Our
learning experiences began as soon as we walked out of the airport and packed
into the vans. We noticed minimal traffic laws, people selling things on the
street, incredible amounts of garbage on the ground, and crowded tent cities as
we drove through the bustling city of Port-au-Prince. These were some of the
problems in Haitian society that were glaringly obvious, and some of the
reasons that so many people from around the world come to Haiti for service and
mission trips. At reflection our first night, we considered ways to make our
time in Haiti a beneficial, and possibly transformative, experience for
ourselves and the people we were to encounter.
By the end of our trip, we were
able to realize that spending a week in Haiti would never lead to long-term
changes in the communities. The issues of poverty, education, and healthcare
are too complex to be solved in just a week! However, many groups come into Haiti
and donate supplies or whatever they think the community will need, in hopes of
making a significant difference. Our community partner, Kim, referred to these
trips as “band-aid solutions” because it covers up the problem for a time. This
type of charity is ultimately ineffective and creates dependency because it
does not attack the root of the problem so the problem continues to occur. Just
Haiti strives to do the opposite in that it has created a model that allows for
accompaniment and sustainability. In this way, the growers in KDB (Kafé
Development of Baraderes) are able to grow coffee and sell it at a “fair trade
plus” price so that the growers can actually receive living wages for their
hard work.
One
of the most interesting aspects of the trip was sitting in on the growers’
meeting. Some of the growers walked for as long as four hours up and down the
mountains of Baraderes to reach Fond Tortue for this meeting. Their passion and
commitment to coffee was evident as they explained that coffee is a symbol of
hospitality and opportunity because it allows the growers to send their
children to school, get loans to grow their business, and build their
communities. It was evident in this meeting that the growers were clearly
capable of hard work so it makes sense to compensate them for their efforts to
produce beans for America’s favorite drink!
Besides
Just Haiti, we saw another developmental model when we visited a clinic within
Baraderes. Because we had two physician assistant majors and one respiratory
care major on the trip, seeing healthcare in another country was extremely
powerful for the group. The clinic that we saw was staffed by only one paid
nurse, a doctor who came for one week per month, and a few other volunteers.
The lack of personnel caused the hospital to only be able to treat the patients
with one specific illness per day. To fill the gaps, the best solution seems
like sending in supplies and doctors from the United States. However, this also
would be a band-aid solution because after the doctors would leave, the
problems would still be present. The only way for the hospital to be able to
sustain itself would be to have paying customers, and as of now, many people
who need medical attention in this region cannot pay for their care. This was a
difficult realization for me because it reinforced the levels of complexity in
the society that usually prevent people from making a difference in the long
term.
Sharing
these experiences and reflecting deeply upon them created a lot of unity within
our group. Together, we tried to overcome a language barrier to create
relationships with the people we met. We tried speaking French and some Spanish
to the kids of Fond Tortue when our English/Kreyol Dictionary did not seem to
be working! Team Haiti shared numerous jokes and games of Phase 10 between
activities. Even swatting at bugs or comparing “showering strategies” were
funny memories from the trip! By the end of the week, it was easy to see how
each of us had grown as individuals and as partners within the group. At the
final reflection, we talked about the ways in which this trip has changed our
thinking and what we plan to do differently when we return home. We all agree
that it will be important to use sustainability as the ultimate goal for
charity work in any context, including in Erie. In addition, we hope to
continue a relationship with Just Haiti which would involve selling the coffee
on campus and promoting the Fair Trade Plus model.
Before
heading to the airport, we took a tour of Port-au-Prince. We drove past the
National Palace which had been completely destroyed in the 2010 earthquake. We
also found the well-known statue, La Statue du Marron Inconnu, which features a
slave blowing a conch shell to symbolize revolution. Although Haiti is free
from control by the French, the country is, in some ways, enslaved by other
world powers who do not pay fair prices for its exports. Just Haiti is a
company that strives to create fairness which in turn, encourages true sustainable development
in the Haitian society. Through interactions with Just Haiti, Gannon will work
towards promoting equality and justice throughout the world.
