145 students who received scholarships to Havana through efforts of individuals including leaders of political parties and NGOs, have occupied early last week, the premises of the Embassy of Haiti in Havana, to claim to the Haitian Government, the payment of their monthly allowance of US$50 that students have not received since 2007 !

A second group of about 450 Haitian students in Santiago, had serious difficulties in receiving their allowances because of the restrictions on remittances to Cuba.

"These are not formally scholars of the Haitian state" said Edwin Paraison Minister of Haitians Living Abroad, (MHAVE), explaining that despite everything, the Preval-Bellerive administration had decided to help them. Of fact, about US$200,000 have been unlocked by the Ministries of Planning, Health and Finance, in order to meet the legitimate demands of students.

For the students in Santiago, a contract has been signed with a private company in Haiti, which allows each student to have a debit card with which it can make withdrawals at teller machines. Edwin Paraison clarified that students should, during this week to start receiving and/or withdraw their benefits. He expressed satisfaction with the Government's response following the steps of the haitian diplomatic mission in Cuba and to the reports of missions carried out in Cuba by the MHAVE.

HL/ HaitiLibre