Eric LeCompte, Executive Director of Jubilee USA, recently spoke with America, the Jesuit Review, on the recent earthquakes in Haiti. Read excerpt below and follow link to full article.

5.9 Earthquake Rocks Northern Haiti

“The situation in Haiti is tragic,” Eric LeCompte, executive director of Jubilee USA Network, told America. “It’s the poorest country in the hemisphere and one of the poorest in the world.”

Mr. LeCompte, a finance expert, said Haiti’s ongoing struggles stem from a weak infrastructure that is vulnerable to natural disasters, like earthquakes and hurricanes. While Jubilee USA facilitated the forgiveness of Haiti’s debt after the 2010 earthquake, the country again finds itself in a financial hole. Its national debt tops $2.6 billion.

“The situation in Haiti, coupled with natural disasters, leaves the people with a sense of hopelessness,” Mr. LeCompte said. “That’s where it’s incumbent on the international community to step in. For Christians, it’s a moral issue.”

But while it seems insurmountable, Mr. LeCompte believes the international community can invest in the nation’s infrastructure, which will be less expensive to build in Haiti. The ongoing problems with corruption, however, will require greater accountability and transparency, he said.

Read more here.