Haitian Radio & TV Station Struggles to Rebuild

Station President tours NBC Miami as he works to get news to the people

The president of a Haitian TV and radio station ravaged by the earthquake in Port-au-Prince is struggling to stay on the air.

Over seven months ago, buried beneath a pile of rubble, were 53 employees of Radio Tele Ginen and the founder of the Haitian radio and tv station, Jean-Lucien Borges and his family. 

The building in Port-au-Prince completely collapsed during the January earthquake in the Haitian city. But a microwave van saved their lives by holding up the collapsed roof. In the end, one camerman was killed. 

Borges says he was able to get Radio Tele Ginen back on the air five days later, and now, he and 60 employees are back to producing 11 hours of news a day. 

But Radio Tele Ginen, founded 16 years ago, is now operating at 25 percent of its capacity and out of a temporary building. 

Like much of the poverty-stricken nation, Borges is struggling to rebuild his station. He traveled to Miami this week, where he visited NBC Miami for ideas about how to rebuild his station.

Borges said his station's educational reports have been a lifeline for many of the two million displaced Haitians. He says they provide potentially life saving information about sanitation, clean water, and other safety tips. 

Borges is waiting on foreign aid so he can begin reconstruction efforts.  The international community has pledged over $5 billion in aid after the devastating temblor but only a fraction of that money has been disbursed. 

Borges said fundraising will be key to continue serving the citizens of Haiti.

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