Mosaic of Haiti

I wrote this post many months ago, but never got around to publishing it, so here it is at long last:

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Below are some of my learnings and experiences over past the four months.  As life here in Haiti seems to be a mosaic of completely unique discoveries and experiences, that is how I have tried to share it with you.  

Security

Security is a very visible and dominant presence here in Haiti.  Pretty much every home, office, store or other building you enter has armed guards at the entrance (often a gate with razor wire on top).  On most routes around the city you will pass several UN armed forces (MINUSTA) stations and almost weekly I am either re-routed or not allowed to go to my project site because of security events in the surrounding area.  I have also personally known two Haitian colleagues who have had members of their family or extended family kidnapped in the last few months – one was returned unharmed but the other, a 16 year old boy, was killed after the ransom was paid (likely to collect more money so that his body would be returned to the family).  It is for these reasons that we have very strict security protocols, including not being allowed to walk alone, abiding by strict curfew hours and having to get clearance from security each time we go to site and/or leave the Port-au-Prince area.   Although we have a security team, we are still each very responsible for our own actions and decisions, especially when out in the field.

Guard outside teamhouse where I live

MINUSTA station in Cite Soleil on the way to my project site

A MINUSTA (UN) base

Public Infrastructure

One of the first things you notice when you travel around the city is the distinct absence of public infrastructure and services.  What is the most obvious is the ever present garbage.  Although there is a government agency responsible for managing solid waste in Port-au-Prince, garbage is everywhere - not in bags, just straight garbage.  It is on the streets, the sidewalks and especially in the canals which were constructed to provide drainage from the hills around Port-au-Prince.  These canals are absolutely full of garbage as well as the animals and people that are scavenging in the garbage.   The canals are also often the disposal location for human waste in areas where latrines are not readily accessible and are also used for washing clothes and other basic needs.

Garbage and animals on the road

Except in the very few wealthy neighborhoods, potable water is not piped to households.  In  most areas water is obtained from a community well with a hand pump and then carried in buckets or is purchased from private water sellers in 5 gallon jugs or in bulk (for those lucky enough to have one or two 1000-gallon plastic water tanks).  It is also not uncommon to see adults and children collecting (or just straight drinking) water that is flowing in a ditch from a nearby broken pipe supplying a building.

Water bladder for an IDP camp

There are no sanitary sewers in PaP.  Most wastewater is managed through septic tanks. “Desludging” is done either by machine or manually by individuals called “bayakous” and (sometimes) trucked to the newly constructed wastewater facility just outside the city.

Transportation

The most common form of transportation is by Tap-Tap – essentially converted pick-up trucks that carry about 10-20 people – often with a few standing on the tailgate.  The next most common form of transportation is by motorcycle – this is essentially the Haitian version of a taxi (often carrying two adult passengers or one adult and two infants, etc.) and is definitely the quickest (and most dangerous) way to get around the city as motorcycles can weave in and out traffic, markets, sidewalks, etc…  Then there are cars, mostly SUVs driven by the expat community (as most NGOs do not allow their expat staff to use the local Tap Taps or motorcycle taxis).  Regardless of the mode of transport, travel in Haiti is quite an experience – the roads are extremely poorly maintained and those that are well maintained are extremely busy so most travel is done on the backroads which are usually gravel roads with huge crevasses and ditches in them as well as being full of adults, kids, farm animals and garbage.   

Typical bus

Tap-Tap Bus

Transporting tabacco (note the guy on top)

Housing and Land

The majority of Haitians in Port-au-Prince live either in the camps or in slums and neither of these housing arrangements have running water or sewerage services. 

Typical housing in PaP

Internally Displaced People camp

Typical house

Land ownership is a huge issue as most of the land in Haiti is owned privately and by a very small percentage of the population and the land title records system is practically non-existant.  This is a critical challenge when trying to implement a project.

People & Culture

The Haitian people are very artistic and expressive.  Nearly every Tap-Tap and every storefront is painted with vibrant, colourful images and there is an abundance of artisans displaying their wares throughout the many outdoor marketplaces.  Music and dance are also ever-present.  Whether it is the Kompa music that is always on the radio (often by the current President Michel Martelly – previously known as the “President du Kompa”) or emanating from the clubs or the beautiful cascading of choirs from the churches on the weekends, music is a very important part of Haitian life.

