By Melinda Miles
Editor’s note: Haiti Reborn welcomes Melinda Miles (formerly of the Quixote Center) to our series of guest bloggers during Haiti Solidarity Week. Melinda lives in Jacmel, Haiti and is the co-founder of KONPAY, focusing the majority of her time and resources on coalition-building and direct assistance projects for the environment.
Haiti’s population is facing the dual crises of environmental degradation and intense poverty. The two problems are intertwined, and projects that alleviate poverty while ignoring the environment are what Haitians would call, Lave men swiye yo ate, or washing your hands and wiping them in the dirt.