No hope for Haiti?
Ok, sports fans. It’s time for a little reality from Hispaniola. I am here with Food for the Poor, a Florida-based organization that was recently ranked the No. 2 international U.S. charity the Chronicle of Philanthropy.
We took a trip from the Dominican Republic to Haiti, the nation that shares the island of Hispaniola with the DR. Haiti is also a republic, but it is worlds away from anything you have ever seen. The country is arguably the worst in the Western hemisphere and is one of the poorest and most illiterate in the world. There is approximately an 85% illiteracy rate and 80% unemployment rate. Quite simply, there is no hope in Haiti.
We headed west through the Dominican Republic to “La Linea” (the line), the road that divides the two countries. It officially goes by the name International Highway, but that’s
a real misnomer for the dirt road. The only way I can relate it to Colorado standards is to compare it to the old stagecoach road that goes between Victor and Pikes Peak. It’s real backcountry travel.
The biggest source of fuel in Haiti is still wood and charcoal. Haitians have completely deforested their mountains in search of wood that they can make into charcoal. As you travel “La Linea,” you can see a stark difference between the Haitian mountains in the west and the Dominican mountains in the east. Don’t believe me? Compare the two photos below. They were taken of hills just a couple of miles from each other on each side of the border:
Barren Haitian mountain
Healthy Dominican mountain
The border is not heavily guarded, so plenty of Haitians cross to the Dominican Republic in search of work or a better life. They live along the frontier but cannot go into town because they will immediately be deported back to Haiti. Dominicans have developed resentment toward their neighbors because Haitians will come here and take lower-paying jobs. Sound familiar?
We traveled to a border town called Los Cacaos, and the poverty was the palpable. Residents arrived here decades ago looking to get to the Dominican Republic, and they have stayed with the hopes of improving their prospects. The streets were littered with feces, and not just the kind coming from animals. The place was dry and dirty, and the air was heavy and filled with an acrid smell.
Children have distended stomachs from malnutrition, and the often run the streets naked. There are no crops growing in the area, and there are very few animals. The children get no rice or protein, and they often will go days without eating. People live in ramshackle conditions. Some homes are piles of tin and others are made of mud and sticks. While not many in the United States would not accept such conditions, Haitians are desperate for anything.
Rather than go on, let me explain in pictures.
Malnourished boy
A typical dwelling that floods during rains
Impoverished Haitian girl
Food for the Poor is providing hope through housing, agriculture, animal husbandry and educational projects. In less than a year, the organization has accomplished quite a bit of progress. With the help of De Mi Casa a Tu Casa, Inc., a wonderful Dominican-based organization, FFP is developing a town with a goal of being self-sustainable. FFP has helped build four wells so the people no longer have to drink water out of a river that makes them sick. The organization plans to build 100 homes and is constructing a community center, a bank, a school and a police station. FFP is also experimenting with putting in a windmill that will feed a battery cell and deliver electricity to the village.
New housing
One of the residents of this frontier town is Oleani Jean-Baptiste, who at 38 is showing years of stress as a single mother. She has seven children from 18 to 2 years old and lives in a wood and mud shack that floods when it rains. Her children are often sick, and she is often behind on the rent because she cannot make enough working in gardens of homeowners in the area. She is desperate for a house and prays that God will provide one for her.
Food for the Poor helps people exactly like Jean-Baptiste, who otherwise would have no hope. Special preference for homes is given to single mothers, the elderly and the infirmed, marginalized members of society who do not have many means to make income. FFP executive director Angel Aloma told me that Jean-Baptiste will get a home from the organization.
I'll leave you with a pleasant photo this evening of Haitian children at their school. The one-room schoolhouse educates more than 150 students and is divided into five groups by age. FFP is helping to build a new school.
We took a trip from the Dominican Republic to Haiti, the nation that shares the island of Hispaniola with the DR. Haiti is also a republic, but it is worlds away from anything you have ever seen. The country is arguably the worst in the Western hemisphere and is one of the poorest and most illiterate in the world. There is approximately an 85% illiteracy rate and 80% unemployment rate. Quite simply, there is no hope in Haiti.
We headed west through the Dominican Republic to “La Linea” (the line), the road that divides the two countries. It officially goes by the name International Highway, but that’s
a real misnomer for the dirt road. The only way I can relate it to Colorado standards is to compare it to the old stagecoach road that goes between Victor and Pikes Peak. It’s real backcountry travel.
The biggest source of fuel in Haiti is still wood and charcoal. Haitians have completely deforested their mountains in search of wood that they can make into charcoal. As you travel “La Linea,” you can see a stark difference between the Haitian mountains in the west and the Dominican mountains in the east. Don’t believe me? Compare the two photos below. They were taken of hills just a couple of miles from each other on each side of the border:
The border is not heavily guarded, so plenty of Haitians cross to the Dominican Republic in search of work or a better life. They live along the frontier but cannot go into town because they will immediately be deported back to Haiti. Dominicans have developed resentment toward their neighbors because Haitians will come here and take lower-paying jobs. Sound familiar?
We traveled to a border town called Los Cacaos, and the poverty was the palpable. Residents arrived here decades ago looking to get to the Dominican Republic, and they have stayed with the hopes of improving their prospects. The streets were littered with feces, and not just the kind coming from animals. The place was dry and dirty, and the air was heavy and filled with an acrid smell.
Children have distended stomachs from malnutrition, and the often run the streets naked. There are no crops growing in the area, and there are very few animals. The children get no rice or protein, and they often will go days without eating. People live in ramshackle conditions. Some homes are piles of tin and others are made of mud and sticks. While not many in the United States would not accept such conditions, Haitians are desperate for anything.
Rather than go on, let me explain in pictures.
Food for the Poor is providing hope through housing, agriculture, animal husbandry and educational projects. In less than a year, the organization has accomplished quite a bit of progress. With the help of De Mi Casa a Tu Casa, Inc., a wonderful Dominican-based organization, FFP is developing a town with a goal of being self-sustainable. FFP has helped build four wells so the people no longer have to drink water out of a river that makes them sick. The organization plans to build 100 homes and is constructing a community center, a bank, a school and a police station. FFP is also experimenting with putting in a windmill that will feed a battery cell and deliver electricity to the village.
One of the residents of this frontier town is Oleani Jean-Baptiste, who at 38 is showing years of stress as a single mother. She has seven children from 18 to 2 years old and lives in a wood and mud shack that floods when it rains. Her children are often sick, and she is often behind on the rent because she cannot make enough working in gardens of homeowners in the area. She is desperate for a house and prays that God will provide one for her.
Food for the Poor helps people exactly like Jean-Baptiste, who otherwise would have no hope. Special preference for homes is given to single mothers, the elderly and the infirmed, marginalized members of society who do not have many means to make income. FFP executive director Angel Aloma told me that Jean-Baptiste will get a home from the organization.
I'll leave you with a pleasant photo this evening of Haitian children at their school. The one-room schoolhouse educates more than 150 students and is divided into five groups by age. FFP is helping to build a new school.
Next: Visiting a Cathedral, and other Catholic experiences in the Dominican Republic.
Labels: charities, Dominican Republic, Food for the Poor, Haiti, poverty
posted by Anonymous @ 9:00 PM
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