Teaching Haitians / Learning from Haitians

Just read this article in my Google News Alerts, and couldn't help but wonder . . . when these guys come back from their mission trip to "teach Haitians how to grow fruits and vegetables", will they still have the same perspective? Will they still think that Haitians, an agarian society, need to be taught how to farm, or that they don't know the value of fruit or vegetables (though the vast majority eat them on a daily basis and have never seen a shaved down carrot in their lives), that they don't know the economic value of a basket of mango fransik? I wonder if they'll be impressed by the unique skills of kids who can build kites out of plastic bags and bamboo and strips of sacks to tie the ends, or throw rocks at ripe mangoes making them fall without bruises, opening a coconut with 3 strikes of a machete, or guiding a old tire rim up and down rocky hills that most foreigners can't even walk on, and how they will compare that to the kids in Woodstock, Virginia who "Facebook" and text message and can throw a strike in Wii bowling. I also wonder how well their excess seeds from Shenandoah County in Virginia, where it is currently snowing, will do in the hot, dry, Haitian climate.

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that Rev. George and Chuck are coming. They should come. They should come to learn, help THEMSELVES, and share and maybe, just maybe, they will come, and then go back and tell the people in Shenandoah that Haitians are wise people, thrifty and resourceful people that have come out of physical slavery only to decline into economic slavery with failed "aid" and unjust economic and trade policies. Maybe they'll tell the people in the Antioch Church that the reduction of the subsidies on imported rice totally destroyed local production, which has had a major impact on farm incomes (not to mention nutrition, national pride, and respect for farmers) and which has forced many farmers to rely on cutting trees for basic survival, almost as much as after the US government exterminated the Creole pig. Maybe they'll learn that it's not excess seeds or clothes or medicine that are going to save Haitians from eating these f%^ing mud cookies that everyone can't stop talking about.

Look, I don't have all the answers. But what I DO know is that unless WE, including ME, unless we stop trying to figure it all out, to come up with the magic bullet, unless we stop trying to save Haiti, STOP sending our "excess" to Haiti (didn't Jesus say something about "first fruits"?), I really believe that Haiti is destined for continued failure. And it IS a failed state. Despite the continued efforts of the average Haitian to survive and live, the actions of the state are more often than not abominable. I admit to that. I'm not trying to say that Haiti is doing great, where everyone is eating and everyone is happy. There is misery here. And the biggest miseries are lack of trust and confidence in ourselves, each other, the state, international organizations, trade, and "aid". But here also, there is a boatload . . . wait, let me not use "boatload" in relation to Haiti. There is a plethora of potential in Haiti, in Haitians. How do we unlock the potential? Love your neighbour as yourself. Treat others how you want to be treated...with honesty, integrity, equality.

I believe that Rev. George and Chuck can do something good for Haiti. I really do. And I hope they have a good trip here. And I hope that some of their seeds grow but I also hope that some don't and that they take the time to understand why. And I hope they take the time to listen to people they encounter. Listen to their stories. Listen to their truths. Listen to their ideas. Listen to their dreams. And slowly we, me, Chuck, George, and maybe you too, will learn from and teach each other how go forward from here.

Local men depart for Haiti to teach farming techniques

By Preston Knight -- Daily Staff Writer

WOODSTOCK -- To fill their stomachs with something, Haitians often rely on mud cookies. Two local men are scheduled to leave today to work toward changing that.

The Rev. George Bowers, of Antioch Church of the Brethren, and Chuck Seal, manager of the Volunteer Farm of Zepp, are slated to depart for Haiti on a mission trip meant to assist with the fight against starvation. They will introduce farming techniques learned on the Volunteer Farm of Shenandoah outside of Woodstock.

"In this country, it's malnutrition," said Bob Blair, chairman and CEO of the World Foundation for Children, which sponsors the farms. "In Haiti, it's starvation."

Bowers and Seal will work with the Rev. Geordany Joseph of La Jeune-Pignon in Haiti, who visited the Woodstock farm last summer. According to a press release, he leads 12 churches in Haiti with a combined membership of 4,498, plus children, and runs an orphanage and seven schools. The churches will be a focal point for agriculture lessons.

"If we can teach the younger half of the population how to grow fruits and vegetables," Seal says in the release, "we may be able to reverse the trend of children having red hair and thin bodies -- signs of serious malnutrition."

Eighty percent of Haiti's 8.7 million people live in poverty, the release states, and 42 percent of them are 14 or younger.

Blair said the foundation has discussed the idea of establishing a volunteer farm in Haiti. For now, the goal is to take excess seed from the Woodstock farm to teach Haitians how to grow food in their backyards, he said. One plus is that Haiti has a long growing season, Blair added.

"We wish we could do more in both places," he said.

Last year, the Woodstock farm, which has existed for several years as compared to the Zepp location, produced 35 tons of vegetables thanks to 3,100 volunteers, the release states. Results even far less than that in Haiti would be a victory, officials said.

"They must be taught how to grow enough to feed themselves," Seal said in the release.

Bowers could not immediately be reached for comment Monday. He and Seal are scheduled to return from their trip Feb. 10. Representatives from Brethren churches throughout the Shenandoah Valley also are traveling to Haiti to focus on health and housing issues, the release states.

Anyone interested in donating to Joseph's churches, schools or orphanage can visit www.worldfoundationforchildren.com or mail donations to WFC, 277 Crider Lane, Woodstock, Va., 22664.