France24 is reporting the United Nations is using a food coupon system to distribute aid. Fake coupons were discovered, causing the UN to stop food distribution to at least 10,000 earthquake survivors.
Is it just me, or does a coupon system seem kinda silly given the circumstances?
AFP – The struggling aid effort in Haiti was hit by another setback as the UN halted deliveries to some 10,000 quake survivors after discovering that fake coupons were in operation.
An agitated crowd of around 100 people continued to wait well into the afternoon at the drop-off site close to the town hall in the Port-au-Prince suburb of Petionville as others clamored to get tickets valid for Tuesday.
“We need food!” one old lady shouted at a guard charged with manning the steel bars blocking the entrance to the town hall offices.
Others simply pointed to their mouths and stomachs.
UN World Food Programme (WFP) spokesman David Orr said the suspension would affect around 10,000 survivors of the massive January 12 earthquake that killed over 212,000 people and left an estimated one million people homeless.
The United Nations agency has set up 16 food distribution points across the city, handing out 25-kilogram (55-pound) sacks of rice designed to feed a family for two weeks.
Orr said WFP partners hoped to restart the distributions at the affected site on Tuesday.
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Sable Verity is a reporter and commentator based in Seattle who covers social and political issues for KBCS Radio and a number of online and print news outlets. All of this is her fault. 
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This morning's New York TImes has a more extensive article detailing the difficulties of making sure the food gets to those who need it most. The article says that there is a large "secondary market" for the donated food supplies which bypasses the elderly, children and women with large numbers of children to feed. Relief workers stated that this a common occurrence in disasters.