Faces of Carnaval

When Carnival came around last year, Port au Prince was in no shape to celebrate. This year, there was a modest come-back of  this beloved holiday. Though locals assured us that the parades, music and celebrations were mere shadows of their former selves, we thought it was a wonderful display of community and colour. The sense of pride and self-assurance was unmistakable as the parade danced past the fallen palace and the tent city of the down town square. I asked Jean-Claude, one of our drivers who just happened to run into us on the parade route, if he thinks Carnival will be back up to his standards in a few years. He roared with laughter and said, "you'll just have to come back to see for yourself".

Yes, even cholera deserves a spot in the parade!

Isolated Poets

It’s a useful reminder for those of us “NGOers” that are based in the capital that there is much more to Haiti than Port au Prince. My trip last week took me to the far-flung provincial capital of Jérémie in Grande Anse. Founded back in 1756 under French rule, it became known as the “City of Poets” in honour of its artistic community. Its people suffered oppression by the Duvalier regime in the 1960s for daring to mount a political opposition, isolating it even further.

Even with vastly improved roads that cut through the mountains towards the southern highway, it still takes almost 10 hours to get to the capital by car. Thankfully, a roughly cut landing strip and a dodgy airline make this journey possible in 45 minutes by air. As we circled over what appeared to be a large leafy fishing village, I wondered what it would be like to be in a town that had for once benefited from being so far away from Port au Prince. After all, there was no earthquake damage here which means no rubble, no dramatic reduction of schools or clinics, and most of all, no camps.

The plane seemed to skim the tops of the palms on our rapid decent to the landing strip – clearly the rocky track was short enough to make it important to not waste any of it. We thumped down and bounced along with the props roaring in reverse. After a minute or so, the pilot stopped the plane (no need to taxi or “park”), slid out his sunken cockpit door and opened the cabin door for us. We had arrived.

The reason for my trip was to observe a human resources work shop that my colleague was running with the departmental government. Strategic plans are few and far between in the public sector if Haiti, and this is particularly noticeable with the lack of HR planning – nobody can really tell you what they need, why and where they should hire from. But this exercise is fraught with structural shortcomings, such as lack of funds and over-centralization. The government in the capital has very little money to hire workers in the departments. Its obsession of control (and concern of multiple levels of corruption) means that the minister needs to sign every letter of nomination for new hires – be they doctors or janitors. In short, Port au Prince – as far away as it is – controls the fate of the local institutions in Jérémie. So, the planning workshop will not have immediate results, but it will provide the local government with the data and reports to lobby their distant ministry counterparts for targeted and specific HR needs.

It was most definitely a wonderful reprieve from Port au Prince. A seaside town of about 150,000 inhabitants, Jérémie gives you the sense that it’s in no rush. People saunter down the streets and cars move uncharacteristically slow and steady. The main street sidewalks are covered by arcades that shelter merchants from the sun. Green bushy trees seem to sweeten the salty air. The garbage is less abundant, or perhaps just better hidden. The difference couldn’t have been more stark from the dilapidated capital which struggles amongst the rubble, litter and now the dust of the dry season. But make no mistake, Jérémie is no haven of development. Decades of isolation have slowed the building of schools and clinics and the agriculture industry limps along in the shackles of farming practices from a bygone era.

Yet it was important to see Jérémie to get a better sense of what Haiti is like once you strip away the complexities of urban congestion and earthquake damage. In fact, the relative simplicity of working in “les provinces” is in a strange way comforting and enviable. But this also might be just a reflection of a cute little town that captured my imagination and gave me a break from the big city. Next time I intend to find the poets.

Where in the world is SAIS?

A few months ago, you might have seen a random dancing video that my friend Ian and I performed in front of a waterfall. That clip was combined with those of our classmates from the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) all over the world. The video was dedicated to our dear friend Julia who we all lost to a terrible accident in the fall.

The video went viral amongst our university community, so we're doing a second round. Niraj (who I also went to school in Bologna with) and I took advantage of our time in Colombia together over Christmas to file this equally random video.

Deye mon gen mon - Beyond mountains there are mountains

We have just come back from a short trip to Vancouver, BC to attend a friend’s wedding. In just over 6 days we visited Graham’s family, spent time with friends, had a couple of lazy afternoons watching snow fall on the ocean, and overall had a wonderful break from the very hectic work weeks we had before leaving.

