Kudos to Washington Post reporter William Booth — International charities fall short in Haiti – for shining a light on the elephant in the room (in this case, Haiti): When disaster strikes a barely functioning country with a government that “struggles with a legacy of corruption,” what should the international community’s role be? How can help and support best be administered to those who need it most?
Like so many individuals, NGOs and international agencies around the globe, HelpAge International was struck by the raw needs in Haiti, including the “desperate sight” of the municipal nursing home. They stepped in to provide support to the city government, getting older people the food, water and medical care they desperately needed. Now the Washington Post is highlighting HelpAge as just one of many NGOs whose “effectiveness is now being questioned.”
A year ago today I was getting shots and ordering a mosquito net & water filter in preparation to go to Haiti. The day I arrived, HelpAge International signed the memorandum of understanding with the city government to provide support to the municipal nursing home. What would a better approach have been?
Here’s two Haitians’ take on HelpAge’s role, as quoted in Mr. Booth’s story:
At the municipal nursing home, Joseph Saintime, a young security guard, said that “when the NGO was here, the old people ate better, they had better care, a doctor came. But I don’t think the NGO will ever come back. We are now alone.”
Emmanuel Jean, a manager of the nursing home, sat in a barren office tallying figures. “The NGOs come and go, they don’t have time to learn from us, the way we do things in Haiti. They don’t know what we really need. They tell us what we need. This is why they can’t work with us.”
For the next earthquake, shall we stay home? What is the best role for well-intentioned donors and workers? I still am literally losing sleep over this unanswered question.
