RELIEF AND AID VS. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
For decades, Haiti has relied of foreign assistance to help meet their citizens’ basic needs. In fact, within the last decade, Haiti has received 13 billion dollars in relief and aid support from ngos and various countries. The international effort that has been lent to Haiti has had incredible effects on the quality of life for many citizens, and in many cases, the cessation of this support would worsen conditions tremendously. But what we have observed is that this relief and aid, however well intentioned, has had actually had detrimental effects to the long-term advancement of Haiti. This support has unfortunately created a cycle of dependence Haiti has found difficult to escape. We've learned, that if we want to reach our goal of seeing Haiti become a developed nation in our lifetime we need to invest in not only the needs of the Haitian people, but the Haitian people themselves.
The generational cycle of relief and dependency has had harmful effects on mindsets and behaviors in many Haitian communities such as an absence of personal responsibility. Much of this is caused by the lack of involvement from Haitian citizens when it comes to meeting their own needs. Foreign voices tend to dominate the conversation surrounding Haiti’s needs. Yes this type of support is beneficial, but only temporarily. In order for Haiti to advance, Haitians need to to be at the forefront of these efforts. You cannot escape a difficult situation if you are not an active participant in your own journey.
As we know from Haiti’s inspiring fight for liberation 200 years ago, Haitians have the power to change their situation and become the strong nation their ancestors fought for. What we can do to support that is to invest in Haiti’s development. We need to entrust the Haitian people instead of continuing to do the work for them. Here at Haiti Outreach, we have seen first hand what the investment in sustainable development can do for a community. Our curriculum is the type of support that seeks to improve the lives of the Haitian people permanently, so that the beautiful nation and resilient people of Haiti can thrive.