Throughout my time here in Haiti, I often think about the irony of having heard and met the former Governor General of Canada, Michaëlle Jean, in early in 2011 at an event in Surrey, BC.  She was amazingly strong, positive, intelligent, and completely full of life – a perfect example of the Haitian people.  I was so touched by her at that event and feel so very fortunate to have had the opportunity to visit her incredible home country and provide whatever support I can to help it recover and rebuild.

Children

Because of the nature of my project, I don’t really get a lot of opportunity to interact directly with children, but there were two days where I was surrounded by children.  Both were a mixture of happiness and sadness.  One was when I went to a local orphanage with some colleagues to provide some reprieve for the heavily overloaded staff and the other was a visit to the local community in Truitier to hand out some gifts for Christmas.  The orphanage is run by an American NGO and is a combination children’s hospital and orphanage.  It was a heartwarming experience because the kids were just so happy to get some attention and play time (the staff just don’t have enough time for them all) but was absolutely crushing emotionally to help feed the severely under-nourished infants.  It was also heartbreaking to leave.

The gift giving in Truitier was a lot of fun because the kids were so very excited to get a hand-wrapped present and then to play with the soccer and volleyballs we brought.  It was also very hard because there were not enough gifts for all the kids (even though we brought many extras) and the ones who did not receive gifts, started pulling on me and shouting “hey you, hey you” which is a phrase they all learn so they can beg to English expats.  It was sorted out in the end with the community leader explaining to them in Kreyol that we would come back (which we did the next day) but was difficult regardless. 

Animals

There is definitely a different perspective on animals here as compared to North America. The city of Port-au-Prince is full of pigs, chickens, goats, cows, donkeys, etc.  There is no real distinction between urban and rural in this regard.  These animals are here to serve a purpose – they are a food source for the people living here – and the animals are survivalists just like the humans.  Their main food source is scavenging in the garbage that is thrown into the street or the canals.   I find it quite sad as many of them are tied to a fence or a post in the middle of nowhere in the blazing sun.  There are also multitudes of feral dogs throughout the city – mostly looking to be descendents of a similar breed or mixed breed that resembles a cross between a greyhound and a coyote.  I have seen a few dogs that are clearly pets, but these are only in the affluent neighborhoods.

Agriculture

The City of Port-au-Prince is essentially at the base of a bowl of low mountains.   Each morning on my way in to work, I see dozens of women carrying large straw baskets on their heads full to the brim with vegetables and fruit from the farming that is done on the hills just past the urban development line.  They walk miles into town to the markets in the morning and back in the evening.  As I mentioned above, farm animals are ever present within and outside the city and there are a few fish markets near the ports.

A typical Haitian dish is comprised of rice and beans with a side of fried plaintain chips and a main of fried or grilled goat, chicken or pork accompanied by “picklies”, a mixture of cabbage, onions and hot peppers (delicious!).  Fresh fruit juices are also very common given the abundance of fruit trees and plants in the country.  Oddly it is very common to add copious amounts of sugar to even the sweetest natural juices!

The supermarkets carry very similar items that could be found in a North American store, but much, much more expensive.  There are also a few non-Haitian restaurants that are quite good, but again, also quite expensive.

Outside PaP

Obviously after the earthquake, whatever tourism industry Haiti had essentially collapsed.  But that does not mean that the destinations disappeared - there are some absolutely stunning and incredibly interesting places to visit in Haiti.  I have had the opportunity to visit a couple of these on weekends where I needed some downtime.  

Ile la Vache

The team I work with had a workshop on this island last month and it is by far the most beautiful place I have been in Haiti so far.  It is a little island off the south coast  with beautiful white sand beaches.   What was so typically Haiti was that where the boat launched in La Caye to take us to the island was a beach completely covered in garbage, yet 15 minutes later we landed on a beautiful, pristine white sand beach….bizarre.

Jacmel

Over the holidays, I had a few “free days”, so I decide to work from Jacmel, a small, very old town just southwest of Port-au-Prince (PaP).   The biggest selling point of Jacmel is that it is only 2.5 hours away and I was allowed to actually go for a walk in the city alone.

The other big selling point is that there is a large concentration of very good artisans in and around Jacmel.

There is a hidden gem near Jacmel – a beautiful series of fresh water waterfalls and pools just outside the city called Bassin Bleu.  The destination was absolutely unbelievable and it absolutely a reminder of how Haiti could have a very successful tourism industry someday, like its neighbor, the Dominican Republic.

...and last but not least, here are some beautiful pictures of flowers and trees in Haiti...