Heartbreak

May God bless and protect Haiti

It's very sad to write about a hurricane threatens to hit Haiti severely.I am praying for all the people in Haiti including my family and friends. The condition of Haiti is vulnerable. No infrastructure. It's a country trying to survive. Haiti has been through so much: four hurricanes in a row hit the country in 2008 and many people died,an earthquake in 2010, about 300.000 people were killed and left more than 1 million homeless and a cholera outbreak that has killed more than 7000 people. Today, there are more than 400.000 people living in camps in bad condition while hurricane Isaac is getting close to the country.I wonder why all of these are happening, but only God has the answer.I am optimist that God has a plan for my island.I am keeping the government in my prayers and hope God will give them knowledge to handle this situation. God bless Haiti!

Loving Haiti Will Never Be Faded Away

Haiti is a beautiful country and the Haitian people are wonderful. Life in Haiti is difficult,but the Haitian people are very strong. They are waiting on change by holding onto their faith and hope every single day. I cannot describe how strong the people of my country are, despite poverty,earthquake and cholera they are moving on.

I have been living in the U.S. for almost two years,but my heart is still in Haiti. I check the news about my beloved country almost every day. I talk with my family and friends on the Internet via facebook and skype. I still remember the past journeys and I remember the hard life as well.

As I love the medical field, I am going to school to be a nurse. I want to do it for my country as well because I want to go back and help those who need medical care. It takes a lot to tell when it comes to talk about medical care in Haiti. The country’s medical system is obsolete, there are not enough care providers and medical facilities. Most of the hospitals and clinics are in Port-au-Prince. Sometimes, it takes two days for many people to get to a hospital or clinic, then there comes an issue; no doctors,nurses and even medicines. As a result, people die in these circumstances. Life is so important and beautiful, why is it so many people do not have the chance to survive when they are in need of medical care?

I was diagnosed with a heart problem eleven years ago.But thanks to God and Dr John Carroll who took me to the U.S. for care. I wonder how my life would be if I did not meet Dr John.I think I would have died because I did not find medical care that I needed in Haiti. Every time I think about that, I realize there are so many people in Haiti who are in the same situation like I was a few years ago. There are people who need assistance,but they suffer and die because they cannot find any help.

I carry the tears of my people in my heart like I carry mine. I love my country and I can’t stop thinking about it. Haiti is where my heart belongs. I look forward to going back and continue to be involved. May God bless my beautiful island!

We Are Paying The Price

Does Haiti have food to feed the country? is one the most frequent questions that i have been asked for the last eighteen months. People asked me this question because they had heard the Haitian children are starving to death. Food has become a major problem throughout Haiti. The national production has decreased seriously because of so many issues: infrastructure,foreign food importation and displacing farmers from the country sides to the capital,Port-au-Prince.

I have seen an enormous raise in the food prices over the last twelve years. I remember when i was younger, my mother used to complain about the prices of rice,corn;beans,wheat and sugar. But Haitians are very strong people;therefore, they cope with any situation that comes through. As the national food production goes down,foreign food invades the Haitian food market tremendously. For instance, it is cheaper to buy rice from overseas than the Haitian rice. But the majority of the population still cannot afford to buy food because they live with less than $2 US a day.

The country spends millions of dollars buying food from overseas especially from the Dominican Republic and the United States. The U.S. has been subsidizing the American rice farmers to keep the price of rice low so they can import rice into Haiti whereas they do not assist the Haitian farmers. Is this a good policy? I don't think the U.S. is helping Haiti to boost its economy and increase the food production in Haiti. As a Haitian, i have never had chance to eat the Haitian rice as much as i used to eat the American rice because my mother could not afford our country’s rice. I think it would be better if the U.S. helps Haiti overcome this situation by helping the Haitian farmers. There is plenty of rice and beans in Haiti,but most of them are from overseas especial the U.S. However,Haiti is a country with foreign food,but a population with no money.

The question is, does the U.S. have a plan to help end this problem in Haiti? About three decades ago, Haiti used to produce enough food to feed its population. But now the Haitian bellies rely on tons of food that’s coming from overseas. We are paying the price of a policy that has been in place for years. It’s time for change to come before it gets worse. Haiti cannot continue to pay such a price. Nou grangou=we are hungry!

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Haiti will rise again

Since i left Haiti, nothing has changed so far. Over 4000 people have been killed by the Cholera epidemic. Haiti still the poorest country in the western hemisphere with 70 % of unemployment, thousands of Haitians are living in tent cities. The percentage of illiteracy in Haiti is very high, more than 65% of the population can't read and write and 90% of schools in the capital had been collapsed by the quake. Children are dying with malnutrition. The medical facilities are very scarce and the Haitians don't have clean water.

A new president was elected two months ago, his name is Michelle Joseph Martelly. A former musician of the famous Haitian musical rhythm called compas. Martelly became very popular on the political scene; the people believe he will change the situation of the country during his 5 year presidential term. During his campaign, he promised the country free education, medical care,job opportunities and homes.As of now, the president does not have a prime minister to run the country with. Martelly has been traveling to many countries since he got elected, he's devoted to getting the attention of the international community. He met the secretary of state Mrs Hilary Clinton, the king of Spain etc...
The presence of U.S. is so strong, the American government is still the biggest partner of Haiti, but I’m wondering why the U.S. government does not have a better plan for my country. People can see Mr Bill Clinton (U.N envoy to Haiti) as a big factor in the reconstruction of Haiti. The United Nations (UN) pledged to give Haiti $10 billion for reconstruction. I am wondering if Haiti will be given this money.
You may heard that over the last few months, two former Haitian presidents who had been in exile returned to Haiti. Jean Claude Duvalier alias Baby Doc and Jean Bertrand Aristide who are still popular across the country. Even if baby Doc had ran the country under a dictatorship, many people still love him and believe the living condition was better during the Duvalier regime. I have read an article about Aristide return, he said that he went back to Haiti in order to get involved in the education field and has no interest in politic. We know that Aristide has an immense popularity throughout the country especially in the slums; however, we will see his will toward this Caribbean nation. Politics is the main force that leads Haiti, it’s like everything is headed by that so called politics.
As I know my country fairly well, I am still advocated to playing my role as much as I can. If ever I get into politics tomorrow, I will not play that game “loving my people during campaign and turn my back to them in the office”. I hope President Martelly brings change that he promised. I hope he’s different from Preval who’s considered as one the most corrupted Haitian president within the last 20 years. Sometimes people used to call him ‘’The Dead President” because no matter what have happened to Haiti, Preval remained silent. He was like someone who could not face any situation to show the Haitians that he was for change. After the quake, Preval took many days to talk to the population, but it was still a crazy speech and he also called the U.N. and U.S. to stop the aid.

I am so glad to see how Martelly is close to the population. I hope he treats the Haitians with dignity and put good governance and economic system that could take the country onto development path. There is a lot to do Mr President, but it’s your turn because people voted for you!
Haiti will change one day and I believe it. I am for change and I will continue to get involved. Please contact if you want to get involved in the change of Haiti!