Special to the tribune
WHAT NEXT FOR HAITI?
After a delay of a couple of months I was finally able to take a team of local volunteers to the North Coast of Haiti. My scheduled trip in January was delayed by the devastating Earthquake and the relief effort that made travel to the country difficult. Travel inside the country was almost impossible, considering the amount of luggage and supplies we take. Since we work about 150 miles from Port au Prince (PAP), the logistics of getting our team in and housing them was a reason to wait.
The most depressing picture on our approach to PAP was the proliferation of tent cities (obvious from the blue and white patches) from the tide flats at the oceans edge to the base of the hills that separate Haiti from the rest of the Island of Hispanola (The Dominican Republic). We realized that the next big disasters are just weeks away when the rains, and then the hurricanes start to wash away what little is left. The only property damage we personally saw was the serious damage done to the International Airport building, named after the leader of the Haitian Revolution, Tousant Loverture. Though we were able to deplane for the first time using the jetways that have been in place but inoperable in the past, the airport building itself was damaged beyond use.
Many of you have seen the news reports, special commentaries and exposes from every possible source in the World about what the conditions were, are and possibly will be in Port au Prince and the Southern part of the country where the earthquake made its most graphic impact. This report isn’t about that. Though we flew into PAP, we were only on the ground there for a few uncomfortable hours waiting for our small (19 passenger) plane to take us to the north coast at Port de Paix. What we found there was not much changed from what we have seen in the past, except that there seemed to be even more people in the streets. In an area where jobs are non existent (unemployment is 80% or more) more people just puts an even heavier burden on the local economy. I didn’t see any evidence of foreign aid or even an increase in Governmental presence.
I was able to talk with folks who had been to and in Haiti numerous times since the quake, to every corner and for every purpose. I talked mostly with fellow missions people, but I also talked daily with Haitians. Trying to glean some idea of what was going to be required to put Haiti back amongst the living, and maybe better off than before this unfortunate event. There was not a lot of hope, even in the voices of Haitians who normally have a resilience of spirit that defies their plight in a modern World that still overlooks them as fellow human beings.
There were a lot of comments about the heroic deeds of some relief organizations, the U.S. and Foreign military groups in particular and the many Christian agencies that saw the need beyond their usual narrow focus of how this was going to look in the media. The fact that billions of dollars were pouring into the country for rebuilding was not yet evident. There were many expressions of doubt that the money would ever make it to the people we usually look out for, the poor.
So, what will it take to rebuild a Haiti that resembles the country that once was known as the “Jewel of the Antilles”?
Much of what will be needed will need to come from outside of Haiti, but most of it could come from within. The following are a few of my personal observations.
With the influx of dollars for rebuilding, what is not needed is for relief organizations and foreign corporations to come in and build. What is needed is to provide the materials, training, and funding that will allow the Haitians to rebuild their shattered country and economy themselves. Let the foreign corporations and relief agencies provide the leadership and monetary control, but let the Haitians have the jobs.
Agricultural projects need to be encouraged that will change the landscape and rebuild the soil that was once the most fertile in the Caribbean. What worked in the past were small plots of land given to Haitians to maintain and provide food for their families and a source of income. Sweat equity can build a nation, and in Haiti sweat comes easy.
A change in the way education is provided with a public school system where EVERY child can get a basic education and seek jobs that have traditionally been denied to the poor. The Education for All bill currently being worked on in the U.S. Congress is a step in that direction. In Haiti, education has traditionally been provided by organizations (Christian and others) in French only, rather than in the more commonly spoken language of the vast majority of the population, Haitian Creole. This has prevented large numbers of people from the rural areas of the country from becoming educated and employable. The rural poor can’t afford the tuition for school creating generations doomed to a life of illiteracy.
The government needs to be supported for its efforts, but not without specific criterion for reducing corruption and graft. There needs to be a way to allow free and open elections, with support after the fact of whoever wins. The U.S. has not been particularly fair when dealing with the will of the people of Haiti, but that is another subject that will need to be addressed in many nations where we have imposed our will, without accepting the basic rights of self determination.
