Haiti Update #3
I'm writing this from a hotel in Miami. My hope is to fly to Port-au-Prince, Haiti sometime tomorrow on a medical charter flight. All commercial flight into the country have been stopped, so if I get this flight it will be a minor miracle!
I just learned on CNN that a 15-year-old girl was pulled out of the rubble alive -- 15 days after the devastating earthquake! This is wonderful news and should encourage us that despite the official search for survivors was called off several days ago, there is still hope in Haiti!
CoAid is taking in 200lbs of medical supplies, tents, and other essential supplies to medical teams working within the capital city. I met 2 nurses belonging to a Youth With a Mission (YWAM) team that arrived on a US C-140 transport plane out of Haiti this afternoon. They told me that the need is still great for supplies and qualified medical personnel. They are short of even some basic items and are treating hundreds of patients every day.
CoAid plans to carry out a needs assessment and plan for a long term response for Haiti. Our hope for the recovery and rebuilding of Haiti rests on 4 ideals:
- Decreased long-term dependency of Haitians on others more powerful
- Decreased fatalism by Haitians leading to apathy and resignation
- Increased ability of Hatians to think constructively about their general situation
- Increased willingness by all to work toward the common good
The challenge is immense. Haiti has been hard hit for generations and deep systemic change is needed, not only in Haitian society, but within the international development community. CoAid hopes to engage leaders within Haiti and forge effective relationships and encourage Haitians to develop their own solutions that come from within rather than be imposed upon them from without. We don't believe pouring millions of dollars of foreign aid will ultimately be the long term solution for this impoverished country. This only increases dependency and reinforces the notion of a "victim state". Yes, Haiti needs our help now and it's only right that we do all we can to assist, but the long-term solution should not depend on hand-outs, but a hand-up.
The first step in CoAid's engagement with Haiti begins tomorrow when I arrive in Port-au-Prince. I'm looking forward to meeting the resilient Haitian people and forging lasting relationships with key partners who can work with us to bring lasting hope.
I invite you to follow CoAid's progress on Twitter: www.twitter.com/coaid
God bless you!
Steve Neill
President, CoAid
