Haiti: Why go?
why would anyone go to a third world country like haiti? when i tell people that i have been and would love to go back, that is what they ask.
first impression of haiti….
wow this place STINKS! it’s hot and there is the smell of decomposition and sewage everywhere! they live in shacks. there is garbage piled 20 feet high with pigs, goats, and other animals climbing on it. it’s disgusting! there were SO many people! and did i mention HOT!
so why go?
lots of reasons. 42 girls who needed someone to care about them. a community that needed medicines and vitamins. we couldnt fix every problem, and we barely touched the surface. the group i went with was called “making a difference”. pulled from jude 22, “and of some, having compassion and making a difference.” did we make a difference? haiti has been in political chaos for the last few years. the girls had to abandon the orphanage and flee to the mountains. the orphanage grew to house more girls, 80 was the last count. a boys orphanage was established as well. but they are no longer in the city. all the work we did, and other teams before and after, it is undone. so what is the point? it does seem hopeless. but for the days we were there, and for the days other teams were there, they made a difference on those days. they showed love on those days, and the girls experienced the wonderful feeling that someone does care about them.
is haiti a disgusting place stricken by poverty? i have to say yes. there is no industry there. there are no jobs. the people are poor, starving, and suffering from the ailments that come from living in such conditions. but haiti is also beautiful. the green is greener than i have ever seen. the flowering plants were bright, colorful, and just beautiful. the people need hope. they need an economy. can i give them that? no. of course not, but i made a minimal difference for a few, for that time.
and, i made a difference in my own life. coming back from haiti was the hardest week. i came back and school had started. i had one day to prepare my room, then kids the next day. i was numb. coming back was the hardest part. the first day with students was difficult. here are all these kids who do not realize how lucky they are! it isnt their fault. but it was a difficult thing to face. two students had been on the trip with me. they came by that first day. they were having a hard time too. they visited several times that first week, and we finally adjusted back to normal, but with a new appreciation for how lucky we really are.
the other reason for why go… personal satisfaction of doing something for someone in need. getting out of that personal comfort zone.
should everyone go to a country such as haiti? no. it isnt for everyone. i would love to say yes, because it is life changing. but the answer is no. some say i couldnt handle the smell or filth. that part is easy to get over. the hopelessness is the part that is hard. it isnt for everyone. but if the opportunity presents, i think one should seriously consider it. it will change you, and strengthen you.
December 18 2005 06:19 pm | Ramblings
December 18th, 2005 at 6:55 pm
Good for you!!! So few people are willing to “walk the talk”… you should be very proud of yourself. You are doing something SO important.
Here via michele…
December 18th, 2005 at 7:36 pm
What an amazing experience. You are amazing to offer your time and services this way. A friend of mine went to New Orleans to help with Katrina relief, and even after 2 weeks straight of 18-hour days she felt so lucky to have participated in the relief effort and was thankful for the experience.
December 18th, 2005 at 11:14 pm
One wonders why we spend so much to rebuild Iraq, when places like Haiti, in our own backyard, are in many ways worse off.
December 20th, 2005 at 9:07 am
I wish we all had the spirit that you have of wanting to make a difference in the world. The world would certainly be a better place.
My brother went to the Philippines a couple years ago, and met a girl their and became a citizen. He has written to me of the poverty there, too. Of livestock brought into the house, to be housed in pens in the kitchens because there are so many hungry people, that if they were left outdoors they would be stolen by a hungry passer by.
My brothers wife is a school teacher and cries for the children that can not afford to come to school and she looks for people to sponser some of them.
“Aqusan Pequeno Elementry School
Aqusan,Pequeno
Butan City,8600
Philippines”
You are in a perfect position to continue your spirit of making a difference. Our children are the future and if we don’t teach them of the truth of the poverty, hunger and sadness of many of our people around the world(even in America) and teach them (heart) and that they can indeed make a difference, there will be no future. Money from one CD could put a child in school or feed them for several days or put shoes on a poor childs feet and so forth. I think many of our children do not see this (and many adults too), they need to be shown that this need exists throughout the world and it takes so little from each one of us to make a BIG diference. It is the many small drops of water from a faucet that eventually fills the bucket. No drop is too small as long as it reaches the bucket!