Job Corps Created in Afghanistan and now Iraq - Why not Haiti?By Bryan Schaaf on Friday, December 7, 2007.
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Nobody got rich but it allowed families to make ends meet, improved infrastructure and preserved the environment. At that point in time, we had decimated most of our forests. The CCC was responsible for planting three billion trees from 1933 to 1942. When the economy (read: private sector) became stronger, the CCC was no longer necessary. For a time though it provided invaluable assistance to American families. It was not charity - people worked hard but were able to support their families and give something back to their country. That is key.
It worked for us and has worked elsewhere. The United States government financed the creation of a Job Corps in Afghanistan. According to this linked article in the Washington Post, we will also finance one in Iraq. The Iraq program is different in that it will be not be open to everyone - it will be targeted to tens of thousands of unemployed (and often armed) Sunnis. One wonders how unemployed Shiites will take this.
Haiti continues to go through its own Great Depression. Even if security becomes a non issue, it will be quite some time before foreign direct investment picks itself up in Haiti. Tourism on a larger scale is a ways off yet, if it does happen. Infrastructure will be necessary for either. Internally, I tend to think agriculture is the only solution though - the country must be able to feed itself.
Some people talk about the restoration of the Haitian military. That makes me cringe. The country woudl be better served by a nationwide network of highly visible volunteers that allows them to make a living and improve the country's infrastructure and preserve the environment. Considering the recurrence of natural disasters like flooding, I highly doubt you can do one without the other. Work in these two areas may open the door for other sectors later on - sectors which may not seem viable now.
Who finances the program? The U.S. government may be reluctant to take on this undertaken by itself. I would suggest the U.S co-finance a pilot initiative, perhaps with France - after all, our two countries are responsable for much of what has happened to the country. The Haitian government should co-manage the program (with intense oversight). As time goes on, the government can take more and more of the management and financial responsibilities for the program.
Sometimes I feel like we might sound like a broken record, but advocacy requires that sometimes. If you feel that a program like this is worth exploring, at least on a pilot school, let's discuss it further. We could suggest this idea to government officials, both American and Haitian. It would take some time to set into place, but with the proper management, it could work - and it would allow Haitians to support their families, communities, and country at the same time. The U.S needed it then, and Haiti needs it now.
Welcome your thoughts.
Bryan |
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I planing soon some tours to this countris. Anyway thanks for the great article.
Job Corps
I live in Hong Kong and recently my colleague and I just returned from a 12 day visit to Port Au Prince, Haiti ("PAP"). We stayed at La Villa Creole Hotel but we walked the streets of Haiti without an escort of any sort. I was born in Jacmel, Haiti but raised in the USA. My travelling colleague is a Chinese, Singaporean and despite our challenges in speaking Creole and French, we did not feel threatened at no time during our many unescorted excursions throughout the rural and urban streets of PAP.
The concerns about security is over-exaggerated and is a false and frivulous pretext for not bring the Job Corps to Haiti. Haitians are peaceful people with a genuine sense of hope for a better tomorrow. The Job Corps will be successful in Haiti and will not be met with resistance or violence.
Haitians use the term "Lavalas" as an expression to describe a person who is beyond greedy. A Haitian will tell you that "Pigs get fat, while hogs get slaughtered." Now to appreciate this expression it is important to understand the difference between a pig and a hog from the Haitians' perspective. A pig is an animal that is considered to be greedy and
will eat anything it sees. It is not an uncommon site in Haiti to see a group pigs eating together. However, a "hog" from a Haitian expression is the largest pig who does not believe in sharing and will eat all the food at the table while all the other little pigs around him are starving. Hogs engage in the act of being "hoggish" by hoarding all the food for themselves. In Haiti being a greedy pig is OK, but being "hoggish" is bad and "hoggishness" can get you killed. Hence, the expression "Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered."
I shared this little colloquy with you because the introduction of the Job Corps to Haiti will not be viewed by Haitians as an act of a Lavalas. No one will be slaughtered for bringing jobs to a country which needs just that "JOBS". Keep in mind that Haitians are not prone to violence, despite the horrific conditions that plague them on a daily basis. In comparison to other races and groups of people, Haitians are very strong in spirit and possess a very high tolerance to the blight of their economic plight. My biggest fear is that their spirit may dissipate and their tolerance may whither away if something positive is not done to let them know that they are not alone and that the USA does care enough about them to at least try and implement the Job Corps.
The introduction of the Job Corps to Haiti may be one of the best things that the US Government can do to rehabilitate the negative resentment that many Haitians have about the so called "Voodoo Politics" that has purportedly been perpetrated by our government against Haiti.
The Job Corps can be successfully implemented and carried out in Haiti, if the US Government is truly sincere about seriously helping Haiti.
Access to Non-Secure Areas
Most of Haiti is rural, and I think it would be only fair that such a program would be present nationwide with a rural focus. However, I agree with you that without stability in Port au Prince, there will not be stability nationwide. My understanding is that access has improved in Cite Soleil considerably and that MINUSTAH, ICRC, and a number of NGOs have put in place livelihoods programs. Police are now able to go into Cite Solei and diplomats (with security escorts) have been making visits with government counterparts as well. Will rhis last forervee? Not unless security and opportunities continue to improve. I hate to think this moment will be waster. Having access to jobs would go a long way.
There is no doubt that a
There is no doubt that a Job Corps would be beneficial to Haiti, but due to the insecurity how will such organizations be able to serve the Haitian population as a whole? Moun nan kote riral yo ap soufri se vre but what of the people that inhabit the streets of Cite Soleil, and Martissant? No help would be likely to reach them because of the violence that plagues the streets. While the Job Corps in America was able to lend a hand to the entire nation, a Job Corps in Haiti would not, because an organization needs security to function properly. The people in the rural areas (who are the most accessible) will get the aid they need while those in the slums of Port au Prince would get nothing. The violence scourging the city stems from those places and unemployment is one of the reasons why. These people need jobs so that they do not have to resort to lethal means to get the basic needs for their families. Imagine the difference it would make for them! It is a pity that the poor of Bel Air would continue to be underserved because no Job Corps would be able to reach them.
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