(Community Matters) a wee bit surreal that I just had a nice meal & wine in the courtyard of a very nice restaurant, The Latin Quarter. Yet, it was mostly a treat for these expats who work for little pay and in 6 days (long days) a week jobs in a country where they must live with curfews and be escorted by security.
One women is a Tufts post grad in nutrition and oversees a staff of Haitians teaching women infant care in the child camps. Another is former Haiti Peace Corps who’s a psychologist overseeing eight Haitian psychologists counseling pregnant women & mothers with newborns. Another is head of logistics, another head of Haiti finance, plus the worldwide director of Concern Worldwide emergency response, and two staffers from NY – CFO and head of development.
Everyone agrees Haitians are extraordinarily resilient. They’ve never had a safety net, they’ve lived thru many disasters. And while I saw smiles on the street, lots of street merchants selling everything from obviously used picture frames to Head & Shoulders, I also saw lots of disaster and heard stories of women & young girls raped every night in the camps. I didn’t realize the government has mandated the discontinuance of food distribution, reportedly in the belief that it’s time for the refugees, the homeless to provide for themselves. Thank gosh HelpHaiti is funding cash for work. Posted from my blackberry.
Community Matters 