The night of the 11th I had bad dreams. I couldn't sleep well; I think it was all of the anticipation of the rush of emotions that would come to the surface on the morning of the 12th. I knew that it was going to be a tough day and I wished deep down inside that I could feel better about progress that was made over the course of the year. But truth be told last year was the most frustrating, challenging and upsetting year of my life.
While the earthquake revealed the weakness of the Haitian government and the abject poverty that people have been subjected to for years; it also revealed the cracks in an international aid system that sometimes could be self-serving--- giving contracts to organizations from their countries to Western aid workers who after a hard day's work sip Rum Punch with fellow expats in restaurants in the hills or take a hot shower in their lavish 3 bedroom villa overlooking the pancake city below.
This twisted reality has made me question everything and as a result I have a healthy dose of cynicism. We can all agree that 2010 was an incredibly difficult year for Haiti. The earthquake by itself nearly broke Haiti's back but that wasn't enough, the people had to endure inaction from their government on resettlement and land issues, hurricane Tomas, imported cholera and a blatantly fraudulent election that disenfranchised hundreds of thousands of voters that the international community backed. Surprising, under the weight of all of this death, deciet and crime Haiti hasn't gone up in flames. But tensions are mounting. Increasingly Haitians are getting leery of foreigners and demanding to see results. Chances are they will continue to wait.
There are days when I want to beat my head against a wall because the task seems so daunting but I don't because I don't have that right. I don't have the right to throw up my hands or give up. Not when women and children are being raped in camps. Not when 80% of the population is without work and eager for livelihoods. Not when US AID gives 98.40 of every 100 dollars for Haiti to US based organizations. Not when Haitians are not in the driver's seat of their own development. No, I don't have that luxury. My only option is to keep fighting along side the Haitian people that want to live with dignity.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Friday, January 7, 2011
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