Haiti - Putting On Your Oxygen Mask First

Planning for 2025

How you all doing? Probably not so great - I hear you. I can feel you all staring at the ,ceiling at 3 in the morning trying to figure out how to keep your kids safe. I can feel your frustration, fear for loved ones, anger at the system that keeps these kids under and the fatigue underlying it all. This edition is to share some ideas on what to do now and what to this coming year to keep your sanity and continue your good work.

Besides Haiti , I do climate work and and the election of Trump is s pulling us into restrained panic mode. I’m not going to take time to explain the horrors he brings but to share how we keep going in light of what appears to be imminent disaster. These keep me on the right track and focus my thinking in a useful direction.

There are 2 things that are no-regret actions. No matter what happens they will have been useful and furthered the cause. The first one is to move towards health and strength. Being healthy helps you handle stress and keep going. This is a situation where you need to put your oxygen mask on first - it is not selfish or clueless to take care of your health - it is wisdom. If you are on lifestyle meds - such as anticholesterol or blood pressure medications - make those lifestyle changes that will help you get off the meds. This will not only make you healthier but if there are supply change issues or prices get higher it won’t matter to you. If you are a woman- add strength training to your exercise program. Our muscles weaken precipitously as women age and there is a tendency as we get older to reduce our protein intake which further weakens our muscles. As a climate activist, I have mixed feelings about meat and dairy but that is the most bioavailable protein for our bodies. (yes, life is full of complicated choices.)

The second one is to deepen the relationships you have now and work on making new ones - particularly in your physical community. When disaster hits the first responders are always your neighbors - so get to know them. This applies to Haitian NGOs by connecting with other NGOs either working in the same area as you do in Haiti or based in your state. I have seen NGOs loathe to do this for and fear of competition with other Haiti-focused NGOs. There is concern that you will be competing for the same donor dollars. This is rarely the case. Most Haitian NGOs have a donor base that is local to the area and is relationship-based. There is hardly ever an overlapping donor base (unless you are in Florida and I will address that later). Better to start these relationships when it is calm (relatively) than when disaster strikes. Coming up this year I am looking into setting up a way for subscribers to connect in a private way. I want to keep this a safe place so will not be opening it up to the general public.

Now I'm going to make a bit of a turn but it is germane to the issue at hand. Haiti is a relationship economy - it is preferable to do business with family members or very close friends. This low-trust economy arises out of the state’s inability to enforce the rule of law thus making contract breaches impossible to rectify. You can only trust your family to watch out for you and I see this attitude leaking into NGOs. Only those who share our exact spiritual views are deemed worthy of a relationship. I can see this perhaps making sense in the pulpit back in Ohio but in the chaos that is Haiti you need all capable hands on deck.

It is also very good for the soul to be able to talk over your situation to someone who has a clue as to what you are going through. This is highly encouraged by therapists who treat climate anxiety (yes - it's a real thing ). There is something healing when you can express yourself honestly - not necessarily to get advice - but just to let it out. Founders and Executive Directors really cannot let their hair down with donors, volunteers, missionary boards, or sometimes even the NGO’s board. There is always the need to be “on”, super positive, ever hopeful, and always have a smile when you feel like your hair may be on fire. That person is likely in your same state or next door or is one town over from you in Haiti. Use the database to find them.If you don’t want to use it - send me an email and I will help find you similars in size and location.. (winifred.flint@gmail.com)

So let's quickly talk about Florida - the LearningHaiti database shows about 40 Haitian educational NGOs operating in Florida and I know there are definitely more than that- I am slowly tracking them down. The typical Haitian in Florida will likely know of several Haitian NGOs. They are most likely to donate to those who come from their Haitian hometown or work with those in the same profession - an organization of Haitian teachers for example. Instead of looking for partners in Florida consider partners who share the same Haiti location. Again you can find this in the database. With the wonders of Zoom, you can easily connect with others.

I promise - I’m almost done. So the actions you can take now are to get strong and increase your network - both personally and professionally. Going forward I suggest that you use this “downtime” to build institutional capability AND train folks in the NGO in dealing with traumatized children. Institutional capability means being able to be much more efficient with your precious resources by adding technology, buildings, or staff development. This year I will lay out apps for each area of operations from volunteer management to board portals. These will all be appropriate for small to medium-sized NGOs. You may not be able to access them today but once resources begin rolling in again you will have an excellent idea of where to start

The last thing I want to address is what you are going to find once you return to Haiti - traumatized children and parents. Mothers and girls and even boys have suffered grievous sexual abuse and children have been pressed into brutal gangs to do horrible things. Trauma-informed professionals may be called for in addition to teachers once Haiti opens up. I will address this topic in the future.

I almost forgot. Those of you who know and love Prof Michel Degraff who has done so much for the use of Kreyol in technology education is going through hell up at MIT. If you have his contact info maybe you could reach out with a friendly word.

Wow, this was long. Thanks for your patience. Much love from Chicago.

This newsletter is brought to you by the LearningHaiti ecosystem to help educational NGOs in Haiti share resources. You can contact me at winifred.flint@gmail.com