization.

In February 2013, Geilenfeld and Hearts with Haiti, a North Carolina nonprofit group that raises money for the orphanage, filed a defamation suit against Paul Kendrick, an activist in Maine who had publicized allegations of child sexual and physical abuse at the facility. The suit called the charges "false and heinous" and said they had been investigated and determined to be false.

Geilenfeld said in a deposition filed in the civil case that an email and blog campaign by the activist had cost his organization more than $1.5 million in donations.

He denied ever engaging in a sexual act with anyone under age 18. "I have devoted my life to enriching the lives of children in Haiti, the United States and abroad," he said in the deposition.

A trial in the defamation case was put on hold because of Geilenfeld's arrest but is now expected to be scheduled in the coming months, said Peter DeTroy, a lawyer for the plaintiffs. "We look forward to our day in a Maine court," he said.

Kendrick said he also welcomes a resumption of the civil case so alleged victims of abuse can testify.

"The case against me presents a great opportunity for these men to tell their stories in the safety of a U.S. courtroom and they're looking forward to doing that," he added.

___

Associated Press writers Ben Fox in Miami and David Sharp in Portland, Maine, contributed to this report.

Single Uniform for Students in Public Schools

In a note, the Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training "informs the public in general and the education community in particular that, by presidential decree, signed by the Cabinet March 18, 2015, it was decided that students in public schools, both of fundamental and secondary levels, now will wear the same uniform from the academic year 2015-2016.

This decision answers, among others, to the sake of integration, equal treatment and safety of all students of national schools and high schools of the Republic. It will also reduce the cost of purchasing uniforms for the State and families.

The Ministry requests at all educational agents to make all the arrangements for the full implementation of this measure, starting next school year."

Also last Thursday at the second meeting of the forum of former Haitian Ministers of Education, Nesmy Manigat, the Minister of National Education, in reference to this note, said that this decision was not imposed on private schools, but stressed, having encouraged them to adopt this measure.

Fatima Official Video " Abandone'm "

European Union Donations 21 Vehicles

Within the framework of component "institutional strengthening" of the program to support the National Transport Policy (APONTRA) of the European Union (EU), Ambassador of the EU, Javier Niño Pérez, during a ceremony officially handed over the keys of 20 vehicles pickup and a station wagon, to Charles Jean-Jacques, the National Authorising Officer, which serves as an interface between the Haitian Government and the EU. A donation estimated to more than 27 million gourdes

This delivery of key was attended by several officials from the Ministry of Transport (MTPTC) and the Office of the National Authorising Officer. With this support, the Ministry of Transport and in particular its 10 departmental directorates will be better equipped to monitor road conditions and the ongoing projects and improve the condition of roads in the country.

Recall that between 2008 and 2013, the European Union has allocated about 30% of the overall budget of its aid to Haiti to road transport, is 267.5 million euros. By 2017 (and since 2010 only), the EU will have vested some 178 million euros in the national transportation policy, or more than 10 billion gourdes. 20% of the amount provided by the French Development Agency and 80% through the European Development Fund.

The objectives of the bilateral cooperation in the field of transport is to build and maintain roads, carry out necessary studies and provide institutional support to MTPTC. Improve road infrastructure in a sustainable way is beneficial for citizens by facilitating their access to fields, markets, schools and health facilities. Good road infrastructure is also fundamental for economic actors to develop exchanges between the centers of production and consumption, between the cities and the countryside, and in general to open up the interior.

Kanaval 2015 Music Video

Kanaval 2015 Music Video Mix

Haiti Airspace Improvement Project Finally Complete

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) and Airbus ProSky announced completion of a joint project to modernize the airspace efficiency of flight paths and operations between Haiti's Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haitien International Airports. Conducted in collaboration with Haiti's Office National de L'Aviation Civile (OFNAC), the modernization project implements a new airspace design that incorporates Performance-Based Navigation (PBN) systems and procedures, accordion to IATA.

The project was launched following the earthquake that hit Haiti in 2010, damaging the country's aviation infrastructure. Air France, American Airlines and JetBlue also participated in the airspace redesign project, which will improve safety, efficiency and flight times as well as reduce CO2 emissions.    "The collaboration among all parties was relying on constant operational exchanges between airline pilots and OFNAC controllers — resulting in designs that will increase efficiency and enhance safety within the Haitian airspace. All of the stakeholders should be applauded for their ability to work together in a manner which will benefit each of them," said Rafael Alonso-Nivez, regional director of Latin America and Caribbean at Airbus ProSky.