16315: anonymous reply; Re: 16312: anonymous: helping the poor of Haiti (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

   I must have missed the big demonstrations by
members of the "diaspora" to get any government to
intervene in favor of the Haitian poor. Granted I am
so busy watching our so called dependent people
struggle that perhaps it happened without me.
  I've been in Haiti for a month and a half now and I
have seen dire poverty. I have seen those to whom U
give and who beg of U the next day and I have also
seen those to whom U give and who use it as seed
money.
   As much as these cliches about not giving a fish
but teaching to fish may sound musical and clever, I
believe they miss the issue. Yes, it would be good to
have the government create jobs for our people. But in
the meantime, should we wait while those
non-forthcoming jobs are created for those who
survived the malnutrition, the lack of potable water
and the dyphteria?  Very often those who spout those
messages only help "their own family" and have very
little conciousness of the bigger picture.
   I too feel offended when someone accosts me in
front of a restaurant on Michigan Avenue and tells me
that I SHOULD give him the money  I am going to spend
on dinner. I'm offended because I work for it and it
is my choice how I spend it.  But I spent years in
Haiti when people who had no lights at home would
spend the night studying under the light post in front
of our house ( those were the days when there was
electricity in Haiti). I don't see a lazy people
waiting under a coconut tree for crumbs- the image so
many would like to paint of our proud poor- and I
can't refrain from handing out the 500 gourdes to pay
for a prescription even if the person passes on the
word.
   Should I wait instead for the cadres which may
never materialize for those whose relatives provide
them with the minimum to stand up "sak vid pa kanpe -
an empty bag does not stand" who may be the ones left
to benefit from them (from our poor of course). I
don't decry programs which help. Giving is a personal
choice and a question of philosophical beliefs. I
guess I prefer to give someone $120 to buy "pepe" and
start a little business; a drop perhaps but at least
its a ray of hope than to beat off the hand of the one
feeding the 10 year old with kwachoko.
Peace and love from Haiti.
P.S. I did march on the Champ-de-Mars at the Wednesday
rally for justice to mobilize the justice system to
their cause. Does that count as an anti-dependency act
to motivate people to stand up and "fish for
themselves". (I think they just celebrated the 300th
rally three weeks ago).