The Haitian Tragedy

by Sophie Dessources
The tragedy that occurred on January 12th 2010 in Haiti has an indelible feel, in the way that when it happened, I can almost say exactly where I was, what I was doing and thinking at the time, and the shock and disbelief that occurred when I got hearsay of what was happening. The one year anniversary of the 7.0 earthquake magnitude is upon us, and my first thought is, “What has been done so far that would move this country in the right direction, and have those efforts been successful?” There are many areas of concern that still linger and have even worsened due to the earthquake. However, aside from the discontent, there are some sporadic efforts that remain strong and are moving forward.
Last year, I participated in the Follies organized by MIIS Student Council, and this was for me both a very emotionally sad and thrilling experience – seeing the outpouring of donors that came to support our cause and the money we had raised to help, and the community’s engagement was truly touching and reinvigorating. However, the reality remains, and the sad truth is that despite all pledges and good intentions, not much has been accomplished on the ground. Less than one year later the country was struck by cholera, which claimed more than 3,651 deaths these past 3 months. The majority of the population affected by the earthquake is still living in tents, violence is prevalent, especially against women, and discord in the political elite has not changed. The last election still has no clear winner in sight and allegations of corrupt practices at the precincts have muddled the process of moving forward with the aid programs and projects, as if completely oblivious to the suffering of 99 percent of the population. No real effort of decentralization has been made concrete, and we are still muddling through the rubble and chaos of the earthquake.
Today is for me a very sad day, not only because of lost and altered lives, but because of the missed opportunity to rebuild this country and start from scratch. Throughout its history, Haiti has been considered either a prize or a pariah, and nothing in between. I was brought up by parents who had a certain pride of the Haitian culture and history, being the first independent nation of black people. However, very often I contemplate this and ask, “why are we still in the state of such little political and economic development?”
This time around, the international community showed up, gave us the support that was so desperately needed, and there was only one way to go – forward. Alas, there is so much that is needed and still so much that needs to be accomplished. After an earthquake of such magnitude we did not expect a miracle, but a substantive step forward. Out of the billions given in donations and pledges, only 38 percent have been disbursed, and we are still rumbling through emergency humanitarian assistance as opposed to reconstruction efforts. I will not go and accuse the Haitian government or international NGOs of lacking coordination on the ground, but I will state that there is blame to be shared, and now is no time to play the prosecutors, but get things done cohesively and methodologically because such distress can no longer persist.
On a personal note, I believe the Haitian people to be resilient and bring change they want on a grassroots level, as we stand by their side and enable them to their chosen path of development. I encourage all today to have special thoughts and prayers for those who have lost loved ones, but most importantly our hopes are with the survivors for the reconstruction of a better Haiti.
My own inspiration comes very often from Haitian women who have been the primary victims of this earthquake, losing parents, husbands, children, and being left to be the solid brick unifying survivors.
On these last words, let’s have a special thought for Haiti….