As noted above, foreign corporations, construction firms and politicians are good at getting publicity, but not so good at effecting real change.
Nothing in Haiti happens at the same pace that most Americans want. It will take
years to recover from the current crisis, while others cause forward steps to fall back. The people of Haiti will survive this, but we need to be there to help. I intend to keep going back, to see the progress and do what little I can to keep the Haitian people in the minds of those who have so much to be thankful for and just don’t realize how little it takes to be satisfied with just what you have.
What I still didn’t see on a grand scale was people with their hands out. There were some in PAP who were begging, where homelessness is obvious. I was asked numerous times if I had a tent in my luggage. But for the most part, out in the country, they will tell you of their struggles, but will gladly work for little more than a few dollars a day, because that is what they need. They just need a chance.
I welcome your comments, and interest in serving beyond our own neighborhood.
Larry Bailly is mission’s coordinator for Snohomish Community Church. He is also a member of the Snohomish County RESULTS group. He has been taking teams to the Northwest of Haiti for the last 7 years. He can be reached at baillybusbarn@juno.com
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Before the Earthquake
Special to the Tribune
HAITI before the Earthquake
I first started going to Haiti on a regular basis in 2002. I was part of a dental team led by Dr. Mike Karr from Granite Falls. I got to see the Capital, Port au Prince, and some of the surrounding areas, from the slums and shanty towns to the walled compounds in the hills belonging to the elite who make up only about 5% of the population.
From the very first moments I was struck by some glaring similarities between this country and another former French colony, Vietnam. The architecture, the colors and even the language have similarities. There is a sense that a huge part of the population lives on the bottom rung of the social ladder, like much of Southeast Asia.
Since that first trip I have been back 9 times. On all of these subsequent trips I have taken my teams through the International airport, to a smaller regional terminal to fly up to the Northwest of Haiti at Port de Paix. PdP is a small sea port, with a harbor, but no docking facility. That is another story. The airstrip is a former road turned into airstrip, still dirt and often used for local travel. Landing and taking off is always an adventure in itself.
This country is so close to the United States and yet so far behind in the basic things we take for granted. A city of two to three million people, PaP has no public water supply, no sewer, no reliable phone service and for a select few only a few hours of electricity per day. No public school system, very little professional medical care and the only means of transportation is by taxi service, known as Tap-Taps.
Travel is hampered by a total lack of traffic controls, large intersections in this city are un-controlled chaos. The entire country is the size of Maryland in land area, the population is clustered mostly in a few scattered cities, with large areas of undeveloped land. The land between cities for the most part has been stripped of all vegetation and top soil. Not the fault of the current residents of Haiti, but the result of hundreds of years of exploitation by their own and foreign governments.
In 2002 there was difficulty in making communication across the city, and impossible to many other parts of the country. By last year (2009), land lines had pretty much been replaced entirely by cell phones. The cell system still is not ideal, but at least contact can be made between the cities most of the time. When I was there last January there seemed to be at least a start of some improvement in the lives of some Haitians. There was not the element of danger that we have seen in the past. We were still careful to guard our possessions.
A couple of years ago we were able to convince a local Baptist school to give us a tour.
I was Baptized in this church a few years ago (first white man in 40 years) so I have some standing in the community to ask. What we found was an extremely crowded, understaffed and unequipped teaching facility where students pay attention to every word and are generally happy to have the opportunity to learn. We have witnessed and heard from parents who go without food so they can afford the $200.00 it takes to send their kids to school for a year. We saw high school classrooms with 40+ students, a piece of chalk and a blackboard, no paper or pencils, no books and no other form of reference materials. A library full of donated books in English, but none in French or Haitian Creole. No cafeteria, just some Haitian ladies selling treats in the playground area between classes.
