Invasion or Infusion? Understanding the Role of NGOs in Contemporary Haiti
- Most grant aid to Haiti is directed to one of more than 300 officially recognized NGOs, yet few scholarly articles examine them.
- The World Bank's 1997 NGO sector study referred to the funds channeled through NGOs as an infusion, while the CRESFED study called their appearance an invasion.
- As of February 2005, only 343 NGOs were officially registered with the MPCE.
- Haitian NGOs are more likely than foreign NGOs to engage in social assistance (82.5 compared to 73.7 percent).
- U.S. NGOs make up 60 percent of NGOs providing food assistance, while representing 13 percent of the general NGO population.
The article observes that most grant aid to Haiti is directed to one of more than 300 officially recognized NGOs, yet few scholarly articles examine them. It contrasts the World Bank's 1997 NGO sector study, which valorized NGOs and called the funds an infusion, with the CRESFED study, which called their sudden appearance an invasion. It describes the registration process at the Ministry of Planning and External Cooperation (MPCE), where only 343 NGOs were officially registered as of February 2005.
It analyzes a database of NGOs by nationality and sector and finds, for example, that Haitian NGOs are more likely than foreign NGOs to engage in social assistance. It also reports that U.S. NGOs make up a majority of NGOs providing food assistance.
How to cite
Journal of Haitian Studies, 2007, Invasion or Infusion? Understanding the Role of NGOs in Contemporary Haiti, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41715359
- Rights holder
- Journal of Haitian Studies