Haiti

Deadlock

New member
A couple of years back, I traveled with a group of students from my college down to Haiti to do some humanitarian work. The father of one of my buddies ran an outfit called "Project Haiti" and organized trips to Haiti several times a year. Being a surgeon, his primary focus was getting decent medical care to the poor (which is everybody) in the mountains of Haiti. After spending several years getting American doctors to donate their time and equipment, what started as a simple clinic became the best hospital in Haiti. When I went down, the mission was to help with the contstruction of several homes for people who had sold their land to Project Haiti to allow them to build an airfield. Without this airfield, it is 6 hour drive over what might be called "dirt roads", but that is being nice.

Here's the gang arriving by DC-3 in Cap Haitien:
02-Plane2.jpg


Here's how we got around... like cargo.
05-Truck.jpg


Here's what I was saying about the roads. Come to a river? No problem, just drive right through!
09-RiverCrossing.jpg


Here's the new airport terminal building:
13-NewAirport.jpg


This is how the Haitians carried everything... BTW this was taken at a marketplace. See all those clothes piled on the ground? That's the Haitian equivalent to Old Navy. :)
25-UseYourHead.jpg
 

Deadlock

New member
Actually, in Haiti they speak Creole which is closer to French than Spanish. Everywhere we went, the Haitian kids would shout "Blanc! Blanc! Blanc!" (White). Apparently blondes and redheads are particularly fascinating. Because the Haitians regard going to America more or less like going to Heaven on earth (which, if you saw how most of them lived, you would understand), most of the girls in our party got multiple marriage proposals. :) Most of which were all in good fun, though one of my buddies got offered this dude's daughter in all seriousness.

It's a different world down there... Near the airport, all of these Haitian kids are taught how to beg in English. "Are you my friend? Then give me your watch." Or the real little kids... "Gimme one dollar!" It's SO tragic. :(

I'm not meaning to preach, but if there is any way that you can support charities to help countries like Haiti, I would suggest that you do so. I know all those charities always tug on your heartstrings with pictures of malnourished and half-naked. I can't say about other countries, but in Haiti that is the literal truth. A little money goes a LONG way down there.
 
Top