Living and working in Haiti~

'Baby Doc' Duvalier is back...this disposed dictator has been gone from power and the country for 25 years. Rumors are rampant as to why he is here including thoughts of a coup or civil war but from our observations of the past few days, its seemed only to spark curiosity. Conversation around a dominos game perhaps. None the less it seemed to take everyone by surprise and maybe some even wondered if Aristide could be arriving imenently as well. We were told to take care with out movement, to gauge the reaction before going to work. Driving to the clinic, to work sites around the city, the streets were 'normal'. The streets were 'cool' as our drivers report to me. Teeming as usual with street markets, children walking to school in their crisp little checked uniforms, guys hawking their wares of cell phone charger cords, bottles of soda and Digicel phones cards. The younger generation views the return with indifference, not knowing the reign of terror the dictatorship and its regime of Tonton Macoutes bestowed upon the country. We've heard some people say maybe Haiti should return to a dictatorship- "we had paved roads and electricity. We didn't have cholera' But from what I've read people still starved, they still didn't have jobs. The smallest whisper against the government brought retaliation in the form of prison, beatings or death. They forget that millions upon millions of dollars were lining the pockets of Baby Doc and his mother and his wife as they lived a life of luxury, buying jewelry and clothes from only the best places in New York or Paris, traveling the world as if it were owed to them. In reality, life was no better then than it is now. Time erases the worst of bad memories.

On a brighter note, HHH held its summit board meeting in Haiti. The idea was to support Haiti, our Haitian staff and add a little to the economy. It was 3 days of meetings and hard work of taking our mission and our vision into the next 3 years. Considering it was the anniversary week of the earthquake, the planned date for the election run off which has now been postponed, and rumors of manifestations, all of our planning went very smoothly. We feel positive and strengthened by the support we have received and our organization continues to be dedicated to growth and expansion of services for the disabled citizens of Haiti. I'm very proud to be part of this vision, the love and the dedication we all share for Haiti.

While we wait for the response to the OAS reports of election fraud and Duvaliers' reasons for returning, we continue to do the work we are here to do.