Educational Media Reviews Online

Haiti: Where Did the Money Go? tells the story of how aid relief organizations failed the people of Haiti in the aftermath of the devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake of January 2010, and also failed the good intentions of Americans who donated an enormous and unprecedented amount of aid money. $2.4 billion was raised for Haiti ($1.4 billion donated by 1 in 2 American households), yet nearly two years after the disaster, hundreds of thousands of Haitians were still stranded and suffering in emergency camps without the most basic amenities. Filmmaker and television journalist Michelle Mitchell (CNN Headline News, NOW with Bill Moyers) traveled to Haiti ten months after the earthquake to document the conditions and to investigate what happened with all that money.

The film shines a light on non-governmental organizations (NGOs), which operate with effectively little oversight or accountability, and have a track record of what Dr. Mark Schuller of York College calls “non-profiteering” or “disaster capitalism.” Mitchell speaks with Haitians in the camps, aid workers, journalists, doctors, and representatives from two of the biggest NGO recipients of the aid money: American Red Cross, and Catholic Relief Services.

With high-quality production, excellent interviews, and on-the-ground footage, Haiti: Where Did the Money Go? is highly recommended for high school, college, and public libraries, and will inspire or support discussions related to natural disasters such as health services, foreign aid, and geography, as well as broader topics of economics, ethics, poverty, and human rights.

Awards

• 2013 Gracie Award for Outstanding Investigative Program
• 2012 CINE Golden Eagle
• 2013 CINE Special Jury Award for Best Investigative Documentary
• 2013 Edward R. Murrow Award for Best TV Documentary
• 2013 Women's International Film Festival Best Documentary Short