US Arrogance in Desperate Haiti

B.C.Holmes

I've been getting updates from Matthew 25 House, the guest house I've
stayed at in Haiti. Here's the lateset:

Don Lafont, and Lynn Blair-Anton, the members of our volunteer mobile
clinic, left yesterday. It was difficult to see them go. Every day for
two weeks, they packed up needed medical supplies in a tub, bags, and
boxes and went work in various areas throughout the city. No one was
ever turned away.

We had a fresh medical team that arrived from New Jersey. They had
planned to work in a different area of the country where a large influx
of patients was expected to be evacuated from the U.S. Comfort hospital
ship. That did not occur, and we were fortunate because the field
hospital here was shorthanded. The first day they split up into two
teams. One group went to an orphanage. Like others in Haiti, as well as
families, most children in orphanages sleep outside on the ground. The
doctors were able to at least check them over, provide antibiotics
whereneeded, and give them vitamins. Again, the need for tents is
urgent!
We still have not received the promised vinyl sheeting to at least cover
the tops of the sheet tents.
Since then the team has worked in the field hospital of Matthew 25.
Julie Morrison, a Doctor of Physical Therapy and a member of the New
Jersey team, has been invaluable in helping the amputees. Julie hasbeen
able to rewrap stumps so that they will eventually be able to hold
a prosthesis, and also has been working with each patient so that they
learn exercises particular to their new disability that will strengthen
their muscles. Before her arrival they would just be lying down. She
has them up and walking. At first they were really afraid, in pain and
not used to their body’s new imbalance, but after three days they can
walk on their crutches for more than 300 feet, and also climb up a step.
It seems strange to refer to someone who has lost one or more limbs as
“fortunate”, but the fact that those here are already learning to
cope,to wrap their own stumps in the particular way necessary for
accepting a
prosthetic makes them so much more fortunate than the hundreds an
hundreds of others.

Something that happened the day before yesterday made me and many others
very angry about the arrogance of the United States government. The day
before yesterday several thousand Haitians arrived at the U.S. embassy
because (as we heard it) there was a rumor that travel visas were being
issued. The embassy response was to blockade not only the embassy
compound, but the whole road that fronts it. This region of the metro
area of the city has three main “trunk” roads. The embassy is located
on one of these. To close it off for something like that was a terrible
thing to do to the people having to function in this vital area. I
needed to go out to buy supplies, and had to turn around after
almosttwo hours in traffic, advancing less than a mile. Pat had started
out
to pick up the medical supply order for three clinics, and he too,
could
get nowhere, and had to turn back.

What did this embassy decision tie up? The airport road, the UN
headquarters, the entrance to the staging area for all relief supplies
arriving via the airport, the location of the UN “clusters” that oversee
distribution of relief supplies, and the city’s best equipped children’s
hospital, not to mention the medical personnel traveling from place to
place, demolition trucks, and regular city traffic.

The embassy compound itself reminds one of a huge, multi storied bunker,
with its surrounding “green zone” fenced in and walled off. It is
reported to be the third largest U.S. embassy in the world. What right
did our embassy have to bring to a stand-still the aid efforts of an
entire city? From what I understand, there was no security threat, just
a lot of people.

DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER THROUGH THE MAZE OF LARGE AID ORGANIZATION

It’s difficult to be here, and to witness how small a voice the
Haitians have when dealing with the large aid organizations. I can walk
into any
place clad as I am in my white skin, and speaking my American accented
English, and ask for help. I may not immediately get it, but I am
welcomed and someone at least listens to what I have to say, and
attempts to redirect me to the proper channel. Not so the Haitians,
unless they are, what is termed “connected”, either to an aid
organization, to a member of the Haitian elite who does have the
connections, or if they arrive with (white, no particular area of
expertise, just trying to help) me.

Aside from the medical teams, the people staying here are leaders of
what has formally become known as the Haitian Response Coalition.
Matthew 25 was able to in turn, provide them with a spot on our ground
for their tents, bathroom facilities, meals, and a clean, safe center o
operations.

They have identified community leaders to aid in a fair distribution of
food; provide secure spaces to set up mobile clinics, and water
distribution sites. Most of the water for the camps is distributed by
tank trucks that look like oil delivery trucks. This is not a new
method here, but one that has always been part of the country’s water
distribution. Tank trucks drive through the streets usually playing
some taped tune similar to ice cream vendors in the United States.
Since the earthquake, whenever possible, Pure Water for Haiti
chlorinates the
water in the tanks as they are being filled.

The coalition did not have a name at first, but were a loose partnership
of Beyond Borders, Amert, and Konpay. Their focus was to bring
immediate help where it was needed: water, food, emergency medical
attention, transportation. They’ve expanded now, and their focus is to
assist those non- connected Haitians to have a stronger voice in their
own future. We are all so grateful for their unflagging energy,
expertise, and assistance.