Progress Updates

For the first 3 months I was in Haiti, I searched desperately to find some kind of rhythm. The rattle of Kreyol, the initially hectic nature of the taptap commute, and the occasional uncontrollable shock of witnessing poverty and hardship all threw me fairly far off my game.  Of course, this part of the experience was especially valuable. I found that I was learning even when I did not immediately recognize it, as my reflections on a single brief interaction, a minute part of my day, would yield the most frustrating challenges to my thought process.  It was also emotionally exhausting and, because of the incredible demand that true need puts on one’s conscience, it overwhelmed my sense of patience (which I have little of already) and my practical expectations. Besides rice, beans, and the caffeine rush of Haitian coffee just about every morning, there was not a whole lot on which I could hang my hat.

At these times, and we’ve all had them, one’s intellect kicks into overdrive, unconsciously working and scheming 25 hours a day, 8 days a week.  This is great when the need makes you want to work harder, but it’s damaging once you realize your intellectual hyperactivity has lead you around in circles to the same place you started.  

In short, emotionally draining hard work alone doesn’t lead to accomplishment, especially in a locale that is the hallmark of unreliability.  Instead, it sometimes overwhelms the ability to make the kinds of observations essential to solving problems that demand multiple techniques and tries (i.e. patient and thorough approaches). For all of you that just read the previous two sentences and thought, "Well, DUH," I will reassure you that I think I could have told you all this 5 five months ago. But this sentiment of patience is easily stated and not easily followed through upon.  This has rung especially true for me, as this is my first stay in Haiti.  Thus, the conundrum of the environment – until you realize your obsessiveness is hindering parts of the work, you will continue to try and squeeze a little blood out of the same rock, but by the nature of obsessiveness it’s not exactly easy to come upon such realizations. 

Before I start sounding like a self-help book: to sum up, sometimes it’s best to leave and come back.  These days, the work environment is interrupted, rather than dominated, by realizations of the challenges we continue to face looking to help Haiti.  The new of work environment is reviving and clearing up a few of the most vital challenges about our students, our work, and about Haiti for me.  These are some of the most frequently reappearing challenges that we face, and how KCH is handling them:

1)      How to engrain regular expectations and good habits in our students, who frequently have never independently set high goals or expectations for themselves or received such expectations from authority figures.

2)      How to do this in an educational system that encourages passivity in the learning process when we work with students outside their schools.

3)      How to solve the problem that presents itself in our giving of aid, more eloquently worded by Umi Viswanathan (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/uma-viswanathan/new-leadership-in-haiti_b_816087.html),

“I reflected on the way it feels to be an American working in Haiti. I have so much more to offer this country than my wallet. Haitians have so much more wisdom and ingenuity to offer the international community than a hand outstretched for charity. This power dynamic we're all locked into has eroded the human values of Haitians and the international community alike. It prevents authentic relationships from developing between Haitians and internationals as equals, and hinders in Haitians the sense of total responsibility for and leadership over Haiti's development.

Many Haitians do not feel they can transform Haiti because we have, together, created a reliance that teaches that someone from the outside is going to come and rescue Haiti, fix the system, create jobs, educate and feed Haitians. Somehow it's expected, from Haitians and from foreigners alike, that real change is going to happen in Haiti when the international community -- the NGOs, the UN, the private investors -- find the silver bullet that is going to solve Haiti's problems. Haiti's challenges, however, must be solved by Haitian leaders.”

This last point brings up perhaps the most important challenge; one that links so many of those that we face in Haiti: that personal responsibility, confidence, and self-empowerment essential to a student’s success no matter what opportunities they are being given (where they are going to school, what they are studying, the size of their business, etc.). These are also the most fragile of indicators and the most difficult to truly measure.  Just try making a line graph for self-empowerment progress.  

For all three issues, the simplest way to find an answer is in the way we think about the problems themselves. That is, we must concede to imperfection. Instead of trying to tackle the faulty school system, we realize that equally important to the actual things our students are learning in school or the way they learn them is that they see over time that they are responsible for the progress in their own lives and communities.  If their grades aren’t good enough, they will problem solve with their teachers, schools, and with KCH until they get better. 

