I've been catching up on podcasts during my morning exercise time, and this morning, I listened to This American Life's report on the state of things in Haiti (originally broadcast May 21, 2010).
The report attempts to answer how there can be 10,000 NGOs operating in Haiti and yet Haiti continues to deteriorate financially every year. It feels wrong to ask this, but the question comes anyway: Is foreign aid doing more harm than good?
I don't believe the answer is to take our money and leave, but the podcast left me wondering how we can truly help, not just throw money at the situation to make ourselves feel better.
Side note: This American Life does an excellent job of engaging the listener with real-life situations rather than tossing meaningless facts at us out of context.
Listen to "Island Time" here. You can also download it via iTunes.
you're asking a really good question here heather. i've been involved with haiti for the last thirteen years and it's very depressing to see how things have really only gotten worse despite the well-meaning efforts of so many organizations. and there are no easy answers. i certainly don't have the answers. i only know that piecemeal charitable programs don't help in the long-run.
i think if things are ever going to be different we have to start asking haitians what they need. they have some pretty good ideas, but no one is listening.
There are receivers, and there are takers.
There are givers, and there are enablers.
Fine line....
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