16849: Raber: Paul Farmer (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: P&M Raber <raber@valkyrie.net>

Paul Farmer is doing a nice Job in Haiti.    In a few more decades I am sure
his work will be even greater and actually deserve all the attention it is
getting now.  The spotlight deserves to be on those who have been toiling
for decades under worse conditions and with a lot less financing to improve
the lot of Haitians. Some groups have never received any money from outside
of Haiti.   I do not want to belittle what Farmer is doing but if you look
at things clearly, here are the two reasons for all the hoopla:

1-The politically correct disease he is fighting: AIDS .  He would not be
getting a line in any newspapers, or one word on National Public Radio if he
was combating cancer or malaria in Haiti.

2-His connection with HARVARD.  If he was on the staff at Podonk University,
the AIDS thing alone would not get the media to pay any attention to him.

Hopefully he can use his popularity to help all the other well established
NGO's in Haiti obtain much needed funding for their projects as well.  Men
anpil, chay pa lou.