It’s a place where women are raped so frequently it takes place in broad daylight and where newly-orphaned street children fight over the odd piece of change handed out by aid workers

The Interim Haiti Reconstruction Commission aims to oversee every rebuilding dollar that comes to Haiti through next year.

The project is different from the foundation’s more common approach, which would be to ask for proposals, make grants and then hope for good results. This time the foundation _ and its partner, the U.S. Agency for International Development _ wants to see the results first and then hand out some cash.

WASHINGTON  _ The World Bank says it is canceling $36 million in debt Haiti owes to help the Caribbean nation’s reconstruction efforts after a devastating earthquake struck Jan. 12.
Haiti, the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, now has no further payments due to the Washington-based lending institution.
The bank said Friday the debt cancellation was made [...]

The measure includes the $1.15 billion pledged in March at a United Nations donors conference for Haiti, plus adds an additional $500 million a year through 2014, on top of other funds already pledged by Congress.

Unable to practice in Port-au-Prince since the Jan. 12 earthquake that killed as many as 250,000 people, the Haitian team is staying in Texas until its May 5 game against Argentina. Players say a victory is badly needed to boost their country’s spirits, even though they are heavy underdogs against one of the top teams in the world.

People ran for cover in viscous mud wearing plastic shower caps and towels over their heads. Leaks sprung in emergency tarps given by aid groups after the Jan. 12 earthquake destroyed their homes.

Monday will be Bush’s first trip to Haiti. Clinton, who is the U.N. special envoy to the country, has made two visits since the quake and five in the past two years. He also visited as president.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti _ Doctors Without Borders says kidnappers have released two European aid workers snatched off the streets of Port-au-Prince and held for five days.
It is the first reported kidnapping since Haiti suffered a magnitude-7 earthquake with catastrophic damage on Jan. 12. More than 5,000 prisoners fled jails that collapsed or were damaged in the [...]

Just a few days after the devastating 7.0-magnitude earthquake, Jean-Louis flew to Haiti via Santo Domingo to reconnect with his family and at press time, the actor who lost numerous friends and relatives is still on the island working to raise awareness and much needed funds to help stabilize his native country.

Moving forward, the president told Preval, Washington will remain a partner with Haiti on the long road to recovery and reconstruction.

INDIAN WELLS, Calif.  _ Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will team with retired stars Pete Sampas and Andre Agassi in a charity tennis exhibition to raise money for Haiti.
The “Hit For Haiti” match will be played March 12 during the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.
Tournament director Steve Simon says he expects a minimum of [...]

The company is working with Handicap International on a contract to build a database of amputee victims; other relief groups would be able to use the database to care for patients. Lea Radick, a spokeswoman for Handicap International, said the organization is not aware of similar record-keeping efforts being done on amputees in Haiti.

An estimated 500,000 people fled to the countryside in the days after the quake, many on buses paid for by the government to move quake survivors away from the heart of the destruction. Hundreds of thousands more are camped atop the rubble of their homes, or packed into makeshift camps.

Haitians living in the United States are deeply impacted by the devastating earthquake that hit their island homeland earlier this month, according to a poll sponsored by New America Media.