Haitian family. Photo by Mishawn Pederson.
The first heat wave of the summer is slamming the Pacific Northwest today. Maybe the rising temperatures got us thinking about Haiti again, where heat waves are a daily reality and good luck finding a sprinkler to run through, let alone an air-conditioned house and a tall glass of ice water. Those of you who have been reading Armchair Adventurista from the start may remember one of our first stories, about a nurse friend who travelled to Haiti with a group of health-care providers in February to help earthquake victims there. It’s been six months since the trip and we’ve decided to check back in and see how recovery in Haiti is progressing.
In the first few weeks after the earthquake, aid poured into Haiti at staggering rates. The U.S., originally the biggest donor to the cause, pledged $1.2 billion. Subsequently, Venezuela one-upped the U.S. by pledging $2.4 billion. Aid groups received millions, too (remember the Red Cross’s pioneering “text-to-donate” scheme, and George Clooney’s telethon?). Six months later, despite the full coffers of recovery cash, Haiti remains in shambles. Crime-ridden, overcrowded tent cities dot the landscape. Huge sections of capitol city Port-au-Prince remain flattened. A recent article in the New York Times describes the woeful conditions at a makeshift orphanage that has been denied funding by American relief organizations. The orphanage director told the Times, “Somehow, the whole world wants to help Haiti, but we feel like we’re on our own.”
Why is it so hard to get aid cash into the hands of Haitians? Read this excellent op/ed piece in the New York Times by Tracy Kidder to find out. For a fascinating primer on Haiti—and a great read—check out Kidder’s book Mountains beyond Mountains, which chronicles the work of an eccentric and brilliant American doctor, Paul Farmer, whose devotion to Haiti and Haitians is unparalleled.
Stay cool!