January and February came and went very quickly and very slowly at the same time, mostly because of how much we both worked. Both of the organizations we work for were going through some changes, I was transitioning departments and Graham was completing difficult projects. The routine went something this: alarm would go off at 6:00am, and we would both turn to our flashing Blackberries to start reading the emails of the day. Both of our Country Directors are detail-oriented super humans who live on little sleep and can type emails faster than us. By 7:30am we would say bye to each other and get into the cars waiting for us. About 12 hours later one would text the other person to let them know we were going to be late...again. By 9:30pm, but sometimes later we would meet back at our apartment, eat something, type a few more emails, mumble something in bed about how the day went and finally fall asleep still thinking of the emails we had not managed to send that day.

The days were long, the work was frustrating, and we barely saw each other. However, we still manage to find some time to read “Mountains Beyond Mountains” by Tracy Kidder, a book about a doctor that has been working in Haiti for several decades. We had been meaning to read it for a while since Partners in Health, his organization, was one of our first windows into Haiti before we even considered working here. As well, while in Haiti, we have both come across several of their projects and have been very impressed by their work.

The book is very well- written, and I am a bit embarrassed I didn’t read before I came to Port-au-Prince last summer. It would have been a perfect introduction to many aspects of working in Haiti, particularly about working in health, an area new to both of us.

It is hard to describe how inadequate one feels about complaining about working long hours after you read about Paul Farmer’s work. It is not just that he has devoted his life to helping vulnerable people all over the world, but the fact that he does it because it is the only acceptable thing to do. His understanding of humanity and the dedication to his patients everywhere, but especially in Haiti is empowering, overwhelming, devastating, touching, upsetting and comforting all at the same time. I highly recommend reading it for an overview of Haiti’s history, the inspiring journey from a young man in his teens to a world renowned public health specialist, to learn about goes on at international health forums, or if you ever feel that you are working too much!

- Tania

We are back!

We got back from Colombia this week. Back from seeing both sets of parents, and a whole lot ( but not all!) of Tania's family. We slept, we ate, we sang... and we talked a lot about Haiti.
It's clear that this last year has changed us. We celebrated last new year's eve in Bologna's Piazza Maggiore with friends from Graham's masters program that will be forever part of our lives. In the spring, we made the decision to postpone the move to Washington DC in favour of a bit of an adventure in Haiti. Over the last few months we have learned important lessons about our work and life in general. We have also met some very amazing people and have witnessed some recovery from the earthquake. We then prepared for a hurricane that wasn't, worked to contain the Cholera epidemic that is still developing, and then watched as the election results were welcomed with burning tires and flying rocks.

We are both expecting to see a lot of changes at work, and also once again await the results of an election enquiry. Then there will be a second round of elections, a painful wait for the results, another potential revision, and "final" results. Some of our colleagues have been evacuated, some are just getting back to work, and then there are those who never left. To all of them, and to all of you, our best wishes for a peaceful, joyous, adventurous, productive and exciting new year.

Happy 2011!

Pictures from our rooftop

 

10pm last night: This fire was lit in a dumpster less than an hour after the election results were announced. 

11am this morning: Freelance photographers that live in our building prepare to get on their mototaxis to get closer to the action. We saw other media wearing vests and helmuts. They looked completely in their element - and high on adrenaline. They must live for this stuff.

1pm this afternoon: The crowds started getting more organized. This group was mainly interested in making noise, but others were more focused on throwing rocks at UN Peacekeepers that were stationed a couple of blocks away.

3pm this afternoon: By now, there was an ongoing game of cat-and-mouse between the UN Peacekeepers and the protesters. Here you see people looking up the street where rocks and tear gas are being exchanged.

The results are in, but many don't agree

Just want to let everybody know that we're safe amid the elections violence. The vote results that came out last night were viewed with great skepticism, to say the least. Martelly (alias "Sweet Mickey" with the support of Wyclef Jean) came in third place by less than 1% and will miss the second round. His supporters (mostly the youth) are furious, since they believe the current president's chosen successor bought his way into second place. First place has gone to Manigat, the former first lady front-runner.

We happen to live only a couple of blocks away from the Electoral Committee's headquarters, so quite a few protests have been in our area. For the last 24 hours there have been tires burning, rocks thrown and tear gas cans fired. As I write this however, things appear much quieter. We were told to stay indoors all day today, but we're hoping the restrictions will be lifted for tomorrow. I have several photos and videos to upload, but unfortunately the internet service is extremely week. Look for more soon.

