By Joseph Guyler Delva
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (HCNN) — Haitian Prime minister, Laurent Lamothe, promised over the past weekend to inject new funds into Haiti’s largest slum of Cité Soleil, in the capital, where he assured dwellers that they were a focus for the government whose prime goal, he said, is to change living conditions of the poorest in the Caribbean country.
Lamothe said his government has focused its attention on changing the living conditions of the most vulnerable, because lifting people out of extreme poverty, through investments in social and economic sectors, is one sustainable way to change the country for the better.
“We are here in Cité Soleil to be in direct contact with the population that is living in a very difficult situation, and to show them that the government is thinking about them,” Lamothe told the Haitian-Caribbean News Network (HCNN), on Sunday.
“We are going to invest more in Cité Soleil as we do through the various special plans that we are implementing in different places to improve living conditions of the poor,” said Lamothe. “This is a vision clearly expressed by President (Michel) Martelly, and that we are proud to implement,” explained Lamothe.
The Haitian Prime minister, who walked through the different streets and corridors of the slum, said the government is working at creating opportunities for the youth in Cité Soleil.
“I believe that every project we implement in places like Cité Soleil is a step forward toward the reign of social justice that we seek to establish in this country,” Lamothe said. “We are creating opportunities for the youth who need new alternatives,” he said.
Slum residents welcomed positively Lamothe’s visit and expressed satisfaction with several projects already achieved or underway in Cité Soleil.
“I was born and I’ve been living in Cité Soleil all my life and never have I seen a government do what this government is doing here,” said 35-year-old Jeanne Morancy.
Many wish that such efforts could continue beyond the 5-year-term of president Michel Martelly that ends in 2016.