As an organization, we can be a conduit to opportunity, but not a guarantee of success.  The most lasting contribution of KCH will hopefully be the encouragement of young people to understand the responsibility they have for their lives, communities, and country.  We aim to give our students not a map, but a compass.  For where a map provides directions to a set destination, a compass is a tool for continued exploration; all that’s needed is the explorer and the dream of his next discovery.

What’s next:

We are in the process of setting up community service projects which our students will be required to work on and eventually lead themselves, and we continue to search for ways to create and maintain healthy, productive relationships with our students we have while providing them with adequate financial and personal support. Of course, we continue to grow and discover new needs and projects that might challenge and support our students all the time. 

We are always grateful for financial support and donations of the equipment we so vitally need (computers, books in French, and other learning resources) and for those who want to volunteer their time to help KCH, whether it is with technology assistance, event planning, grant writing, etc.  Please check out kidsconnectionhaiti.org to donate and/or correspond about opportunities to help. Going forward, I’ll keep you updated as to how we are helping our students help themselves.

I've really appreciated and enjoyed all the comments and suggestions I've gotten in relation to these posts. Please keep me in tune with your thoughts and ideas. Thanks for following up to now and I hope you keep up!

Note: this is a direct clip from Huffington Post, not my work. It's very relevant to the Haitian situation and that which KCH faces in looking to build upon what we have and how our youth can affect the country. 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dyane-jean-fran/haitis-next-leader-to-do-_b_812373.html

By Dyane Jean Francois

To someone who lives in a democratic republic, a dictator is that cancerous sore in the body politic that Teddy Roosevelt warned the world about in 1910.

Of one man in especial, beyond anyone else, the citizens of a republic should beware, and that is of the man who appeals to them to support him on the ground that he is hostile to other citizens of the republic... that he will secure for those who elect him, in one shape or another, profit at the expense of other citizens of the republic.

This man is easily recognizable to those who live in peace. (That is why many people around the world are wondering why would any Haitian support Jean-Claude Duvalier's foray back into politics.) Unfortunately, in Haiti, where there is only strife and deprivation, a despot seems like a messiah.
The current economic situation in Haiti makes it an easy prey for despotism. There, life is lived out in high contrast, the starkest of which is to eat or not to eat. In such a desperate situation, it is not surprising that people would choose to eat, no matter what the cost. Political rectitude is a trifle in such a life. It is a place where one cannot easily stand on principle. First the belly, then the mind. First you eat, then you think.
Satisfying basic needs is then the best weapon of a despotic government. People living in violence and poverty will accept many things if they are promised security and food. As one woman who had lived under the Duvalier regime explained to me, "would you rather live with no freedom or a little freedom?" That she knew people disappeared or were tortured did not bother her because the violence was selective. She was free to lie in her bed at night, even if she could not sleep for fear she might be next.
The current conditions in Haiti right now make such bargains, little freedom over no freedom, highly attractive. Struggling to rebuild from last year's quake, grappling with the aftermath of the cholera outbreak, caught up in violence over the disputed presidential elections, the population is hungry for relief.
In order to free the nation from the temptation to return to despotic rule, Haiti's best leader must be more than a good administrator of UN funds, more than an honest politician. He or she must be a teacher.
The despotic tradition has taught Haitians that the government is a leviathan who, in exchange for obedience, would provide whatever the citizen wants. Ask and you shall receive, said the despot. The average Haitian needs to know that he is responsible for the kind of government the country tolerates.
The best leader for Haiti will be someone who will impress on the people that it is the responsibility of each citizen to safeguard security, rule of law, and initiate money-making ventures that contribute to long-term economic gain. It will be his or her responsibility to shatter their illusion that there is such a thing as a government that can save them from poverty and violence. It will be the next president's charge to convince them that democratic change starts with each one of them.
The other essential task of the next leader is to educate the children and youth. As we have seen from Hitler to Perón, all successful dictators, whether they rule by fear or charm, must starve the mind. Consequently revolutions often break out, as we are witnessing in Tunisia, when a great swath of the population has become well educated enough to question the governance of their leaders.
A good leader for Haiti will be someone who commits to universal education for children and the youth. An education that includes a cultivation of democratic ideals. Because if you do not know your rights, you will not ask for them. And, when they are threatened you will surely not defend them.

