NGO Economy in Haiti

I’m trying to understand how a country rebuilds itself when the actors that claim to be contributing to the reconstruction of homes and infrastructure, provision of health and éducation, security, social and business enterprise, and production of domestic products and livelihoods, only invest and purchase goods and services from private, often élite and foreign businesses ? A country with (some estimâtes) 70% unemployment (which may include the massive informal economy – e.g. odd jobs, shoe repair, selling street food, sex work, contraband) may have diffculties finding public revenue to put back into its own recovery. Instead, many professional jobs are to foreign workers (like a reverse Dubai labour migration flow) who don’t always pay taxes due to the nature of the « volunteerism » sector. It’s well known that UN technicrats get paid bloated « stipends » or perdiems that can be extended in contracts for months, if not years. But even the modest expat NGO worker can receive as much as the highest paid Haitian staff in an organization. Although not a handsome rémunération, it can still pay the bills, so that you do not have to starve to survive, that your food budget isn’t put all towards housing or utilities. And whatever surplus exists is easily used for entertainment or travel.

If there is a Haitian working class, it’s not as if there are huge left-overs to put back into the country’s development, through such mechanisms as luxury taxes. The répétition of digging one’s own grave, amounts to little hope in long-term solutions and folks want escapism in any way possible. Liquor, for instance, is subsidized, so that it is affordable to a wider majority ; whereas food prices are ridiculously high. No wonder the major advertisements are for whisky, mobile phone service, and beach parties, as opposed to Home Depot.

We know Haiti’s one of the poorest countries in the world, with an annual income of about $11 billion -- this may not reflect the downfall in the economy after the earthquake. (This clearly cannot compare to US Senate’s récent passing of a $600+ billion price tag for 2011-2012 military budget.) Haiti can only continue to be dépendent on other countries: mostly US for its free market wheeling-and-dealing, Canada for its large humanitarian spending, (2nd after Afghanistan), and Chinese and Korean télécommunications investment. But again, the conditions that créate this dependency need to be eradicated, with revitalized efforts to emphasise its domestic development.

Perhaps protect its agriculture and livestock for one, so that people can fucking eat. What’s the point of growing your own shit if US eggs, Costa Rican pineapple, Israeli pickles and nuts, MONSANTO seeds and fertilizer, flood the market and cost half of what’s yours ? And how can Haiti afford to pay for $5-6/gallon of petrol when there is no public transportation and the roads are jammed with NGO cars or tap-taps ? Transportation of everything through the shoddy road system into the inner parts of the country, make it difficult to meet delivery times or get to domestic markets.

At least its remittances account for almost 20% of the GDP and twice the earnings from exports (CIA 2011). But this hardly goes into widespread infrastructure development, --rather only to keep family members afloat.

And we can look to how the international finance vultures, the IMF and World Bank, have used the devastating disasters as an opportunity to shore up more debts on Haiti. Before the earthquake, Haiti received debt forgiveness for over $1 billion through Highly Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) initiative, and another $400 million was cancelled by donor countries in 2010 – levelling its balance. So it’s revolting that the new Mickey Mouse President is in discussion and already agreeing to new loans, when maybe the issue is how is its annual budget (largely from foreign aid) being spent ?

Right, so I’m not convinced of the renewal of the mandate for the CIRH to rebuild Haiti, (http://haitianpost.com/2011/07/23/haiti-la-commission-de-reconstruction-prolongee). Which essentially, continues the flow of (and governance by) NGOs, albeit through a convoluted registry system, despite having virtually no solid needs analysis for the kinds of NGOs/experts/workers for which to appeal. Nor is it just to sit, arms crossed, while an inept head of state listens to the same business and International Finance Institution cronies, without any real forums for Haitian civil society to stake their claims. Instead, where is the leveraging and solidifying of Haitian or quartier-par-quartier community organizations, non-profits and coopératives to refresh the antiquated notions of réhabilitation and reconstruction ? How can I place myself in a system where I am not perpetuating the immense inequalities and injustices, bending over for the donors’ dollar, and not putting it back into the same malevolent private industries that have ravaged the country for the past few centuries?

