Haitian Street Scenes
by sean on Apr.24, 2010, under Haiti, Work
I have started the process of sorting out photos taken in Haiti.
The pics in this first album are various street scenes taken in different locations across the country. Hopefully this album portrays some of the wonderful diversity of the experiences I had, from joy through wonder and sadness at the devastation…
April 24th, 2010 on 12:46 pm
Hi
Thanks for your blog and info. I was wondering whether the aid agencies do more harm than good in your opinion and also by people contributing money through DEC is this helping the situation or not?
Thankyou
April 24th, 2010 on 1:35 pm
Hi Sabrina,
I am not fully educated in the ins and outs of aid work, so please don’t take my comments as definitive…
Disclaimer out of the way, I say this.
The aid agencies do great work in Haiti… Feeding people and clothing people and housing people. I saw many agencies doing amazing things. Especially ShelterBox which were everywhere doing good things and MSF. I did see see DEC so I cannot comment on that.
Haiti is an amazing country but there are no jobs there. There’s mangoes rotting everywhere on the side of the road out in the country, but people without food in the cities. I guess one of the dangers for a people who have not had jobs in a long long time is that they create a dependency on aid and they lose initiative to go and be creative. We have the same problem in the West, but there it is something like 80% unemployment!
With that in mind, I think one of the best ways to give aid is to give it to people who are actually doing something for it – artisans, musicians, vodou temples etc. This way your donation is going to help people and stimulate the economy too.
An even better way is to go there yourself and spend your own money… if that is possible… If it is, write back and I’ll help you organise something. I’m planning on going back in about October
Best Wishes, Sean
April 24th, 2010 on 10:49 pm
Seani
It’s always a shock when photos like this are made available, but as you well know NOTHING can describe the actual being there.
“Krase”- crushed, everywhere & the dust & rubble.
As we know the Haitians have a great strength & will come through this. Lape Bondye avek nou
April 25th, 2010 on 10:29 am
Big love to you too Manbo Paula
I’m going to upload the video of us arriving at the Orphanage today