Obviously everybody's hoping the violence will end as soon as possible. Haiti cannot afford the clean up, the economic disturbance, or the threats from the international community to halt aid.

This Globe and Mail article (click here) does a good job of telling the story. It quotes a University of Montreal expert commenting on the election results: "This is probably the worst-case scenario".

Dancing the dance – the Elections in Haiti

Election signs next to a camp just around the corner from our appartment

The elections dance is a complicated one with many steps and many partners. Like a good ol’ square dance, it requires a “caller” on the microphone giving specific instructions to make sure people don’t smash into each other or trip over their own feet. In Haiti, there has never been a caller which has created jousting on the dance floor and then a run for the microphone itself. If you can’t dance you might as well yell to try and make the others dance to your steps.

Counting ballots

Haiti’s elections “happened” last Sunday – and there has been debate ever since over how well they went. The candidates, international observers and the elections board have been issuing statements left, right and center to try to control public opinion.

For the candidates, the most important objective is to create a perception that they will make the final round (the top two will advance). In a country where everyone is skeptical of the vote counting, it is crucial to make the population believe you won  – that way, if the “official vote” comes out against you, you can rely on your followers to take to the streets and demand an annulment of the vote.

Manigat and Sweet Micky sneaking out on  the other candidates (LeNouvelliste.com)

This tactic was wonderfully demonstrated by a circus act on the afternoon of the vote. One of the nineteen contenders, Michael Martelly (see my blog on “Sweet Micky” from a couple of months ago), managed to gather fourteen main candidates together to call for the cancellation of the elections due to fraud by the current President’s hand-picked follower, Jude Celestin. All of these dissidents gathered at a fancy hotel for a nice photo-op where they all denounced the ballot stuffing, premeditated violence and voter list rigging that had been reported at several stations. Together they could have perhaps stood strong. The problem, however, is that it often pays to defect. Of all people, this defection was precipitated by Wyclef Jean (the famous singer who had been banned to stand for president), who put his weight behind “Sweet Micky”, but added that the voting process should continue. Martelly conveniently agreed and quickly left the meeting to head downtown with a handful of supporters claiming that he was leading the polls. Realizing she had been duped, another top candidate (Mirlande Manigat) quickly distanced herself from the group of fourteen (now twelve) saying that she also thought the ballots should be counted. Basically, the three candidates who believe they are at the top are all out on their own, having left the pack of bitter discontents to dig up technical laws to try and overturn the counting.

 So that was exciting – but what about the international community who is supposed to certify the elections? Well, the international observers from the OAS have admitted that although there were substantial irregularities, the process was “good enough” to go ahead. But then the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon got even tougher, saying yesterday that the election irregularities “seem more serious than previously thought.”  Finally, the UN peacekeeping chief Edmond Mulet appeared to threaten an international withdrawal if “popular will isn’t respected by the electoral council” (Haitian columnists have been perplexed ever since about what he means by “popular will”). But all in all, the UN is calling for the elections to continue in the most peaceful manner possible.

March 2010 photo Mulet, Preval and Ban (zimbio.com)

Add more fun to the mix: It is now coming out that the UN might have pressured Martelly and Manigat to accept the election. The UN lecture undoubtedly was based on two points. First, that the elections were “good enough” without widespread violence. Second, the international community has no appetite to shell out another $30 million to finance a second try.

And so the microphone gets passed around and the partners dance to their own tune on the dance floor. The preliminary results of the first round should be announced mid week. Look for a fresh round of positioning from all the candidates. After all, democracy is only the best form of government if you win the vote.

The problem with dreaming

Haitians may suffer from a lack of basic services like clean water, food and shelter, but one thing they do not suffer from is a lack of ideas flooding into from foreign countries. In fact, the conference business here is booming, with all hotels (even large restaurants) constantly packed with NGO-backed seminars and symposiums to disseminate the future seeds of development. Yet the seeds are often ill-fitted to their environment and the sowing ceremonies in the form of lavish catered ceremonies become no more than excuses for fancy speeches claiming to have the key for improved development in Haiti.

NGOs bring prosthetic technology and expertise to
help many get back to a normal life

A recent (pre-cholera) conference focused on the rights of the disabled in Haiti. Those present included members of the special secretariat for the disabled, specialized NGOs and members of various embassies. The presenters took care to educate the audience on the extent of problems for the disabled in Haiti, and gave examples of work in progress to try to accommodate them. Photos of prosthetic limbs, ramp access, sign language classes all were proof of the good work going on around the country.

