Mike, I just visited your website and I think it's a well done...

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Reply to Msg 20398

Mike,

I just visited your website and I think it's a well done piece of art. However, I don't find it too user friendly, but again, that may very well be due to my computer's limitation knowledge.

I read what you said about the use of the gras thing, which makes sense, but dismissed the entire deforestion problem that Haiti is facing with.

Mike, for decades, Haitian government has been listening to foreigners telling them how to fix this problem, and for decades the government has been going to foreigners to get new directions on how to fix this problem.

The Haitian people never had a say on how to solve this problem.

The Haitian people have never consulted, listened to, asked how to fix this problem.

The Haitian people is left completely out of the equation, and it goes for every and all the problems Haiti is facing with, Haitian people are not included.

There is a government in Haiti that does not and categorically refuse to communicate with its people/citizens about anything.

The people is not aware of any plan, if any, the government has to get anything done. The government depends and relies solely and completely on foreigners to get anything done in Haiti for Haitians.

The problem with this type of attitude is that you find foreigners who claim to be scholars and experts on Haiti's affairs and on Haitian's way of life, but they know nothing about Haitian culture, Haitian values, Haitian principles, Haitian philosophy, and Haitian beliefs.

Nothing can be done and get done without having a well understanding of these sets of characteristics.

Nothing can be done, nor get done when the people are excluded from taking part of the discussion.

Foreigners have coming to Haiti for decades trying to plant trees and using all kind of strategies to fix Haiti's problems.

Unfortunately, the more they are trying is the more things are getting worse.

There are about 10,000 NGOs in Haiti (more than the entire caribbean put together) and majority of them have been in Haiti for decades, and yet, Haiti is getting worse and worse every passing day. But they all claim to be making big difference in Haiti and in Haitian life. Really?

I know one thing though about majority of these NGOs, and that is they come to Haiti purely and simply to boost their self-esteem they were lack of. In Haiti, these people live like kings and queens and worshiped by Haitians.

I would come too to get that kind of treatment.

Mike, there is a key compenent that is always left out in all of these projects which keep them from reaching their goals and that is "ALTERNATIVES."

In terms of the deforestation, it will never work until the government provides another charcoal/combustible alternative to the population.

All foreigners in the world can come to Haiti and plant all the trees they want to, but only to chop them down again for charcoal once they get big enough.

For a very longtime now, I had been suggesting the use of "Kerosine Stoves" into Haitian households.

These stoves come with 1, 2, 3, 4, burners and stand on 4 legs. They are portable, efficient, and very convenient.

The government can offer insentive to match the cost for families who cannot really afford them. I am confident to say that by using these type of stoves, I give 5 years to see Haiti becoming green again, but until the alternative is discused seriously, there will never be any trees standing in Haiti.

It's pure common sense!

Tiba, March 17 2010, 9:35 AM

Topic: Haiti Reconstruction

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