Haiti Response

An hour and a half from Miami

•June 18, 2010 • Leave a Comment

An hour and a half from Miami:

It’s all real: the throw back in time, rural schools made out of wood and tin, moonshine mills driven by donkey, women carting loads of charcoal in sacks on their heads, the abject poverty and the powerful resilient spirits of the people within the paradigm of more developed nations, seemingly bleak futures. What amazes me most is one can be immersed in this other world by traveling less than an hour and a half from one of the more cosmopolitan centers of the US, Miami.

All of the economic, and political aspects aside, the negligible geographical distance compared with the sheer difference in economic conditions, standards of living and culture provides a refreshing reminder of the diversity that remains despite globalization.

For those who take the leap and come to Haiti for whatever reason stand to gain more than what they intend to give. I recently had the pleasure of working with a group that came down on a short aid trip through the University of Scranton with Hope for Haiti. These individuals came with open minds and a true desire to serve and give in any way that they could while in the country over the course of eight days. These students spent a great deal of time debating and reflecting upon the viability on a moral, cultural, and pure effectiveness level of their type of relief trip and whether or not they felt as if they were making a difference. While the viability of short mission type trips can be endlessly debated, watching the depth of this groups reflection was inspiring. The general consensus was that there are a million and one ways to skin a cat and that every method has its advantages and disadvantages, but the overall effectiveness of a relief trip, despite the format depends on the makeup of the group. The consensus was while they gave all that they could, and they made a real difference, they all felt that they took far more away from the experience then they were able to give. Does that negate the purpose of the trip? Does that make the aid team selfish, because they could have simply sent aid money as opposed to coming down to Haiti to do work other nationals could have done? NOT AT ALL!

These eight individuals were so beyond humble, caring, and adaptive. They jumped right in to a world that could not have been any more foreign, especially for those on the trip who had not previously traveled outside of he US. They interacted with a group of 24 orphans over the course of a few days while painting their orphanage, rehashing their basketball hoop, and taking them to the beach. They cared for disabled children and walked extensive distances in impressive heat to rural schools to carry out vitamin A and de-worming medication distributions for the students. This type of cross-cultural interaction is markedly powerful and undoubtedly left a positive indelible impression on all present. All this, and only an hour and a half from Miami.

Posted in Hope for Haiti Opps

Social vibrancy and extreme disparity

•June 1, 2010 • 1 Comment

What’s interesting about the Haitian culture is they as a people are hungry for culture, music, and intellectual stimulation. They value education; they love music and true quality social time. There is an indescribable vibrancy amongst the populace that is evident despite the sheer magnitude of hopeless poverty and the struggle to survive. In the literal sense the people are screaming for gentrification, but when one takes into account the reality of the situation on the ground in Haiti that concept gives a whole new meaning to absurd. While this mentality is present amongst the people and it manifests itself in certain subtle ways the fact of the matter is the severity of the situation prevents anything from happening. It is survival of the fittest on a day-to-day basis. There is zero surplus which results in zero time to participate in any kind of extracurricular activity other than working every day to maintain some manner of sustenance. I am not trying to say that the Haitian people have no time to socialize and or participate in celebrations. In fact they are incredibly positive and always seem to be celebrating in one fashion or another. What I am alluding to is the development of a more deep-seated cultural revolution from which springs, theater, art, etc. There is a sociocultural inability to experience / live any of the lavishness associated with gentrification and the likes because of this lack of surplus. While this is the case for the majority of the population there is a scene in Haiti that I still can’t wrap my mind around.

The wealth disparity in the Caribbean / Central America and throughout the Southern Cone tends to be rather extreme, however never have I seen anything like what has transpired in Haiti. This little country is phenomenally expensive and there is a minute % of the population who lives very well considering. You can smoke Hookah, eat sushi and easily spend more at dinner then you could in Miami and or New York…… in the poorest country in the Hemisphere. Try having a young Haitian kid walk around a very sheik Latin restaurant wailing away on a Tenor Sax and then walking out of the front gate after your aperitif to be confronted by all of the squatters living in the plaza. The extremes are pretty outstanding. Most shocking of all is how quickly you become accustomed to it and stop noticing it, subconsciously accepting it as the norm.