A Message from the Director

A call for support from Kids Connection Haiti - very soon I will give you an update of all the exciting projects KCH is involved in. Besides sponsors, we are always grateful for general contributions, which will help us put young people in school and start them on the path to self-empowerment and a sustainable life. Please read on:

Dear Supporter of Kids Connection Haiti,

Just over one year ago, a tremendous earthquake rocked Haiti, killing 250.00 people and devastating millions of lives. Now, one year later, the people in Haiti are still suffering from the devastation. A million people still live in tent cities, in unsafe, unhealthy and impoverished conditions. Unemployment is widespread. Natural disasters, an on-going cholera epidemic and political unrest make for insecurity and violence. The Haitian people still need your support. Only with sustainable support will Haiti do better.

Kids Connection Haiti is addressing the very need of sustained support. We are preparing young adults for a financially stable future, so that they can, in turn, reach out to a younger generation and establish a safer, more stable future for themselves and their communities. Our young adults are the next community leaders, the next managers, even the next politicians. With good education, self-confidence and respect for others, they can help improve Haiti.

Please consider being a part of this important change. Kids Connection Haiti needs sponsors to ensure continuity in the educational program that we offer. The sponsorship of a young adult will cost you no more than $25 per month. With your monthly contribution, a young adult can finish school, learn a profession or trade and create stability in her life and the lives of others around her. You will receive semi-annual  progress reports and a picture of the person you are sponsoring

Are you willing to share $25 each month to help a Haitian person establish a better life?

Please sign up now!  To do so, just reply to this e-mail with your name and address and you will be assigned a student in need and receive detailed information about our sponsorship program. 

Thank you so much for your continuous support.

Sincerely,

Astrid Fitzgerald

Astrid Fitzgerald

Founder and coordinator Kids Connection Haiti

PS: if you would like to contribute and are not able to do so on a monthly basis, please know that also your one time donation, no matter how small or how big, is greatly appreciated and will be sent directly to the support of our students in need. Please go to www.kidsconnectionhaiti.org to make your donation. Thank you very much!

 

Retou (return)

I returned to Haiti a week ago, January 11, on a half-full plane from Miami to a beautiful Caribbean day - hot and sunny with a dusty breeze coming off the street - complete with a signature PaP blokus (traffic jam) and a plate of rice and beans with warm bananas.  After a couple hours in the office, I headed up to mountain to Kenscoff, where Frantz was waiting at my house. 

For a while we stood on the cement balcony outside the house, catching up and talking about the differences between our last few weeks.

"No work tomorrow, ou konnen, paske se 12 janvier."

"Yea, I kind of figured. Ki sa w'a fe demen? Epi pep la - ki sa yo pral fe pou sonje?" (What will you do tomorrow? And the people - what will they do to remember?) 

He turned and looked at me. "Prey."

"At the church?"

"Everywhere."

January 12 was the calmest, most peaceful day I have seen in Haiti. At a time where nothing is certain in this country, stinging fear and tensity were absent, replaced by reverence. Some people marched in their good clothes to church, where they stayed the whole day; others remembered the people they lost on their own. Like any shared solemn and memorable day, every person remembers exactly where they were at the time of the trembleman de te; everyone has a mental image of how they reacted during and just after the earth beneath their feet shook violently for over 30 seconds. 

On the long days without work, I find it is best to content myself with the bel repoze - the beautiful relaxation; an art that Haitian people have mastered from adjusting to things never working properly.  I read books and then sat outside my house, observing the people walking by in their white and black dress clothes, then went on a walk up the mountain. 

There is a gray stone skeleton of a mansion past Tetbwape, the last real developed outcrop in Kenscoff, where the suburban feel of the town begins to erode into something more overtly rural. The building, complete with 12 foot columns and what would have been a sprawling balcony, was abandoned in 1986 after the man who commissioned it to be built, Jean Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier, was exiled from the country he brutally ruled for 15 years. It remains good for a foray into the world of a dictator and for housing a few families who have constructed little tin shacks using one of the overhanging rock slabs as a roof.  Like so much in Haiti, it is a reminder of the treacherous in the midst of the unique and beautiful.  In front of the house, in what would have been the tyrant’s sprawling yard, lies a long clay soccer field, framed by the spine of the mountains rippling off into the southwest. 

