Haiti - A Study in Broken Promises
One of the first things I was taught in this life was to keep my promises. The reasons for this are many and straightforward. No relationship can work let alone thrive unless you keep your word. Without that security no-one knows where they are, and there is endless room for distrust, dissension and distress.
No-one knows more about broken promises than the people of Haiti. For decades political leaders in Haiti have made extravagant promises, and they have catastrophically failed to deliver. Their names are etched into the annals of Haiti’s tragic history – Papa Doc, Baby Doc and Jean-Bertrand Aristide to name but three. But then came the horrifying earthquake of January 2010, one of the greatest natural disasters in human history. The world responded with compassion and generous promises, just as one would expect. A total of nearly £3 billion was pledged. But, incredibly, only a small proportion of the money has arrived.
Of course, the non-payers have their reasons. They are concerned about Haiti’s political instability and the lack of basic infrastructure. But Haiti doesn’t stand a chance unless it is given the basic resources to do the job. My visit to Haiti last month revealed a country that is only just starting to find its feet after last year’s appalling earthquake. Eighteen months later there is still a vast task ahead simply to demolish the unsafe buildings and move the mounds of rubble which are strewn throughout the Port au Prince region. This is well beyond my area of competence but I cannot believe that it’s beyond the wit and ability of the world to produce enough bull-dozers to get the job done. At the present rate it’s going to take many years just to clear the rubble away – unless the world changes its tune.
It is good to see that some buildings are being repaired and others are being built. But hundreds of thousands of people lost their homes and there will be a housing shortage for decades to come unless there is a massive speeding up of the house building programme. Hundreds of thousands of people have fled from the city to the rural areas. This is placing enormous pressures on families in the rural areas, and it was inspiring to see simple earthquake proof houses being built by Christian Aid’s partners. In one area near to the border with the Dominican Republic we met local people who were building 15 new homes in a 3 month period. It was an inspiring sight and exciting to meet the families that look forward to moving in over the next few weeks.
Perhaps the promises will, one day, be kept. But as the memory of last year’s earthquake recedes one fears that the promises could simply be forgotten. Haiti needs help now. It’s as simple as that. Yes, it is the poorest nation in the Americas and it has yet to prove its ability to sustain responsible government. But none of that background gives the world any excuse not to deliver on its promises and for that we must pray and exert whatever influence God has given us.
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