Posted in Culture shock

How can the distribution of capital within the international aid community be more equitably dispersed?

•May 30, 2010 • 1 Comment

How can the distribution of capital within the international aid community be more equitably dispersed?

In the international aid and re-development community there are the big players and then there is everyone else. On top of the heap is USAID and the larger NGO and for-profit organizations that have the capacity and operational ethos to take their grant money. These organizations tend to be far larger, very well established, and have behemoth donor networks. I am referring to the Red Crosse’s and Feed the Children’s of the community. Traditionally in time of crises these organizations have and continue to be incredible fund-raising machines that absorb aid dollars from the masses and government institutions with incredible efficiency and speed. I have been observing a growing rift in the aid community that Haiti seemed to really bring out. People want to know where their contributed capital went and they want to ensure their contributions were acted upon and tangible results were made. They do not want to find that their hard earned dollars went to support organizations overhead. The balance of power seems to be shifting as a result of an increasingly attentive and educated donor populace from the big boys to the little guys with boots on the ground.

There is a place for every type of organization in the game and the big guys certainly play a vital role and are valuable. However under the current structure of the international aid community, the smaller organizations which tend to have significant “in country” knowledge and operational experience on their respective areas of operation have a very hard time getting funding and attention. In a way if your organization does not want to put out a plan to help 100,000 people + it is not worth the time and attention of the big guys.

How about the group that has the inroads, connections and experience to truly help between 20 and 100 people in an austere environment like in Haiti. Maybe to this group a low-budget transitional housing solution is not appropriate, but alternatively a housing system that may cost twice as much is. Instead of providing a Band-Aid fix these guys may want to really tackle infrastructure, build quality, and community development to offer a small group a true clean slate that can be built upon as opposed to a short-term temporary residence. This type of rational is hard for the bigger guys to digest because it is not their MO, which does not negate the viability of the concept.

In re-development especially in disaster situations all of the factors have to be considered including but limited to cost of activities, targeted affected populace, transitional versus long-term etc. There are some remarkable options here on the ground in Haiti, take Innovida for example. This building system is very cost-effective, quick to implement and is tremendously scalable, it does however require more of an investment than a tent structure. People should take the time through the use of tools such as Charity Navigator to find the small NGO’s without massive overheads to contribute to. There are also tremendous profit opportunities here for the strong-willed and adventurous entrepreneur via multi-national partnerships that are forming. These groups are tackling the issues plaguing the development atmosphere in Haiti and for a profit, and there is no problem with that.

Posted in Uncategorized

Disaster Capitalism

•March 20, 2010 • Leave a Comment

Pizza Hut and Tent Camps Haiti

So it begins. A pizza hut trailer has been thrown up right next to the US Embassy and in front of a mini IDP camp in Tabarre Haiti. The new Pizza Hut signs is nicely contrasted by the large UN trucks rolling by, the goats crossing the street and the tents in the background. There is no denying the amount of opportunity for entrepreneurs in Haiti. If you have some liquidity and have a solid, reputable in on the ground in country, it is a blank slate. The barriers to entry are seemingly insurmountable providing those with the guts and ingenuity to get in with a nice long protected run at things. From purified water operations to cheap prefab housing solutions and services catering to the large long-term ex-pat aid community there is something for everyone.

Posted in Uncategorized

How you know there has been an earthquake

•March 20, 2010 • Leave a Comment

Lasting reminders

There are all these little funny reminders of what transpired a few months back. After a while you kind of get use to the surroundings and forget about the massive quake that hit. The rubble becomes invisible, the tent camps and people in the street simply become the norm. But there are subtle nuances that cause an oh yeah reaction. Little folded laminated signs on tables that say please don’t remove the chair cushions… Why would that be an issue, well because two months ago that was prime bedding for aid workers, reporters and everyone else without a place to crash.

