The
Haitian proverb "beyond mountains, there are always mountains" means that once
you are able to overcome one problem, there will inevitably be another waiting
to be solved.
But
one can't help but wonder how the mountain now facing this nation of 8 million
people - a country so poor it rivals Afghanistan and Somalia - could ever be traversed
It
is indeed a disaster of mountainous proportions, one that a United Nations Food
Program representative last week called "a silent humanitarian crisis."
The
world has either chosen to ignore the sheer vastness of the problem, or simply
is not reacting fast enough. After weeks of covering the killings and rapid dissolve
of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide's government in this tumultuous country that
has witnessed a total of 32 coups d'état in its 200-year history, the international
media are packing their bags and heading to the next big story
Without
the eyes of the world watching, the fear now is Haiti will be erased from the
consciousness of those most able to help.
Long
before Aristide's U.S.-assisted flight into exile this week, the country, by any
standard, was in dire straits.
There
was no infrastructure to speak of, and precious little drinking water, food and
fuel with which to cook. The education and health systems were practically non-existent,
except for the tiny percentage of those with the means to pay.
The
environment has been destroyed, as trees and forests were decimated in the quest
for fire; rivers and lakes were contaminated, and disease was spreading unchecked
from mounting piles of garbage and sewage.
Now,
as competing sides vie to fill the political vacuum in this heavily armed, conflict-ridden
country, the situation is guaranteed to get much, much worse, before, if ever,
the next mountain can be crossed. Guy Gauvreau, a Montrealer working here with
the UN's World Food Program, said even before the crisis, 30 per cent of the population
survived on less than $1 a day, and couldn't afford to buy food. Because Haiti
doesn't have the capacity to produce enough to feed itself, more than half the
food is imported.
"So
now, it's even worse for these people, because food isn't getting in and prices
have increased by about 25 per cent," he said, as the organization delivered sacks
of rice, corn, sugar and oil to the Charities of the Divine Mercy orphanage run
by Quebec priest Raymond Pearson. "The world just doesn't realize the high proportion
of people that are starving here."
.The
75 children in Pearson's orphanage, 17 of whom are babies, suffer from severe
malnutrition and various illnesses after living on a meagre diet of beans and
rice for months. They have no milk, no fresh fruit or vegetables, and with water
and electricity scarce, their clothing is filthy.
And
they just keep coming. For the first time in his 20 years here, Pearson said he
had to turn people away when he was overwhelmed by children directly affected
by the political upheaval.
"Last
week we refused at least a dozen," said Pearson, clearly distraught at his inability
to help all those who need it. "They are either left here because the parents
can no longer feed them, or the parents have been killed in the crisis."
The
international community has been working intensely with a member of Aristide's
former ruling Lavalas party, as well as the opposition, to develop a process that
will lead the country to democratic elections as soon as possible.
Lurking
in the background are heavily-armed supporters of Aristide - fuelled by anger
that the president was alleged to have been removed from the country by force
by the United States and deposited in the Central African Republic.
They
continue to carry out grisly settling-of-account executions.
Some
rebels, led by Guy Philippe, a former police chief who was fired by Aristide in
1994 and who has vowed to get back at the former priest ever since, have remained
in Port-au-Prince.
They
arrived in the capital the day after Aristide's departure last week, making a
victory drive in a convoy of SUVs through the downtown core to the palace, where
Philippe unilaterally declared himself the chief of the reincarnated army.
UNICEF,
the International Committee of the Red Cross, the UN, World Vision and others
that are a constant in such humanitarian disasters are finding it difficult to
get the help to where it is needed most.
The
rules that apply in other countries seem to be non-existent here. People are so
desperately poor, and the armed gangs so strung out on drugs, that medical supplies
and food aid have been looted, and doctors have had guns held to their heads by
young thugs desperate to save one of their own.
While
life on the streets appears on the surface to be back to normal, the population
is holding its breath for the next explosion of violence.
It
is therefore imperative, says a diplomatic source close to the negotiations on
a plan that will lead to elections, that they succeed. There is fear in many circles,
however, that it is already too late.
The
international community hesitantly waded into the fray last fall, examining whether
it was prepared to step in and deal with the simmering crisis.
"The
question was: 'Do we want such a situation?' " the source said, clearly angry
at the lack of action. "And if the answer is no, then act now. If yes, then we
better be prepared to bring in the resources."
