Liverpool Law Bulletin December 2013 December 2013 | Page 27

News Haiti - A legacy of Transformative Hope My journey began last January when I received an unexpected e mail from Ali Linwood who is the Legacy Officer for Christian Aid, inviting me to join a party visiting Haiti meeting partners in Haiti and to raise awareness about Christian Aid’s work to alleviate poverty. After a time of thought, prayer and consultation with loved ones, I decided to accept the invitation – my first long haul flight! Haiti comprises the western side of the island of Hispaniola, the other part being the Dominican Republic (DR). Haiti has a volatile history involving the first successful slave revolt leading to independence in 1804 and the national pride is self-evident and an inherent sense of self determination. Sadly, there has been and still is political instability including a period of US occupation, successive dictatorships and corruption. The economic consequences of the Structural Adjustment Programmes have been very detrimental and have resulted in increased unemployment and food insecurity. The situation is so complex and information contradicts itself at every turn. At the time of the earthquake in January 2010, Haiti was already the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and 80% live on less than £1.10 per day. Food prices are very high as much is now imported resulting in regular and violent protests. Our itinerary was changed several times because of unrest. The atmosphere was tense and we weren’t able to walk freely and had to stay in the mini-bus most of the time for our own safety. We visited the Bi-National on the DR border and armed guard required $100 to let us through, it was chaotic hundreds of people selling items ranging from motorcycles to cooking oil. We turned back notwithstanding that we had travelled hours to get there along an unmade track…safety first. number of water fountains where the people could collect clean water. A community hall was nearing completion and the school is down in the hill in the village. It is important that the people living at the top are not isolated. The co-operative nature of Solidarity was amazing with the villagers working for the benefit of everyone and having ownership and control of their lives. In this way they are transformed from passive recipients to active participants. I was invited to participate in this trip because I have supported Christian Aid for many years, including legacy work. It was wonderful to see how the gifts made really benefit people and transform their lives. There is so much more to report but space is limited and please let me know if you’d like any further information. Naomi Pinder [email protected] The catastrophic physical effects of the earthquake are everywhere – piles of rubble; demolished ruins and empty land where buildings once stood. The Cathedral in Port au Prince resembles the aftermath of the Liverpool Blitz. The nearby Anglican Church stands in ruins, an uncovered stone stairway leads to nowhere. The reported number of people killed in the earthquake ranges from 50,000 to 300,000, no-one seems to know and there are still buildings which haven’t been cleared and must now act as a final resting place for many. The political and physical challenges are coupled with the tropical climate – intense heat, high humidity setting off daily thunderstorms and torrential rainstorms resulting in terrible flooding exacerbated by deforestation on a colossal scale. This cauldron conspires against Haiti’s proud people ever rising above the absolute poverty of their physical surroundings. Christian Aid works with local partners who are Haitians and have a vast wealth of skills and experience in knowing what type of aid is useful and effective. Christian Aid has been in Haiti since 1997 and concentrates on long term development work. We visited four partners including GARR, an organisation helping refugees and displaced people. GARR looks at an issue holistically and also considers the consequences of its actions on the existing community. In founding a settlement, it starts by selecting land for building earthquake resistant homes; it secures title to the land (no mean feat in itself) then brings the community together to build 34 houses and they listed the criteria of need which determined on the order of occupation. We visited a village called Solidarity which works as a co-operative, where I interviewed a young chap called Jeudine who lived in a house with his wife and children, there was a small garden at the side. He was a lovely, gentle man and was so pleased to be able to provide food and shelter for his family. Jeudine had been given independence, self-respect and dignity. At Solidarity, a water tank had been built at the top of the hill and pipes to a The Computer Doctor We are proud to provide practical IT solutions for homes and small companies of all types in Liverpool and the surrounding areas. Below is a short list of the services we offer: Maintenance Contracts Network Design & Install Wireless Network Installation Hardware and Software installation Hard Disk upgrades and data transfer Memory upgrades . PC Repair & Diagnostics Hardware Supply Virus Cleansing File Recovery File corruption recovery Web Design Do you need a computer engineer in a hurry? Call The Computer Doctor Liverpool on 0800 0833 587 www.liverpoolcomputerdoctor.co.uk Liverpool Law 27