Dear Little Haitian--February 2016
Park Cadot–February 2016 (Photo by John Carroll)
Dear Little Haitian,
You are playing with a Rubik’s Cube. It is a puzzle and you are trying to move individual parts and not destroy the structure. This may be possible with the Cube, but it is impossible with people like you. You are not a puzzle. When Dominican authorities intimidated your parents, they had to move and your world was broken.
You live in the Park Cadot refugee camp with two thousand other displaced people. Experts in the Dominican say that you are “nothing” and have no right to citizenship —even though you were born in the Dominican. And others say you are a citizen of Haiti so you are Haiti’s problem. But the Haitian government won’t feed you or provide you health care because they don’t want more like you.
So you are stuck. You have no recourse.
You obviously are not eating well as evidenced by your orange hair that has lost its curl. Your eyes show your potential but your face shows your struggle. Your diet is missing very important protein-calories, vitamins, and minerals to help your brain form. You won’t be as intelligent as you could have been.
And, Little Haitian, you don’t get hugged enough.
Twenty years from now, if you out last this current assault, you will be one member of another lost generation of Haitians. You won’t be able to read or write. Voting won’t interest you. Survival will be your one and only goal.
We should’t fool ourselves, Little Haitian: You are Haiti’s future and we are neglecting you when it counts the most.
John A. Carroll, MD
www.haitianhearts.org
5 replies on “Dear Little Haitian”
Jacques Lemieux
says:
Powerful stuff, Dr. Bless you for bringing some attention to this situation.
Are there any NGO’s trying to help at all or is the Haitian gvt. not allowing aid to get thru?
Posted: 03/01/16
http://www.iom.int/news/iom-dominican-republic-resumes-voluntary-return-vulnerable-migrants-haiti
IOM, in close coordination with the Government of the Dominican Republic, has helped 170 vulnerable Haitian migrants to voluntarily return to their communities of origin in Northern Haiti. Over half of the returnees were women and a third were children.
Jorge Baca, IOM Chief of Mission in the Dominican Republic, said: “Despite the historic opportunity that the National Regularization Plan has meant to irregular migrants in the Dominican Republic, many were not able to register. This, plus the fact that there are very few income generating activities or jobs available to them, is pushing families to opt for a dignified return solution like IOM’s Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (AVRR) program.”
Since 2010, the AVRR program, carried out in coordination with the Dominican Republic’s General Directorate of Migration and the Dominican Ministry of Interior and Police has provided a lifeline for these migrants.
IOM supports Haitian migrants returning to their country of origin with a stipend for their initial costs and a stipend for each child given to the mother. Once back home, on behalf of IOM, NGOs provide an education grant for each child of school age, which is paid directly to schools.
During the reintegration stage, returnees receive access to business training and capital to start small businesses, as well as access to an income generation scheme supported by IOM. Follow-up is carried out by IOM staff and partner NGOs.
Through its National Regularization Plan, the Dominican Republic has regularized over 239,000 irregular migrants and has said that the identification documents provided will allow them to register in the country’s social security system.
IOM’s AVRR program, which started in September 2010 and is funded by the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM), will now restart, after a pause during the implementation of the National Regularization Plan. It has already helped over 4,000 Haitians to return to their places of origin in Haiti.
For further information, please contact Alicia Sangro at IOM Dominican Republic, +1 809-688-8174 Ext.224 Email:asangro@iom.int
BY POST AUTHOR
Jacques Lemieux
says:
All of the above is a bunch of government smoke blowing. The DR has forced 100’s of thousands of Dominican born Haitians to move, many times at the point of a gun or with clubs. You brag about 170. There are in excess of 300,000 living in squalor because of the government of the DR. Please do not piss on my head and try to convince me it is a gentle rain helping the crops. DR bears much shame for what they have done to these people! I will NEVER enter the DR and will not become a customer of your tourist industry. I will do everything i can to persuade others to do the same.
Jacques,
I have to apologize. When I read this from the IOM I was encouraged because I thought the IOM post was stating that the 170 vulnerable people were being allowed to return to their communities in the DR. I read it wrong.
I will let it stand as my mistake and let your comment stand also.
I am sorry I read the post wrong to begin with. And most of all I am sorry for these people who have been forced out of the DR and exist in miserable living conditions.
john
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