During tonight’s debate, the topic turned to the charitable work of the Clinton Foundation, with Donald Trump mentioning just how much the Haitian people do not like Hillary Clinton or the Clinton Foundation. As I pointed out recently, it’s not an incorrect claim. Friends of the Clinton campaign got rich off the disaster, and Haiti never really recovered in any meaningful sense. Dinesh D’Souza’s Hillary’s America had a nice wrap up of the controversy:

The devastating effect of the earthquake on a very poor nation provoked worldwide concern and inspired an outpouring of aid money intended to rebuild Haiti. Countries around the world, as well as private and philanthropic groups such as the Red Cross and the Salvation Army, provided some $10.5 billion in aid, with $3.9 billion of it coming from the United States.

Haitians such as Andre, however, noticed that very little of this aid money actually got to poor people in Haiti. Some projects championed by the Clintons, such as the building of industrial parks and posh hotels, cost a great deal of money and offered scarce benefits to the truly needy. Port-au-Prince was supposed to be rebuilt; it was never rebuilt. Projects aimed at creating jobs proved to be bitter disappointments. Haitian unemployment remained high, largely undented by the funds that were supposed to pour into the country. Famine and illness continued to devastate the island nation.

A report by Oxfam International goes further into this (emphasis mine):

One year on, only five percent of the rubble has been cleared and only 15 percent of the required basic and temporary houses have been built. House building on a large scale cannot be started before the enormous amount of rubble is cleared. The government and donors must prioritize this most basic step toward helping people return home.

The Interim Haiti Recovery Commission, led by former US President Bill Clinton and Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive, was set up in April 2010 to facilitate the coordination of recovery projects and to help Haitian ministries with implementation. So far, the Commission has failed to live up to its mandate. Many Haitian officials still do not have the technical ability to lead projects, and almost no major reconstruction projects have started. The Commission is a key element for reconstruction and it must cut through the quagmire of indecision and delay.

It sucks that Haiti, an impoverished nation, also fell victim to the Clintons. And it’s just as bad that they don’t have an opportunity to defend themselves when Hillary Clinton lies about just how much her corrupt foundation helped them.