Sustainable development in Haiti said key

By Steve Neill
Of The Catholic Virginian

“Nobody is so poor that he or she has nothing to give and nobody is so rich that he or she has nothing to receive.” These words attributed to the late Pope John Paul II were used by Mari Barboza of Catholic Relief Services to describe the mutual benefits of ministry to Haiti to both those who seek to help the people of that country as well as the lessons the people of Haiti give to visitors.

Ms. Barboza and two other women spoke of their experience with the people of Haiti and advised the 130 persons at the diocese’s annual Haiti Gathering on April 1 at Church of the Incarnation in Charlottesville about the importance of sustainable development. “The core of our goal is the dignity of the human person,” Ms. Barboza said. “We are connected with the one human family and what we do affects the other person.”

Catholic Relief Services, whose headquarters are in Baltimore, has been in Haiti for 50 years and has two offices there with almost 200 employees, most of whom are Haitians.

All three speakers addressed various aspects of how sustainable development can be achieved to raise the standard of living for the people of Haiti, which with a population of eight million, is the poorest country in the western hemisphere.

Anne Hastings, executive director of Fonkoze, spoke of the efforts her organization is making to give loans to women in rural areas so they can start their own businesses and help their families get out of poverty. But the process involves more than just giving the loan which needs to be paid back. “You can’t just give a woman a loan and send her on her way,” Ms. Hastings said. “You have to accompany her as she struggles to make her way out of poverty.” She described solidarity groups, permanent associations of women dedicated to improving their families’ livelihoods by developing their own life skills.The women come together and share what they have learned about running a business and interaction with their families, Ms. Hastings said. “They learn the essentials of what they need to know to run their own businesses,” she said. “They meet regularly and teach each other.” She related the stories of three women, two of whom had made progress in building their businesses and making a climb up the economic ladder. The third woman, still poor, has been using profits to send all seven of her children to school with the hope that by investing in education, her children will get out of poverty. Ms. Hastings said that 76 percent of the population of Haiti lives on less than the equivalent of $2 a day.

There are four categories of poverty, she asserted. The first is the poor who have their own business. The second category is the poor who are ready to start their business. Then the third is the extremely poor who have no land, no assets, children not in school and no wage earner and live without hope. Finally the fourth category is the destitute poor who are too old, too handicapped or too sick to work. She believes that all four can and should receive help which can lift them up. “It is a myth that we do not know how to accompany these people out of poverty,” Ms. Hastings said.

Regarding the reforestation plan in which new trees are planted throughout Haiti, education about why this is being done is key. “Reforestation is not just a question of planting trees,” Ms. Hastings said. “It is getting people aware of how to protect the seedlings so that goats do not eat them.” Ms. Charles, a native Haitian who now lives in the Washington, D.C. area, pointed out that only one percent of Haitian land is forested. “The only way Haiti can survive for the next 200 years is to reforest the country, she said.

Like Ms. Hastings had said, education is a key component of economic progress. “You cannot have development without education,” Ms. Charles said. “We have to teach Haitian people to read and write.” And as the people are educated, Ms. Charles said, they will be able to read written materials on reforestation. “Don’t just plant a tree for them,” she said.

Those attending the Haiti Gathering are clearly committed to the diocese’s outreach to Haiti. They received encouragement in their journey. “Every time you visit Haiti, you bring hope to the Haitian people, so please keep doing that,” Ms. Charles said.