But in all of this, there is the sense that of anyplace on earth that could experience the very worst of tragedies, these people would survive. The children laugh and play like children anywhere. The parents will do anything to provide whatever they can to see that their children learn and grow. They do this with no jobs, no education and very little hope for any help from anyone. They are clean at the start of every day even though most of their homes have dirt floors and no cooking, washing or showering facilities. They take care of what they have, but by custom will loan anything they possess if someone else needs it more. Their faith is all about Hope and for most believers that is all they will ever have.
My part in all of this is simple. Keep the Haitian people in my daily prayers and talk to everyone I come into contact with about what they can do to help. I have been recruiting people for these trips for several years and now have a core group of construction and medical personnel signing up for two weeks every year.
Our current projects (as soon as we can get our team in) are the children’s care facility at LaPointe, The House of Hope. See: www.houseofhopehaiti.blogspot.com and a Hospital that is under construction in the far west section of Haiti at Passe Catabois. We are in the process of installing a very large solar system to finally be able to provide power for medical equipment upgrades. Our team of 33 was supposed to be there for three weeks from the 16th of January, but of course the Earthquake changed those plans and prevented us from going.
Larry Bailly is mission’s coordinator for Snohomish Community Church. He is also a member of the Snohomish County RESULTS group. He has been taking teams to the Northwest of Haiti for the last 7 years. He can be reached at baillybusbarn@juno.com
HAITI before the Earthquake
I first started going to Haiti on a regular basis in 2002. I was part of a dental team led by Dr. Mike Karr from Granite Falls. I got to see the Capital, Port au Prince, and some of the surrounding areas, from the slums and shanty towns to the walled compounds in the hills belonging to the elite who make up only about 5% of the population.
From the very first moments I was struck by some glaring similarities between this country and another former French colony, Vietnam. The architecture, the colors and even the language have similarities. There is a sense that a huge part of the population lives on the bottom rung of the social ladder, like much of Southeast Asia.
Since that first trip I have been back 9 times. On all of these subsequent trips I have taken my teams through the International airport, to a smaller regional terminal to fly up to the Northwest of Haiti at Port de Paix. PdP is a small sea port, with a harbor, but no docking facility. That is another story. The airstrip is a former road turned into airstrip, still dirt and often used for local travel. Landing and taking off is always an adventure in itself.
This country is so close to the United States and yet so far behind in the basic things we take for granted. A city of two to three million people, PaP has no public water supply, no sewer, no reliable phone service and for a select few only a few hours of electricity per day. No public school system, very little professional medical care and the only means of transportation is by taxi service, known as Tap-Taps.
Travel is hampered by a total lack of traffic controls, large intersections in this city are un-controlled chaos. The entire country is the size of Maryland in land area, the population is clustered mostly in a few scattered cities, with large areas of undeveloped land. The land between cities for the most part has been stripped of all vegetation and top soil. Not the fault of the current residents of Haiti, but the result of hundreds of years of exploitation by their own and foreign governments.
In 2002 there was difficulty in making communication across the city, and impossible to many other parts of the country. By last year (2009), land lines had pretty much been replaced entirely by cell phones. The cell system still is not ideal, but at least contact can be made between the cities most of the time. When I was there last January there seemed to be at least a start of some improvement in the lives of some Haitians. There was not the element of danger that we have seen in the past. We were still careful to guard our possessions.
A couple of years ago we were able to convince a local Baptist school to give us a tour.
I was Baptized in this church a few years ago (first white man in 40 years) so I have some standing in the community to ask. What we found was an extremely crowded, understaffed and unequipped teaching facility where students pay attention to every word and are generally happy to have the opportunity to learn. We have witnessed and heard from parents who go without food so they can afford the $200.00 it takes to send their kids to school for a year. We saw high school classrooms with 40+ students, a piece of chalk and a blackboard, no paper or pencils, no books and no other form of reference materials. A library full of donated books in English, but none in French or Haitian Creole. No cafeteria, just some Haitian ladies selling treats in the playground area between classes.