At the time of the house’s abandonment, there was a similar echo of some thread of hope throughout the country, as there is now.  Authorities and people alike have rallied to the idea that the earthquake gives Haiti a chance to “build back better.” As the finish of the Duvalier era did in 1986, the election of Aristide in 1991, and the bicentennial in 2004, offered hope, so does this chance born out of the earthquake.  But hope then was squelched by various power grabs and excuses, and hope now is not easily separable from cynicism. 

Four days later, without much explanation, Duvalier has returned on an Air France flight to Haiti, throwing the political climate into even greater uncertainty.  Absent for 25 years, people wanting of times when they could drink water without fear (although they could not freely speak their minds) speak about the dictator in fair, even glowing, terms. And so the people welcome back a man who endeavored to control the country’s problems with violence and who left it broke and vulnerable. Already, supporters of charismatic ex-President Jean Bertrand have called for his return from a six year exile in South Africa.  It seems that every big ego of Haitian politics is deciding that the current crisis and uncertainty warrants their help (read ‘help’: an easy chance to exploit things for their own gain).

And so another act begins in Haiti’s horrible parody.  MINUSTAH, Clinton, Preval, Duvalier, Cholera, Manigat, Mickey, 10,000 NGOs, and 2 million starving people – imagine a stage with scores of hungry actors all vying for one small spotlight.  One is hungry for power, another for money, another for victory, and still another for …. just food.  But which is which? Whose intent matches their words? Who knows the answers or even where to begin to find them?

Not me.

I know that I respect the hope and determination of the people knee deep in this mess; people like James, who wrote today, “I’d like to go to school or an institute to learn about interpretation to finally become somebody in my life, not a nobody, to be a useful person in society, and help those who can’t help themselves. If only I had the means I would.”

I know that I can’t stand the focus on one person or another and the corrupting entitlement that inevitably appears for the people in power here in Haiti.

I know, finally, that 3 months seems like an awfully short time now; but being back, I know that Haiti is to be under my skin, in my head, and provoking my thoughts far beyond then.

M’ap Swif (I’m following)


PS - Something you can do to help

http://www.ezilidanto.com/zili/2011/01/haiti-pres-obama-there-are-55000-reasons-to-be-fair-to-haitians/

 

Members of Congress have already proven that they are willing to take diplomatic action in Haiti (Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy has called for a passport freeze for Haitian government officials and their families until the electoral strive is resolved).  As mentioned in the article, 55,000 Haitian visas approved before the earthquake are being delayed behind thousands of other visas. These are legal immigrants already approved by the US government who could provide much-needed help to their countrymen (Diaspora contributions account for almost 25% of Haitian GDP).  So you can write your federal congresspeople and senators and remind them that Haiti is still in trouble and there is something very clear they can do to help - expedite these visas.

Let's make the one year anniversary rhetoric of continued support really mean something.

Just one this time

But this one is really good, and part about a guy where I live! Check it out:

http://www.slate.com/id/2279858/

Study Up, you

In lieu of a real blog post, here is some good information you can tap into to learn a little more about Haiti; promise I'll get back to writing soon!

Voices Full of Change: Some reflections on the past year in Haiti
http://www.thenational.ae/featured-content/channel-page/lifestyle/middle-teasers-list/voices-of-change?pageCount=0

Cholera Updates, with a long list of who to pray for (if that's what you're into)
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/VVOS-8CRS28?OpenDocument&rc=2&cc=hti

Edwidge Danticat is a renowned Haitian author; she reads interesting words about growing up as a girl in Haiti (among other things)
http://www.ted.com/talks/edwidge_danticat_stories_of_haiti.html

Peter Haas explains in this short presentation why Haiti's earthquake wreaked so much havoc
http://www.ted.com/talks/peter_haas_haiti_s_disaster_of_engineering.html

A short video about Haitian Voodoo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpeLdXeIbwA

Hope you enjoy and keep Haiti in your thoughts not because the holidays are coming to a close, not because the one-year anniversary of the earthquake is 9 days away, and not because of the protests; but because even when all these things pass the people of Haiti will need your support just as much.