Expats - Part I

It’s rather ironic to talk to some of the expat colleagues, on the very anniversary of the earthquake, about what they see as injustices. We had a small gathering amongst the coordinators of all the projects, Haitians and expats alike, around our pristine, reverable palace, by the pool, gorging on grilled pork, stuffed aubergines, bacon-pecan-crusted potato salad, crevettes, saucisson, olives, too much wine, rum and béer, and a beetroot chocolaté gâteau. Not only did most expats not attempt to incorporate our Haitian friends in the discussions or joviality, but later they accused us of not knowing the local situation and how it is to live in want.

The expats’ -- maybe just to chalk it up to a select group of québécois expats, most of whom are on their first mission or work expérience abroad -- idea of want is to live sans internet and all the amenities they consider « normal » for a few days, as they have to make the transition to another résidence. The move has been one of many difficult negotiations : for the proprietor to finish all the réhabilitation work, thereby probably exploiting a labour force during the holiday season, in order to have hot showers, functioning electricity, gorgeously-made furniture procured, kitchen in function. The proprietor, of course, has many justifiable reasons for delays, in terms of obtaining permits and other bureaucratic necessities to do the work, as well as many excuses, invoking concerns of security from récent violent political manifestations (even tho there were none for the last month). Point is, there are reasons for delays, and why things don’t go so smoothly in Port-au-Prince.

But I find it hard to digest, at this dinner, when talking amonst our Haitian staff who participated in our fete, to find out that they do not have TV, radio, internet, running water, many friends nearby or with free time, access to alcohol to wash away their already congested malaise with the situation in Haiti . This is normal hère. So to impose any other perspective is completely luxurious and irrelevant. Instead, when telling aforementioned expat malakas, that they will be without internet or a few amenities for 1 or 2 days, I enter angry conflicts claiming how unfair it is, how they could possibly live like « nuns » ?

How they could possibly reflect on such a day of immense dévastation and incompréhensible human suffering, that their wants outweigh the dignity and essential needs of every fucking person around them. When just 50 feet away are tent cities, where people are forced to eek by, contining to do so one year after the earthquake. This disconnect and « otherness » is too sickening to describe. So don’t blame me if I don’t regularly partake in their célébrations and social activities, in a country that I can’t help think deserves sober commitment, gratitude, and opportunities upon which to learn more from folks who have come to know profoundly about life, death and aspiration, plus des autres places I’ve been fortunate enough to go.

Henceforth, I feel quite lost and disillusioned in terms of the fuckwits that we keep recruiting ; is it part of some sick québécois nationalist joke ? Why send people with no previous project management expérience to do the jobs of Haitians ? Why assert such rhetoric that we are in collaboration and capacity-building partnerships with our Cite Soleil comrades (true, we do have more established liasions and histories within our projects than some of the other foreign NGOs) when we turn around to burn our beneficiaries, through lack of communication, lack of trust, lack of consulation, lack of empathy.

Or am I just imagining such ego-centricism ? Even if my French is not perfect, I know an asshole when I see one.

So yeah, I am blown away that even though I had another violent argument with a lush, even in front of my Director General, that the favor goes to the megalomaniac, whinging blan -- that their needs are ultimately superior than every bloody person I see and meet during my day. These kinds of disparities, discrimination, ségrégation, subjugation, patriarchical attitudes, etc etc etc, that one sees in Haiti are at the very frontlines -- made more visible hère -- of the kinds we witness and absorb in our every day lives in other parts, perhaps more privileged regions of the Western Hemisphere.

I cannot write enough, or sufficiently express the rage I have, within this context…but hopefully this bequeaths some sort of knowledge that can transcend my anger into discussion, dissémination and action!