But in all of this, there is the sense that of anyplace on earth that could experience the very worst of tragedies, these people would survive. The children laugh and play like children anywhere. The parents will do anything to provide whatever they can to see that their children learn and grow. They do this with no jobs, no education and very little hope for any help from anyone. They are clean at the start of every day even though most of their homes have dirt floors and no cooking, washing or showering facilities. They take care of what they have, but by custom will loan anything they possess if someone else needs it more. Their faith is all about Hope and for most believers that is all they will ever have.
My part in all of this is simple. Keep the Haitian people in my daily prayers and talk to everyone I come into contact with about what they can do to help. I have been recruiting people for these trips for several years and now have a core group of construction and medical personnel signing up for two weeks every year.
Our current projects (as soon as we can get our team in) are the children’s care facility at LaPointe, The House of Hope. See: www.houseofhopehaiti.blogspot.com and a Hospital that is under construction in the far west section of Haiti at Passe Catabois. We are in the process of installing a very large solar system to finally be able to provide power for medical equipment upgrades. Our team of 33 was supposed to be there for three weeks from the 16th of January, but of course the Earthquake changed those plans and prevented us from going.
Larry Bailly is mission’s coordinator for Snohomish Community Church. He is also a member of the Snohomish County RESULTS group. He has been taking teams to the Northwest of Haiti for the last 7 years. He can be reached at baillybusbarn@juno.com
Acknowledgement
Special to the Tribune
AKNOWLEDGEMENT
What a difference it makes when some huge historical event is acknowledged by the whole World.
Within 20 years of the birth of the United States of America. Declaring Independence from colonial rule; another revolution was under way in the Western Hemisphere that would change significantly the course of History for the New United States and all of the other colonial powers on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.
For almost 200 years the countries of Europe had colonized, pillaged and decimated the population of the West Indies in pursuit of its riches of sugar, lumber and other commodities. After virtually all of the native inhabitants had died of diseases brought from Europe, the slave trade was born to provide the machinery to continue the depletion of resources. That the slave trade was brutal, inhumane and morally wrong is without question. The sale, theft or kidnapping of humans for use in the worst forms of bondage cannot be condoned, but still continues today.
The slaves of Haiti rose up against their masters and ultimately defeated a far superior French Army to declare itself an Independent Republic in 1804. This was the first, and to this date the ONLY, successful slave revolt. Haiti became the first Black Free Republic in the World.
It was a wake up call that was not welcomed even by the United States which saw the seeds of a possible slave revolt that could destroy the prosperity of this new Republic. The response was one of shear disbelief that the new regime would hold. No effort was made by any colonial power to acknowledge or support the new leaders of Haiti.
A concerted effort by Napoleon, who sent his brother in law with an Army to take back his possessions, could not defeat the newly freed people of Haiti. It was this defeat that caused a monumental shift in the course of History for the Western Hemisphere. France abandoned its exploration of the middle of the North American continent and simply sold its possessions in the form of the Louisiana Purchase. The Spanish followed soon after effectively opening the way for the expansion of the United States from the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans.
What might have happened to the United States had the French retaken Haiti has been the subject of many commentaries lately. History might finally be presented completely by including the bravery and pride of the Haitian people brought to this hemisphere under the most objectionable of methods.
It is time that we acknowledge the debt that we as Americans owe to the people of Haiti, who have fought daily for survival against all odds, for their place in the humanity of the Western Hemisphere. It is time that we all work to bring the living conditions of everyone on “our side” of the World to a better standard.
It is too bad that it has taken a catastrophic event like the Earthquake in Haiti to open the eyes of everyone’s heart to the realities of poverty and neglect that is Haiti. That such conditions can exist just a few hundred miles from our shores should be a wake up call. In so many places just a short distance from our borders, people live minute by minute just to survive, and yet when they try to better their lot in life they are cast aside as something less than another human being.
The next time you decry the plight of any people group as being their own fault, think to yourself; what did I do to deserve the blessing of being born in the United States? Then do what you can to reach out and not just give a hand out to those less fortunate, give them a hand up.
