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Ask, don't tell: the missionary aid model is the wrong way to help Haitians Ask, don't tell: the missionary aid model is the wrong way to help Haitians
(4 months later)
"Haiti is not what you see on CNN." That was one of the first things Haitian entrepreneur Claudel Dumas told me when I visited the country in April. He was right. Yes, Haiti is extremely poor, and infrastructure is sorely lacking. The government is inefficient, and the nation is speckled with visitors there to "help", like missionaries and NGO workers. What's missing from the story, though, are the many Haitians working to improve their country, and who say they would be much better served by collaboration, rather than aid coming from the top down."Haiti is not what you see on CNN." That was one of the first things Haitian entrepreneur Claudel Dumas told me when I visited the country in April. He was right. Yes, Haiti is extremely poor, and infrastructure is sorely lacking. The government is inefficient, and the nation is speckled with visitors there to "help", like missionaries and NGO workers. What's missing from the story, though, are the many Haitians working to improve their country, and who say they would be much better served by collaboration, rather than aid coming from the top down.
Many NGOs do fantastic, necessary work, and there's no doubt that most individuals who dedicate their lives to development work are well-intentioned and good at their jobs. But development aid too often comes with a particular power dynamic in which aid-givers set the agendas and the recipients are expected to be grateful. Genuine community investment can be rare in the poorest of countries, making aid a source of resentment.Many NGOs do fantastic, necessary work, and there's no doubt that most individuals who dedicate their lives to development work are well-intentioned and good at their jobs. But development aid too often comes with a particular power dynamic in which aid-givers set the agendas and the recipients are expected to be grateful. Genuine community investment can be rare in the poorest of countries, making aid a source of resentment.
A lack of community involvement also means that while pressing needs are met, long-term needs aren't recognized, and don't receive the same attention or investment. I was in Haiti with a local chapter of the Junior Chamber International (JCI) to see first-hand the work they're doing to raise funds and eventually build a community center in Delmas. They hope it will be a place for young people to take skill-building workshops, research online, and play sports. Nothing else like it exists in the area, and JCI members stressed that the center would be a community effort, giving young people proactive things to do and a deeper feeling for their city.A lack of community involvement also means that while pressing needs are met, long-term needs aren't recognized, and don't receive the same attention or investment. I was in Haiti with a local chapter of the Junior Chamber International (JCI) to see first-hand the work they're doing to raise funds and eventually build a community center in Delmas. They hope it will be a place for young people to take skill-building workshops, research online, and play sports. Nothing else like it exists in the area, and JCI members stressed that the center would be a community effort, giving young people proactive things to do and a deeper feeling for their city.
A center like this one isn't at the top of any local agendas; without deep community ties and mutual trust between organizers and normal citizens, NGOs don't know what people in the community actually believe serves them best. In a place like Haiti, there are plainly urgent needs – clean water, sanitation and medical care – and while these are clearly a first priority, the systemic problems that perpetuate those needs are not being thoroughly addressed.A center like this one isn't at the top of any local agendas; without deep community ties and mutual trust between organizers and normal citizens, NGOs don't know what people in the community actually believe serves them best. In a place like Haiti, there are plainly urgent needs – clean water, sanitation and medical care – and while these are clearly a first priority, the systemic problems that perpetuate those needs are not being thoroughly addressed.
No rational person would suggest that these groups shouldn't help deliver safe drinking water to people who don't have consistent access to it. But help a generation of enterprising and creative men and women who also believe their efforts will be rewarded? That fosters a society in which the people with the most reason to care will be the ones who implement new solutions, and who make sure clean water is widely accessible. No rational person would suggest that these groups shouldn't help deliver safe drinking water to people who don't have consistent access to it. But help a generation of enterprising and creative men and women who also believe their efforts will be rewarded? That fosters a society in which the people with the most reason to care will be the ones who implement new solutions, and who make sure clean water is widely accessible. 
That takes support for local initiatives, particularly for young people. Many of the Haitians I spoke to expressed the hope that the younger generation will reform the country, but emphasized that it will take major investments in youth and education. That takes support for local initiatives, particularly for young people. Many of the Haitians I spoke to expressed the hope that the younger generation will reform the country, but emphasized that it will take major investments in youth and education. 
"In addition to teaching them to read and to write and to count, [young people] also need to learn to be self-sufficient and have good self-esteem," said Valencia Petion, a member of JCI Haiti and one of the founders of JCI Women. "We have to trust ourselves first. Lots of people have been told they are nothing. We must teach them to believe in themselves.""In addition to teaching them to read and to write and to count, [young people] also need to learn to be self-sufficient and have good self-esteem," said Valencia Petion, a member of JCI Haiti and one of the founders of JCI Women. "We have to trust ourselves first. Lots of people have been told they are nothing. We must teach them to believe in themselves."
It's tough to believe in yourself when opportunities are limited, and when your efforts to advocate are stymied by inefficiency or by a missionary culture that stipulates outsiders be the ones who determine what's necessary. It's tough to believe in yourself when opportunities are limited, and when your efforts to advocate are stymied by inefficiency or by a missionary culture that stipulates outsiders be the ones who determine what's necessary. 
Haiti is teeming with aid organizations, religious and secular, with many missionaries and NGOs. And while the nation is very religious, public opinion on these groups seems divided and complicated. What is clear is that missionary work has a long history of condescending, colonialist attitudes and of wrecking cultures. Development work is very different, but some organizations fall into too familiar patterns. Haiti is teeming with aid organizations, religious and secular, with many missionaries and NGOs. And while the nation is very religious, public opinion on these groups seems divided and complicated. What is clear is that missionary work has a long history of condescending, colonialist attitudes and of wrecking cultures. Development work is very different, but some organizations fall into too familiar patterns. 
There are a great many NGOs that do things right: they engage with the community, employ people from the countries they work in, and fit their agendas to what locals want. Even in a small country like Haiti, what's needed in one area of Port-au-Prince is going to differ from what people a few miles down the coast require. The most efficient ways to deliver those necessities will vary, depending on how people are accustomed to getting goods and information; that intimate local and cultural knowledge is held primarily by the people who live there. Some NGOs realize that, and operate effectively.There are a great many NGOs that do things right: they engage with the community, employ people from the countries they work in, and fit their agendas to what locals want. Even in a small country like Haiti, what's needed in one area of Port-au-Prince is going to differ from what people a few miles down the coast require. The most efficient ways to deliver those necessities will vary, depending on how people are accustomed to getting goods and information; that intimate local and cultural knowledge is held primarily by the people who live there. Some NGOs realize that, and operate effectively.
But since others don't, NGOs and development organizations have a bad reputation in Haiti. The missionary model for development simply doesn't work.But since others don't, NGOs and development organizations have a bad reputation in Haiti. The missionary model for development simply doesn't work.
Helping our fellow human beings is valuable and admirable, but real help is collaborative and mutual. That's what Haiti needs. Helping our fellow human beings is valuable and admirable, but real help is collaborative and mutual. That's what Haiti needs. 
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