Self-directed study. Self-directed sexuality. I’ve used these terms in various contexts, but I’m becoming increasingly aware of what it really means to “call the shots.” I worked myself into a fury this week over the media coverage of the first anniversary of the earthquake in Haiti. I was raging for days, and then Rosa sent me this link—it’s to an organization that’s doing really important work in Haiti, and they were featured on PBS last night. With others, Partners in Health is calling for NGOs in Haiti to LISTEN TO THE HAITIAN PEOPLE. Billions of dollars in aid were donated after the earthquake, but we’ve seen very little progress and the Haitian people are not to blame b/c the money wasn’t placed in their hands. International aid is complicated—even here at home, we confront ethical issues when we choose to give to those in need. I remember a friend once telling me that he “grilled” anyone who asked him for change in the street; he would scoff at me as I handed over my spare change—“You know that guy’s just going to buy booze with that. Look at his shoes—he’s not homeless.” He was so sure he knew everyone’s backstory—and as the donor, he felt he had the right to sit in judgment over the recipients of his aid. This plays out in the welfare debate, and for centuries the “haves” have been careful to distinguish between the “deserving” and “undeserving” poor. They turned poverty and distress into a moral issue, and then made recipients of aid conform to their sense of what is right and good. I generally donate to Unicef, but I think for the next year I’m going to support Partners in Health; I especially want to support their mental health outreach efforts, since few NGOs seem able or willing to deal with the emotional trauma of the quake victims/survivors. I hope you’ll sign the petition to ensure that Haitians have a say and a role to play in the rebuilding of their country. Swaziland sent rubble-crushers—hand crank rubble crushers, which enable individuals to clear the debris that still chokes their neighborhoods. If anyone knows how to send more of those to Haiti, please let me know. The power ought to be placed in THEIR hands. Stand with Haiti.
be direct/or
January 15, 2011 by elliottzetta
Posted in activism, art, history, race & politics, the Caribbean | 5 Comments
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My friend Barbara who lives in Haiti told me once about how it is difficult to access books there. She was really saddened by a link I posted on my facebook about how a library in NYC was throwing out dumpster-loads of books in decent shape. Luckily she had a family member heading to Haiti for a visit soon after we talked and I was able to send her some books – she requested urban fantasy and so I sent her a copy of WAM which she loved (she said it reminded her of Octavia Butler). Apparently the ALA has a fund to help libraries damaged during the earthquake (http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/iro/iroactivities/haitirelieffund.cfm) – I haven’t heard much about it though.
Thanks for sharing Wish–and for sharing that link, Em. I meant to write about book donations, too–in particular the way unwanted books are often dumped in developing countries; on the one hand, the children are often thrilled to receive these books, but on the other hand, they often get books that are NOT mirrors in any way…I love that you were able to fill her request; the best donor program I’ve seen was run by GuysLitWire, where they asked Native American teens which titles they wanted, and then sent the wishlist out to the blogosphere and filled their reservation libraries. But I’ll check out the ALA program…
Hello!! Em and Zetta! I’m the Barbara! I understand your frustrations . As Haitian it’s so hard for me that . I’ve become resigned to the situation. I went through all the phases of grief and i have accepted that things in my country will change in my lifetime. Sad but a reality we all must face. I’m not giving up though.
If people want to support Haitians. It’s better to support them directly try these org. The money go directly into Haitian business
https://www.zafen.org/en/home
http://www.buildingmarkets.org/
There is so many people with potential out there all they need is a push .
200 Us dollars is a huge amount of money for someone who want to start a little business or pay for school.
If you guys know of any other group that are willing to support the building of a any new libraries or in helping support the existing one please let me know.
Loved the book by the way!
http://www.fonkoze.org/
is also very promising org that help small entrepreneurs
Thanks for these great links, Barbara! Change does take time, but we can all play a part in the gradual transformation of lives and communities.