Thousands of orphans and other Haitian children displaced by the
earthquake may be airlifted to Florida in a humanitarian project
that has roots in a similar mass exodus from Cuba half a century
ago. Operation Pierre Pan would be a near repeat of Operación
Pedro Pan, which saw 14,048 unaccompanied Cuban children start
new lives in the US in the early 1960s. Just like that two-year
programme, which was designed to remove children from the
control of Fidel Castro's government, the new arrivals would
live in temporary shelters in south Florida until foster homes
are found, or they are reunited with family members. The plan,
the brainchild of the Catholic archdiocese of Miami, which
oversaw the original Cuban mission, still awaits government
blessing and money. But Florida's social services and education
authorities are already on board, church officials have
identified four sites for temporary shelters near Miami and Fort
Lauderdale, and the area's sizeable Haitian-American community
has promised its backing. Ma