The "sending food" issue is more frustrating because of the great agricultural potential that Haiti has. In a nutshell, Haiti used to produce the majority of its food needs, especially rice. Deforestation and other economic factors have drastically reduced agricultural output here. In addition, the importation of foreign rice, made all the more possible for virtually no tariffs on those imports, means that rice production is nothing compared to what it used to be.
We all, me included, have this idea that we can change Haiti somehow, with our smarts and experience (we wrote a bit about that here) and by sending food and other stuff. But I really believe that real change will happen when Haitians in Haiti are empowered (by education, by access to resources, by a government that facilitates and encourages change and investment, etc). (Our friend Alexis, the MCC Haiti Policy Analyst, does a good job of posing this conundrum in a post about shoes.) It's frustrating and complex - balancing a heartfelt desire to help with and understanding of what really does help and I don't pretend to have the magic bullet. I guess we keep talking about it, keep caring about others, keep seeking motivation to help and keep asking ourselves, and more importantly, those we work with and those who benefit from this "help" about what they want and what works . . .
The debate continues.
