This
past week in class we talked about Haiti. Listening to my peers discussing
their knowledge about the island of Haiti and Haitian people made me realize
that I knew very little on the subject. Yes of course I knew of the earthquake,
the poor conditions, and the famous singer Wyclef Jean running for president to
in hopes to help better the city. However, there was still a lot that I didn’t
know. Curious as I was I decided to do some research about the topic. After
researching the topic I found out that even before the earthquake Haiti’s 10
million people ranked the poorest in the Western Hemisphere.
The
health of Haiti as a whole is a major concern for many people. Which is why
there have been numerous people volunteering, going on mission trips, etc. Most
importantly the health of Haiti is more than just the physical aspect or what
meets the eye; it is about the Haitian people. In the book Fault Lines that explains
thoroughly what the health of a community is all about:
Health
is not just medical care. It depends on many factors. Its about People becoming
responsible actors, questioning what’s happening in the neighborhood, improving
the community. But health is something larger still. Health is the right for
people to eat, to have a place to live, to love, - yes, love, because love is a
part of people’s physical and emotional equilibrium- and to have a clean,
healthy environment to live in.
If you’d like to know
all about helping the cause and making Haiti great again here’s a link with
everything you need to know: http://www.promiseforhaiti.org/
I remember when Professor Shoaff asked us in class what we knew about Haiti. I stayed quiet, because I truly do not know anything about the country at all. I felt uncomfortable in my ignorance. However, it was slightly comforting that most of our classmates did not know much about the country either. I knew it was struggling especially after the earthquake, like most of our classmates knew. That was it. I am learning so much through other blog posts and discussions in class about this country.
ReplyDeleteIt was especially eye opening when we were shown the YouTube video of the 700 Club. I could not believe my ears when it was legitimately believed that Haiti had made a pact with the devil and that is why the country is in its current state. I was so shocked. It is unfortunate, because we all know that there has to be more than one person out there that also believes this.
I am glad you shared that link because we can read up about how to help instead of just throwing money at causes that sound good at the time.
I too stayed quiet when asked what I knew about Haiti. I have visited Haiti before on a cruise but I know what I saw while I was their was a constructed reality built for tourists. it was not the real Haiti. I remeber the earthquake and seeing the devistation it had caused on TV. I also remeber the red cross setting up the "text to help" service where if you texted a certain number you could donate money to help haiti. But know 6 years post earthquake much of that money we now know is unacounted for and we keep reading about the coruption within the NGO's and other relief organizations. Its honestly just sad that we have not taken the time to try and understand what haiti really needs and help them accordingly.
ReplyDeleteLike Kadi and Lucy Margaret, I knew very little about Haiti besides the earthquake. I know when I was younger at my church back home we would usually have people go on mission trips to Haiti. So, in some ways that framed my understanding of it, but still my knowledge was limited.
ReplyDeleteOften, I think the U.S. and Americans have a paternalistic look when it comes to "third world countries." We see ourselves as saviors; the ones who need to swoop in to show people "how it should be done." However, what often happens is we make a much bigger mess when we leave than the one they started out with.
We, as Americans, think our way is the best way. So, when we see countries who are struggling we think we have the solution (because obviously we are thriving and have everything figured out in the U.S. right?!?!). This is exactly the wrong thinking to have when trying to help out another country and people.
The histories of the country and people both need to be taken into account when going in to give assistance. As we saw in Fault Lines, often the community has excellent ideas to solving their problems, they just need a little extra help. So, why don't we provide that little extra help instead of coming in and trying to do it "the American way"?
Like Kadi and Lucy Margaret, I knew very little about Haiti besides the earthquake. I know when I was younger at my church back home we would usually have people go on mission trips to Haiti. So, in some ways that framed my understanding of it, but still my knowledge was limited.
ReplyDeleteOften, I think the U.S. and Americans have a paternalistic look when it comes to "third world countries." We see ourselves as saviors; the ones who need to swoop in to show people "how it should be done." However, what often happens is we make a much bigger mess when we leave than the one they started out with.
We, as Americans, think our way is the best way. So, when we see countries who are struggling we think we have the solution (because obviously we are thriving and have everything figured out in the U.S. right?!?!). This is exactly the wrong thinking to have when trying to help out another country and people.
The histories of the country and people both need to be taken into account when going in to give assistance. As we saw in Fault Lines, often the community has excellent ideas to solving their problems, they just need a little extra help. So, why don't we provide that little extra help instead of coming in and trying to do it "the American way"?
I have studied Haiti beforehand, but like it was said above, it was not much. The US does a great job of excluding third world countries from the conversation and we are made to believe that the only value countries like Haiti have to us is the fact that we can help them. I reject this. Haiti is a country of determined people who have continued to be led a stray by corrupt politics within Haiti and even in the US. I think we need to take a step back and stop working to be the controller of the world. The way we treat Haiti can be seen, in my way, as a modern form of colonialism and that should not be the image America should portray.
ReplyDeleteI have studied Haiti beforehand, but like it was said above, it was not much. The US does a great job of excluding third world countries from the conversation and we are made to believe that the only value countries like Haiti have to us is the fact that we can help them. I reject this. Haiti is a country of determined people who have continued to be led a stray by corrupt politics within Haiti and even in the US. I think we need to take a step back and stop working to be the controller of the world. The way we treat Haiti can be seen, in my way, as a modern form of colonialism and that should not be the image America should portray.
ReplyDeleteI love this, and I too was very unfamiliar of the problems of Haiti. As I said in class, I feel that we need to initiate solidarity. Meaning help the people of Haiti how they wish to helped and not how America wants to help them. I feel that love and support is a great starting point.
ReplyDelete