Since we previously reported on the Haiti earthquake, more news has seeped through. It is clear now that also the student population of the country has paid a high price.
Professor Michel Dossous, the President of FEHSU, the National University Sport Federation of Haiti, who currently resides in Florida, USA, stated in an interview aired by the radio station of the Haitian community in Miami that the university sector has been severely affected on January 12th when the devastating earthquake nearly completely wiped out Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti.
‘All university centers are almost completely destroyed or terribly damaged, including the building of the University center ‘Agence Universitaire de la francophonie’, which was constructed recently with a two millions Euros funding by the European Union’, the FEHSU President stated. ‘More than five thousand students perished when the university buildings crumbled down. But more students have perished as in these numbers the students who died at home or in the streets are not included. The University staff also was gravely affected as dozens of professors, as well as eleven rectors and presidents of executive boards did not survive the catastrophe.’
President Dossous also mentioned that the few sport venues the country possesses are all damaged or transformed into refugee camps. ‘It’s a great loss for a country that already has a high percentage of illiteracy and few sports infrastructure. However, we are looking to the future and we will rebuild this indispensable sector for the development of our nation.’
FEHSU President Michel Dossous