The conference was also designed to raise awareness for the rights of the disabled. The UN charter on the subject was referred to as proof of the responsibility of states to care for everyone, not just those considered mentally and physically fit. Everyone should be guaranteed access to education. Everyone should be able to get on a bus. Everyone should have the medical care they need. Who could disagree? The more the speakers painted pictures of special needs teachers and wheelchair access apartments, the more the expectations – and emotions – in the room were raised.

In development, the idea of implanting new ideas or technology is known as “leaping”. The theory is that you can speed up development by providing advanced ideas to developing countries rather than let them evolve towards them by themselves. For instance, by providing modern sewing machines to a Haitian garment factory, you will make them more competitive and successful. No need to force them go through the same trial and error methods that Western Europe went through during the industrial revolution. If this works for factories, there seems to be no reason why you cannot also provide enlightened ideas on human rights and achieve the same leaping effect. For instance, by promoting the rights of women, countries stand to gain quickly and widely. Empowered women are more likely to have smaller families, earn incomes and educate their children. But to what extent can you push the rights of other groups like the disabled?

According to the conference speakers, disabled rights should be extended as far as possible. After all, Haiti is a signatory to the UN convention on the rights of the disabled. To ratify this, a bill is before the Haitian senate to guarantee accessibility to all vulnerable peoples. After some research, I discovered that this bill contained the following sections:

II-2-10: The state guarantees all handicapped people access to health care, housing and all levels of education.

IV-2-24: All rented housing must be handicap accessible

IV-4-29: All national transport is to be handicap accessible. Those accompanying handicapped people are to travel free of charge.

Inter-city "Tap-Tap" Transport

Consider for a moment the context in which this law is being tabled. Haiti’s education system is mostly private with few curriculum standards. Over 1M people are homeless after the earthquake and many houses are weak structures of brittle bricks, corrugated iron and plastic tarps. There is no such thing as “national transport”, and private transport is mostly made up of “tap-taps”.

Yet the speakers went on and on. A government official dreamed about future designs of buildings to have ramps so that all Haitians can also enjoy theatres and cinemas. But there was no mention of the fact that the capital has no real sidewalks, let alone a working theatre or cinema. A member of a Latin American delegation spoke of the need of financial assistance for those who care for the disabled. This in a country with no social security system of any kind. Another mentioned the need to have quotas for businesses to employ mentally handicapped people. Hardly an option when unemployment is greater than 60%. The conference was closed with thunderous applause and flurries of colourful brochures.

Now, I’m hardly the person to condemn discourse on human rights. But I think this is a clear case of lack of consideration for the overall context. Haiti’s public sector is buckling from demands on it to change laws, approve projects and adjust resources. Additional expectations can put the government in a tough position where they have to appeal for more funds to spread over an increasingly wider, and less coherent, set of goals. A better approach would be to encourage the government to create a solid set of manageable objectives which can be prioritized and delivered upon.

Needless to say, identifying and implementing the proper objectives is full of difficulties. But understanding that there are trade-offs is a good start. We all recognize ethics and we all recognize justice. But we also recognize the reality of capacity and the need for compromise. Challenges need to be defined honestly and objectives made realistically.

So let’s start with the basics. Children need to get schools. Schools need to get teachers. Health clinics need doctors. Investors need to create jobs. In a country with the highest maternal mortality, illiteracy and unemployment in the hemisphere, these are already formidable challenges. No need to complicate things with kneeling buses for the moment.

Happy Haiti

Since all you're seeing in the media are pictures of cholera patients, hurricane flood damage and election protests, we thought it would be nice to share with you a different face of Haiti. Happy Haiti.

A few weeks ago we had the chance to visit a remote island off the south west coast. After a beautiful car ride through the lush countryside we arrived in the port city of Les Cayes. It was the first place we had been to outside of the earthquake zone which meant no rubble, no pancaked houses and no tents. From there, we hopped on a small motor boat with an outboard engine that used all of its might to push us slowly towards Ile la Vache.

We passed fishermen in dug-out canoes and crabtrabs bouyed by plastic bottles. We also passed young boys free diving for lobster far from shore. And then we arrived. The beautiful beaches and pristine water welcomed us to our weekend home. The pictures speak for themselves!