Doctors Tom and Carol Ritter have been donating their services to the people of Haiti for the past several years. On his blog posting from Haiti 24 January, Tom offers lessons learned, and suggestions for response in Haiti:

1. Utilize local "organic" organizations that have been created out of the chaos of this disaster and praise them for what they have done right, under these impossible circumstances. Help them by asking them what they need to improve the crude but somewhat effective systems they already put in place, and resist the temptation to replace it quickly with a Western model.

Nice graphs and charts on recent patterns in Haiti’s aid, debt, and remittance receipts. Aid figures come from the Paris-based Development Assistance Committee (DAC), which collects its data from donor governments. The latest aid figures—just released—are for 2008.

Series of articles in Focal Point, Canadian Foundation for the Americas March issue put Haiti in the center.

Haiti Needs Jobs To Be Sustainable
Carlo Dade

Haiti’s Economic Prospects ‘Hopeful’
Carlo Dade interviews Paul Collier

Paul Collier’s Report on Economic Security in Haiti
Robert Maguire

Le Rapport de Paul Collier sur la sécurité économique en Haïti
Robert Maguire

Ignoring rural Haiti is a recipe for failure
Yasmine Shamsie

The following is a blog post from Mark Hyman, MD posted 23 January 2010 on The Huffington Post.

Note: Two photo slideshows appear in this post on the Huffington Post website. The first one is not graphic. The second one includes extremely graphic depictions of surgery and wounds. Viewer discretion is strongly advised.

Haiti Journal Day 8: The Tsunami Coming -- Riding the Waves of Rescue, Rebuilding and Resurrection

In case you missed the footage of the incredible field hospital set up by the Israelis' in Haiti, up and running a mere 48 hours after the quake, here it is "the best field medicine available".

Alex Aylett, 21 Jan 10

Last week's quake cut electricity to most of Haiti's capital. Without power, residents and aid workers are struggling to maintain basic communication, lighting and water purification systems.

CBC News had reports of officials queuing to recharge their mobile phones. What power there is comes from gas powered generators, but diesel is running low.

The United States should use the brief "dual window" in Haiti to initiate a virtuous circle of development.

By Reuben Brigety, Natalie Ondiak | September 1, 2009

Read the full report from Center for American Progress

Raymond Joseph, Haitian ambassador to the U.S., sees the opportunity to build a smaller, better city from the ruins.

Starting from scratch in Haiti's Port-au-Prince ruins

By Andres Viglucci and Scott Hiaasen

McClatchy Newspapers

MIAMI —

Why does Haiti have it so tough compared with its neighbour, the Dominican Republic?

The following was printed in The Guardian on Friday 15 January 2010 and is extracted from the book Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond, 2005.