Hardest Question to Answer: How IS Haiti?

I get this question all the time.  How are things going down there?  Are they getting better?  The question is a stumbling block with a very long and complicated answer that the one who asked is usually not interested in.  If you're asking about rubble, yes, it's better in some places.  The earthquake occurred 15 months ago, and since then, for the most part by hand, the rubble on the main roads of Port au Prince has been cleared.  While it is better, only a fraction of debris has been removed.  A trip down any side street quickly takes you back in time 15 months.  I see the new paint and plaster on buildings and wonder if they have really been repaired, or if they just look better.

Cholera has "settled" in Haiti, like malaria did years ago.  The number of cholera cases is still quite high, but the number of deaths associated with the desease is dropping as the population learns about it, and how to protect themselves.  What Haiti really needs is infrastructure, to stop cholera.  There is virtually no large scale water treatment for the population, and as long as people wash and drink from the rivers there will be disease.

I have seen some improvements in infrastructure.  A number of roads that have been repaired, and big projects to keep water contained in riverbeds have been undertaken.  There are even some new electricity lines.  Little by little (piti piti) there are changes, and it is not my intention to criticize these efforts, only to point out that there is a long way to go.

Some things are better, I guess, but the best answer is that no, because life in Haiti is as hard, and in many cases harder than it was before the earthquake.  Unemployment is still posted at around 80%, over 1,000,000 people remain displaced in a population of 9,000,000.  The conditions in the camps are desperate and the rainy season is here again.  It's too difficult for many parents to get their children an education.  Only one in seven people in Haiti have any access to intermittent electricity.  Deforestaton has ravaged the mountains and many watersheds are destroyed.  There are just so many things that need to change to make Haiti better.

So, with all of that said, is it hopeless?  NO.  No it is not hopeless, Haitians are ready to work, ready to live a better life and very willing to put in the effort to improve things in their country.  If there were any opportunities for work and education many Haitians would be happy to move out of Port au Prince to repopulate the countryside.  People want jobs, and they want sustainable development.  In our projects we act as a partner bringing opportunity to improve communities in sustainable ways, and our work is eagerly embraced.  The more that is done in Haiti with sustainable models, the better.  The more that is done in Haiti with Haitian input, the better.  Charity has had a crippling effect on the country, and we are proving that what people need is simply the opportunity to create a better life.  It is my ferverent wish that the money for Haiti's reconstruction begin to be deployed, and the focused on empowerment of people there to build a new country.  It is not hopeless, but it's going to take a while but someday I want to say that things are really better in Haiti.

Comments

[Subbanna]

Hey Michelle,
Thanks for your accurate response on Project Jatropha blog. It was a very interesting post. You are doing great work at Haiti. I come from a village in India close to where Project Jatropha is implemented. I have not seen the project site as yet. I moved to USA like 21 years ago but still love my village! I am also very impressed with the work of Adarsha et al. I have not met the kids in person but plan on doing so in India at some point of time.

I know for a fact that the rural economy and the mentality of the farmers in villages play a huge role in promoting a biofuel crop such as jatropha. It is all about what the farmers want. Polyculture is the only way to go if at all there is a chance for jatropha cultivation in India. Good luck with all your work! People like you are needed to save the world! I mean it.
Blessings
Subbanna