To commemorate the Global Youth Service Day, the Centre de Réflexion d'Éducation et de Débat (CRED) has organized a weekend of activities from Friday 15 to Sunday, April 17, 2011, through three major cities, including the city of Jacmel, the Gonâve and Port-au-Prince. Awareness sessions and volunteer efforts have been made ​​in these major cities with the support of hundreds of young people, students, schoolchildren, association of small traders and members of youth organizations in these regions.

A cleanup of garbage and waste was launched early in the morning on Sunday at the Iron Market in Jacmel [a historic heritage] by hundreds of young volunteers with the support of the Ministry of Works Transport and communication (MTPTC), the City of Jacmel and firemen of the city, with the objective to commemorating the Global Youth Service Day in the City of Alcibiade Pommayrac.



Despite the torrential rains which lashed the city during the day, youth have been determined to clean up the market of Jacmel, invaded by mountains of rubbish and debris in decompositions that make the environment unsafe.

In an interview with Haitilibre, Nickenson Saint Jean, Vice-President of CRED, which had left the capital Port-au-Prince to attend this activity, reported that "the Global Youth Service Day is celebrated for ten years through more than one hundred countries around the world, Haiti is the first to commemorate this date whose the CRED is the main initiator [...] The cleaning of the market of Jacmel, will allow the merchants to live in a healthy environment and to maintain the iron market of the city proper" adding that "This activity also aims to develop among youth a sense of citizenship and responsibility vis-à-vis Haiti"

The number two of the CRED, said "see a refusal in the majority of young people to serve the country. The concepts of civic education, which are not taught today in schools, could be one cause of this lack of civility among our fellow Haitians." He announces for the coming days, an awareness campaign and guidance at the level of organisations and associations of youth to encourage them to participate more in the development of the country.

A week before this activity, the association of small traders and retailers of the market of Jacmel, had organized a protest during which they had planted dozens of bananas in garbage which were on the outskirts of the market in sign of protest, against the inaction of the municipal authorities of the city that remain arms crossed facing the unhealthiness in which lies the iron market...

According to information provided by Ronald Andris, Deputy Mayor of the town, "the Town Hall of Jacmel is currently confronting serious economic problems which prevent to pay staff and to pay three months' back wages, a problem that has enormous consequences on the functioning of the town hall."

Article by HL/ Claudy Bélizaire