Haiti - How the World Failed It

I have just finished reading Jonathan M. Katz's book - "The Big Truck That Went By". It is a depressing read. Katz, a reporter for the Associated Press was in Haiti when in 2010, that country experienced a massive earthquake. His book chronicles in a very personal way the consequences not just of the earthquake but as well the effect of the billions of dollars of poorly allocated donations, or in so many cases - the failure for that money or aid to come. However, for me, what was most alarming was the fact that I believed so many of the myths that are perpetuated when the stories of such disasters are reported. I should know better.

For example, there was no mass rioting or civil unrest in the aftermath of the earthquake. In fact, Katz reports that there have been numerous reports for the past century clearly stating that people, after a disaster, are far more likely to be supportive of each other than harmful. The press reported that Haitians were rioting. That was false. The press printed a retraction but no one remembers that. Forty-two different governments sent military aid, the USA sent more than 22,000 troops. The money that it cost to support those troops were counted as part of the cost of the humanitarian aid. Haitians did not need soldiers to control them - they needed people to assist with the disposals of thousands of bodies and to help to rebuild their destroyed homes and businesses. Any rioting that occurred was because the food distribution "system" created by outside governments and the various NGOs was at best, inadequate. The food in many cases just did not get to the various camps that the outside forces had created.

Another example - There were constant concerns and allegations about the leadership of the Haitian government stealing the money. Consequently, much of the money was left under the control of outside bodies who appear to have seldom understood the needs of the Haitian people. That may have been because, for the most part, there were few Haitians allowed to participate in the discussions as to how that money should be spent. The is no doubt that at a minor level bribery and/or manipulation may have occurred. But as Katz notes the level of financial manipulation at the highest level was all-pervasive. In Western governments it is perfectly allowable for a Senator, who receives campaign donations from a specific company, to ensure that that company gets a contract worth millions of dollars, to sell their product to the disaster relief effort, but it is not acceptable for a Haitian to attempt to influence who locally gets small contracts. The bureaucracy, from Katz's report, was unwieldy, expensive to operate and ineffective at delivering the needed supports. It was a star-driven (eg Bill Clinton, Shaw Penn) show that may have done more damage than good. The textile businesses that were supposedly created to create jobs and income for Haitians were only viable businesses if the rate of pay was so low that Haitians would not be able to sustain themselves. It is worthwhile to note who benefited from the sale of land to this business and who supported them.

It is equally as shameful of how countries trumpeted far and wide about how much they had donated when in fact most countries just never met their announced targets. Of the money given - much of it went to hire non-Haitian employees who got paid high salaries and living costs and to purchase items from outside of Haiti.

Another example - The cholera epidemic that occurred months after the disaster was not caused by poor hygiene habits or even the lack of infrastructure. It was the direct result of Nepalese armed forces (who were there to protect something that did not need protecting) and their poor hygiene habits. Cholera had never existed in Haiti until soldiers from Nepal who were infected came to Haiti and then dumped their raw sewage into a river.

The book is well worth reading only to be reminded that it is not enough for us to donate money to a disaster fund if we do not ensure that the NGO has the capacity to deliver the needed services. It is also not enough for us to pat ourselves on our collective backs about what a generous country Canada is. If we are to give money, then we must give money to the people and the organizations that need it. Giving it to corrupt governments (and there are many) or to fat NGOs does not help the people who are dealing with the consequences of the disaster. And finally we must not always believe the narrative of the donators - they may have a different agenda than you do.
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