Another pleasant surprise is the long-term relief community seems to be comprised of the best looking, most worldly people I have seen in a longtime. I have, as of yet to figure out the social scene but when on the UN Log base (Logistics base where all UN and NGO coordination and planning takes place) it is crawling with people from every corner of the earth with the most outrageous stories and experiences. As for the esthetic, its clean hippy meets eccentric shabby chic, Mad Max style…. I’ll take it.

Posted in On the Ground, Uncategorized

Haiti, a whole new breed of traffic

•March 14, 2010 • Leave a Comment

New Sports car to hit Haiti market, 1HP

Haiti is home to a special type of traffic. It’s not like Ho chi Minh city where the sheer volume of people on scooters is mesmerizing, somewhat beautiful and terrifying at the same time. It isn’t like the traffic in Panama, which is just enough to be frustrating without debilitating. The traffic in Haiti is complete. It is as solid and un-movable as steel. It should be added to the elements chart. Port-au-Prince is a tiny city geographically, that lays in-between a low-lying mountain range and the bay, yet it takes on average 1.5 hours to move 9.6 miles per my calculation.

While people are constantly hurling their cars in front of one another, over curbs and driving on the wrong side of the street, no one is every agitated. It is not like the suburbs of the US where the failure to use a turn single might prompt a heavily armed suburban housewife to chase you down for five blocks. People here are as courteous as safety and space enables them to be. You can cut a bus off and cause the drive to slam on his brakes, yet if you give the thumbs up you will get a huge smile in return.

Forget putting in your I-pod, or blasting the radio. You would fail to hear the hundreds of kamikaze motorcycle driver who somehow manage to squeeze by you always ensuring to stay in your blind spot with horns blaring. It gets to the point where you can’t tell if you have lost your mind and are hearing a constant ringing of their just happens to be a relatively persistent motorcyclist laying on his horn tucked in behind you.

Needless to say a jaunt outside of the house on any day other than a Sunday guarantees the majority of the day to be spent in transport. If a man pulling a hand cart is not blocking your way then one of the tap tap’s (colorful public transport busses) or an excavator removing rubble will be sure to be in front of you at all times.

Posted in On the Ground

Despite it all in Haiti they still joke

•March 14, 2010 • Leave a Comment

There is a common joke amongst the people of Haiti that sums up how Haitians are amongst themselves:

A man comes into town and offers to grant a group of two Americans, two Frenchmen and Two Haitians anything they want. The only stipulation was whatever the first of each pair asked for, the second would get double. With this in mind one individual from each group proceeded to make their request.

The American: “I want to be a million air. The man granting the wish said fine you are a millionaire and your buddy has two, and both walked away ecstatic.

The Frenchman said, “I want the nicest mansion in town.” So again, the man said no problem and your buddy gets a house that’s twice the size but both will be world-class, and both walked away happy.

The Haitian man walked up and says “Poke my eye” leaving his counterpart blind.

You will fail to see the humor in this unless you have had some exposure to Haiti. The people here are incredibly friendly, generous, outgoing and outwardly peaceful, but amongst themselves they can be a bit competitive and selfish. There is a remarkable difference between how they treat foreigners and how they treat each other.

This is not to say at all, that all Haitian people are self-centered and don’t care for their fellow-countryman but it is a bit of a dog eat dog culture, not surprisingly so given the state of the economy, dismal living conditions, and outright poverty. It’s a struggle to always look out for number one on a day-to-day basis, which extends to the family and not much further.

Haiti public market

In my limited experience and time here this cultural element could be a key factor in preventing the population from uniting to take charge for themselves to better their circumstances.

This is probably not the most sensitive post in light of the situation. The positive attributes of this culture are truly awe-inspiring. The people are so incredibly resilient, and jubilant despite all of the endless hardships they are confronted with. From a seemingly endless slew of natural disasters to insurmountable poverty, they keep their heads up and keep on living when many others would simply give up.

In light of the current situation it is important to laugh, and the Haitian people are doing just that. And it’s still a hilarious joke that had me doubled over this morning on the way to look at installing a chlorine injection pump at the Don Bosco IDP camp Hope For Haiti continues to support.

Posted in Culture shock