Learning More About Haiti

For some reason I totally forgot to mention it, but every afternoon, weather permitting, the Moynihan family, some students, volunteers, and neighborhood men, play basketball on one of the school’s courts. Yesterday was the first day I was able to play, and I had a blast – although being out of shape made it a bit of a challenge. I wouldn’t say that my basketball skills would make my dad and the rest of my CYO team proud, but I definitely held my own on the court.

After exhausting myself on the basketball court, I has a good night sleep last night. As I was warned, my anti-malaria pills have caused me to have some vivid dreams, however they are not nightmares so I am able to sleep through the night. I have a feeling that after I get adjusted to the pills that I will not be as affected by these dreams.

My research is starting to come along after today. This morning I spent a great deal of time researching the real GDP of Haiti and looking into the role of foreign aid in this number. It is the hope that once I can find a GDP that reflects the actual production of Haiti that I can then determine the percentage of money that is spent on cell phones and telecommunications. It will be interesting to see how much of a Haitian’s income is spent on these devices, especially considering the degree of poverty that exists within this country.

After lunch, I went off-campus with Deacon Moynihan and two staff members to visit friends of Deacon Moynihan with businesses in the city of Port-au-Prince. Not only did I get to see a factory where people were working building small electrical parts, but I also was able to speak with the businessmen about my project. It is the hope that in the next few weeks that I will return to these businesses and speak with their employees about their own cell phone habits, as well as their personal financing. By talking to these men today, I learned that many Haitians do not even own a bank account. As a result, I am hoping that my survey can look into whether or not Haitians are using mobile money and if they are, whether the use of such a tool has led to increased saving or increased spending.

Another great thing about this trip was that I was again able to see the streets of Port-au-Prince. On our way to the businesses, Deacon Moynihan was able to explain to me the informal sector within Haiti. The existence of this informal sector has led to a sense of complacency amongst Haitians, as there is no incentive to get a job within the formal sector, and thus decrease the unemployment rate.

The presence of poverty in Haiti is apparent when driving down the streets near Port-au-Prince. Although it was difficult to witness, I felt a little bit of a sense of relief knowing The Haitian Project and similar organizations with a goal of empowering the people of Haiti exist. The Haitian Project and its Louverture Cleary School truly work in the spirit of the Catholic Church. LCS focuses on the power of education and knowledge in causing changes that will better an entire community. It is the hope of LCS to better train the leaders of Haiti so that they are not only educated about the problems facing the economy, but also so that they possess the leadership and faith necessary to bring about success.

After my great experiences off-campus, I returned to LCS for the regular afternoon schedule. We did have a few thunderstorms here this afternoon, which, although postponing tonight’s dance and choir performances, did allow for the temperature to cool down a little bit. It is still grossly humid here, but my water bottle, fan and cold showers every once in a while are making a world of a difference.