Larry Bailly is a life long resident of Snohomish County. He is missions’ coordinator for Snohomish Community Church, www.snocommchurch.org and a member of Snohomish County RESULTS, www.RESULTS.org He has been taking teams of construction and medical personnel to Haiti for the last 7 years.
AKNOWLEDGEMENT
What a difference it makes when some huge historical event is acknowledged by the whole World.
Within 20 years of the birth of the United States of America. Declaring Independence from colonial rule; another revolution was under way in the Western Hemisphere that would change significantly the course of History for the New United States and all of the other colonial powers on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.
For almost 200 years the countries of Europe had colonized, pillaged and decimated the population of the West Indies in pursuit of its riches of sugar, lumber and other commodities. After virtually all of the native inhabitants had died of diseases brought from Europe, the slave trade was born to provide the machinery to continue the depletion of resources. That the slave trade was brutal, inhumane and morally wrong is without question. The sale, theft or kidnapping of humans for use in the worst forms of bondage cannot be condoned, but still continues today.
The slaves of Haiti rose up against their masters and ultimately defeated a far superior French Army to declare itself an Independent Republic in 1804. This was the first, and to this date the ONLY, successful slave revolt. Haiti became the first Black Free Republic in the World.
It was a wake up call that was not welcomed even by the United States which saw the seeds of a possible slave revolt that could destroy the prosperity of this new Republic. The response was one of shear disbelief that the new regime would hold. No effort was made by any colonial power to acknowledge or support the new leaders of Haiti.
A concerted effort by Napoleon, who sent his brother in law with an Army to take back his possessions, could not defeat the newly freed people of Haiti. It was this defeat that caused a monumental shift in the course of History for the Western Hemisphere. France abandoned its exploration of the middle of the North American continent and simply sold its possessions in the form of the Louisiana Purchase. The Spanish followed soon after effectively opening the way for the expansion of the United States from the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans.
What might have happened to the United States had the French retaken Haiti has been the subject of many commentaries lately. History might finally be presented completely by including the bravery and pride of the Haitian people brought to this hemisphere under the most objectionable of methods.
It is time that we acknowledge the debt that we as Americans owe to the people of Haiti, who have fought daily for survival against all odds, for their place in the humanity of the Western Hemisphere. It is time that we all work to bring the living conditions of everyone on “our side” of the World to a better standard.
It is too bad that it has taken a catastrophic event like the Earthquake in Haiti to open the eyes of everyone’s heart to the realities of poverty and neglect that is Haiti. That such conditions can exist just a few hundred miles from our shores should be a wake up call. In so many places just a short distance from our borders, people live minute by minute just to survive, and yet when they try to better their lot in life they are cast aside as something less than another human being.
The next time you decry the plight of any people group as being their own fault, think to yourself; what did I do to deserve the blessing of being born in the United States? Then do what you can to reach out and not just give a hand out to those less fortunate, give them a hand up.
Larry Bailly is a life long resident of Snohomish County. He is missions’ coordinator for Snohomish Community Church, www.snocommchurch.org and a member of Snohomish County RESULTS, www.RESULTS.org He has been taking teams of construction and medical personnel to Haiti for the last 7 years.
Haiti report 2010
Larry Bailly
18414 Broadway Ave.
Snohomish, WA 98296-4800
360-668-5031
HAITI REPORT 2010
After a delay of 3 months I was able to take a small team to our missions on the North Coast of Haiti. In January, I was to have a team of 33 on the ground starting with the first team arriving on the 15th. With the Earthquake on the 12th, that team was unable to retain their tickets. My team, the second group that was to arrive a week later, lost our tickets as well. It wouldn’t have mattered if we could have made it to Port au Prince, as in-country air travel was stopped due to a lack of fuel.
