Daniel Jean-Louis and Jacqueline Klamer:
And thousands of Haitians lost their jobs.
In the weeks following, local corner store pharmacies couldn’t compete with the donated pain relievers, hydrogen peroxides, and vitamins imported and distributed by international non-profit organizations. Many shops that usually have a consistent client-base were wiped out. Other small businesses, including corner stores that filter water in 5-gallon buckets, couldn’t compete against free water distributed throughout the temporary tent camps and houses intact.
Yet, it wasn’t just the corner stores that were impacted by the influx of free donated products. It was also the Haitian hospitals and Haitian doctors, nurses and therapists. Months later, when non-profit organizations argued that the Haitian clinics needed to continue providing their services for free (even though patients were no longer coming in for emergency care, but rather normal annual check-ups or a mild sore throat), many doctor’s offices and even hospitals went out of business.
People around the world chose to help Haiti through aid. But these efforts produced many unintended consequences that hurt Haitians.
It’s important to note here that we are not aid-bashers. Aid is not a problem in itself. In fact, Christians are called in Scripture to care for their neighbor, the weak, the widow and orphan. The issue is the way current aid models are practiced in Haiti’s market-based economy. After all, sometimes the widow and orphan own a business.
via Feature Article: Sometimes the Widow and the Orphan Own a Business | Eden’s Bridge.
Related posts:
- 100,000 Jobs in Haiti Launching this month: New momentum toward job creation began this past March when Partners Worldwide brought Haitian businesses and international...
- Buy Haitian, Restore Haiti — One-day event on March 25 connecting NGO Decision-Makers w/ Haitian Business Owners Buying from local Haitian businesses strengthens the economy by providing jobs for Haitians. But a March 3 article in the...
- 100,000 Jobs in Haiti via the 100kJobsHaiti.org web site: Vision Create 100,000 new jobs in Haiti by January 12, 2020 10 years after the...