In the last few days the internet (brought to us by HughesNet via satellite) has been excruciatingly slow. Have a hard time surfing the web for that reason and I can forget about downloading anything. It's encouraging to see so many responses to my query. Maybe when the net is faster I'll be able to look up some of this stuff.
I hope you all realize that this blog is a kind of therapy for me. I sit and rehash the recent events, dwell on some emotions and, hopefully, inform you all as to what's going on down here.
A woman came to see me today. She's 32 years old, was a beautician and studying to be a lab tech in Port-au-Prince. Her husband died in the earthquake but her three boys, ages four and younger, are doing all right. Well, if you call living with friends in a house too small to accommodate them and going hungry everyday "all right". Her host family has not been able to get any assistance, food or otherwise. Her two older boys can't go to school because there's no money. She has been looking for work and has found nothing. She doesn't want a handout, she needs a job. Couldn't help her out and she just broke down crying. We gave her some food but that will run out in a week.
Admittedly, this is sad. Now multiply this by thousands and you have an idea of what life is like here these days. I have asked a few big NGOs for help but their hands are tied--at least at the local level. They get their orders from above. (I'll save my sarcasm for some other time.) The Haitian government is broken, has been for a long time. It is inept and chronically corrupt. The big NGOs can't seem to work together in responding to the needs of the poor. I have seen so much good will since the earthquake both here with Haitians and across the globe. But there's just a huge disconnect that prevents the right help getting to the right people. I can't help but think that sin is at the root of this disconnect. Of course I'd say that, I'm a priest after all. Greed, selfishness, ego, self-absorption, fear, pride... all are present here as they are almost everywhere. The Holy Triduum starts tomorrow. Couldn't come at a better time!
Fr. Marc, I agree with you 100%. All the money raised and so little for Haiti. Now they plan on spending Billions to rebuild. Let's see how that works, one dollar for you, 10 million for the government! It is a sin! How long before it stops? Anyways, I hope you are well and we are still getting the word out since we dropped off the supplies from the Sea Hunter.
ReplyDeleteGreg
To wise women and men
ReplyDeleteGiven the natural catastrophe that stroke Haiti,
given the large media coverage,
given the huge sums of money that governments, organisations and people commit to Haiti,
given the poor track record of all development aid,
given the amount of money that will "disappear" in dark and grey channels,
given the food overproduction, the mistaken industrialisation of agriculture and the need for small-scale employment-oriented subsistence agriculture
given the encouraging and positive real-life field experiences with a basic income in Namibia and Brazil,
given all the academic research and the existence of a world wide network,
given many other reasons amongst them the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
given the need for another way to deal with a highly dynamic and complex environment, where command and control always lead either to catastrophes or sub optimal results,
given that everyone is an artist,
given that we, all, are standing on the shoulders of the same giants,
We claim that the world community should pay part of the donated aid money as a Basic Income Grant (BIG) for every Haitian Citizen. As a start the BIG could amount to 500 Gourdes (+/-9 EUR/+/-10 $). On a population of 9 million this amounts to € 81 million per month, which is less than 1% of the monthly costs of the Iraq war. At a later stage part of the BIG could be financed by raising moderately the VAT rate. In paying out BIG in the form of a complimentary currency we avoid even the negative impact of money hoarding.
Haiti needs a model for its society that will take away the most extreme forms of deprivation, such as poverty, malnutrition, starvation, fear and on the other hand that opens new perspectives for the Haitians. BIG will replace the ancient saying "He who does not work shall not eat" with the new paradigm "He who does not eat, cannot work". We do not want to live in a society where some members, like the majority of Haitians, need to depend on the compassion of others.
Just be part of the change: join our facebook group “Let’s get BIG for Haiti” and spread the word. Together we can make it.
I, too, have been searching for the "transparency" in large not-for-profit organizations. Not much luck getting the real nitty-gritty.
ReplyDeleteNewsweek published a recent article urging the press to Remember Haiti. All of us can help make that happen by reading, and commenting, on the articles that do appear.
How I wish there was more an individual here could do for the folks down there.
To all of you Free The Kids and to all of your followers, please have a wondrous Easter.
Here's a website you might find interesting:
ReplyDeletewww.haiticonference.org.
Barb in Las Cruces
Ahhh. It feels good. I just hit the donate button.
ReplyDeleteFather Marc, please continue to let us into your thoughts & experiences. We, outside of Haiti can only try to imagine the trials & tribulations you are enduring. If we could burst the horrible bubble of corruption within the Country we would do so, but we are still trying to find out how to do that. Don't give up hope as we are working for you & the kids.
ReplyDelete