After putting together a shipment of nearly 2500 lbs. of relief supplies for our friends in Haiti, we started exploring options to get there to do our planned projects. I was able to reserve two seats on a DC-3 out of Ft. Myers, FL in late February, but due to conditions on the ground in Haiti, the missionaries requested that we NOT come yet. Food and fuel were in short supply, all the available housing was being used for IDP (internally displaced persons) from PAP and the orphanage was expecting an influx of orphaned kids. There would be no time or resources to host visitors without medical skills. Our missions are about 150 miles from the Earthquake zone and saw little damage. What they did experience was an almost immediate loss of logistical support from the central government. Food became scarce within days and diesel fuel reached $15.00 a gallon in a few days (eventually topping out at $25!).
While we waited for a green light from the missions, all of our medical personnel from the two teams managed to get slots with relief organizations to do work in country. Their stories will be much more compelling than this one, some came back emotionally drained, but with a sense of great achievement. They missed going to the Hospital at Passé Catabois, but all have a greater sense of the overwhelming needs in Haiti.
Rather than fill in the details of our trip this year, I am instead going to share with you three commentaries that I wrote for a local newspaper here in Snohomish. Some of you know that I have been writing for a number of years as an automotive writer, but I have also been writing opinion and commentary pieces for several newspapers. Most of my stuff can be found somewhere on the internet, just make sure you get the last name spelled right!
Our Haiti fund was hit pretty hard this year. Though the reason for this letter is NOT to seek contributions, they are always welcome, and put to good use. We were able to make substantial gifts to our friends in Haiti at a very difficult time. To make Tax Deductible donations, send checks made out to Snohomish Community Church with a note indicating they are for HAITI MISSIONS. Send to SCC, 13622 Dubuque Rd. Snohomish, WA 98290. If you would rather donate to me personally, just make the check out to SCC, with a note that it is for me and send it to the Church, or to the address above.
18414 Broadway Ave.
Snohomish, WA 98296-4800
360-668-5031
HAITI REPORT 2010
After a delay of 3 months I was able to take a small team to our missions on the North Coast of Haiti. In January, I was to have a team of 33 on the ground starting with the first team arriving on the 15th. With the Earthquake on the 12th, that team was unable to retain their tickets. My team, the second group that was to arrive a week later, lost our tickets as well. It wouldn’t have mattered if we could have made it to Port au Prince, as in-country air travel was stopped due to a lack of fuel.
After putting together a shipment of nearly 2500 lbs. of relief supplies for our friends in Haiti, we started exploring options to get there to do our planned projects. I was able to reserve two seats on a DC-3 out of Ft. Myers, FL in late February, but due to conditions on the ground in Haiti, the missionaries requested that we NOT come yet. Food and fuel were in short supply, all the available housing was being used for IDP (internally displaced persons) from PAP and the orphanage was expecting an influx of orphaned kids. There would be no time or resources to host visitors without medical skills. Our missions are about 150 miles from the Earthquake zone and saw little damage. What they did experience was an almost immediate loss of logistical support from the central government. Food became scarce within days and diesel fuel reached $15.00 a gallon in a few days (eventually topping out at $25!).
While we waited for a green light from the missions, all of our medical personnel from the two teams managed to get slots with relief organizations to do work in country. Their stories will be much more compelling than this one, some came back emotionally drained, but with a sense of great achievement. They missed going to the Hospital at Passé Catabois, but all have a greater sense of the overwhelming needs in Haiti.
Rather than fill in the details of our trip this year, I am instead going to share with you three commentaries that I wrote for a local newspaper here in Snohomish. Some of you know that I have been writing for a number of years as an automotive writer, but I have also been writing opinion and commentary pieces for several newspapers. Most of my stuff can be found somewhere on the internet, just make sure you get the last name spelled right!
Our Haiti fund was hit pretty hard this year. Though the reason for this letter is NOT to seek contributions, they are always welcome, and put to good use. We were able to make substantial gifts to our friends in Haiti at a very difficult time. To make Tax Deductible donations, send checks made out to Snohomish Community Church with a note indicating they are for HAITI MISSIONS. Send to SCC, 13622 Dubuque Rd. Snohomish, WA 98290. If you would rather donate to me personally, just make the check out to SCC, with a note that it is for me and send it to the Church, or to the address above.
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