Help! Doing work In Haiti. Haiti's culture is like it was here in the early 1900s. We are trying to teach them the very basics. Basically all the tools they have are picks and shovels. A lot of people carry their water from as far as a mile or more. They have donkeys, horses, sheep, chickens, turkeys, guineas, pigs, and oodles of goats. Does anyone have old books they could donate that we could use to translate into Creole? We want to teach them how to raise their own food. There is no refrigeration. I am also interested in any historial books about Haiti. Thank you for your help. God bless you.

-- Al (mastclan@juno.com), March 09, 2002

Answers

Tell us a bit more about what you are doing and where you are. I am wondering if you have actually been there?? I found that I learned from the Haitians about subsistance existance and how to scratch food from soil that was almost non-existent. I think your project is most likely quite admirable, but I am afraid that the people you are targeting would not be able to read.

There are only a couple of books written and translated into English about the history of Haiti. It was a lovely island that was colonized by the French to grow coffee etc. and the indigenous population was pretty much exterminated except in the far mountain regions. The first escaping slaves have intermarried with what was left of the "indians" and that is all that is left on the island, beside a few light skinned ruling class that were the product of owners impregnating some slaves.

At any rate, children who are fortunate enough to attend school in Haiti are taught to read French. Creole is a "spoken" language and translating books into that language would be rather a wasted work IMHO. The dictionaries that you have that are "Creole" were written for the most part to benefit the many missionaries and healthcare workers who try to help there and I was frequently laughed at by the Haitian children for the inadequacies of the dictionaries (all very good natured I might add)

Best of luck to you in your "work" for Haiti. I really would be interested in hearing more of what you are doing and what organization you are affiliated with. blessings.......diane

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), March 09, 2002.

Hello Al,

The Haitians that I know speak Creole but, understand French. Would it not be better to get books in French? I am sure there is a much wider variety of them available than in Creole.

I know that the Haitians are very industrialist and hard working, or at least the ones that I have personally worked with were. Once they are taught how to do something, they never forget it and always do it well.

I wish you the best on this endeavor and hope that the country can some day become self-dependant as it originally was after its victory from France.

Sincerely,

Ernest

-- http://communities.msn.com/livingoffthelandintheozarks (espresso42@hotmail.com), March 09, 2002.

I will suggest a book for you. It is called save three lifes and it is by Robert Rodale. It discusses the problems in africa and offered good solutions. One thing they found was that when the people were given new stoves they started to have a bad problem with bugs, seems the smoke from the fires kept the bugs away.

-- kathy h (ckhart55@earthlink.net), March 09, 2002.

Excellent recommendation, Kathy. That is one of my favorite books and I wish that everyone who wants to "help" a third world country would read it.

-- Elizabeth (ekfla@aol.com), March 09, 2002.

Thanks for all the answers. Yes, I have been there. In fact I was just there a month ago. We bumped to the northwest. I am involved with a humanitarian relief agency. We feed around 10,000 school children a day. We also send food boxes for the extremely poor people. These boxes go mainly to the widows. We also work with a very fine young man who is a missionary. He has chosen to live with the Haitians, making their culture his culture. We do quite a bit of translation. We have a fine group of translators.Our organization subsidizes school teachers and books. We want to teach them to read their way out of poverty and a superstitous lifestyle. Voodooism is keeping them ignorant and in fear. One big project we have is agriculture. God bless you for all the answers.

-- Al (mastclan@juno.com), March 10, 2002.

Just got back from Haiti on the 5th of Febuary. Actually spent 18months a couple years ago. You are right about the french but in a small town most people only know Creole. We incountered a few who would speak french. It is very hard to try and teach them how to grow food were we were station one year there was to much rain and the next year was a drought. One of the Haitians had planted peanuts on the hill and the rains came and wash all down the plants. We help some of the haitian start small commerce. We are looking forward to go back and work with them again. Alfred

-- Alfred Laberge (labfamly@quixnet.net), March 10, 2002.

I don't know if the book I am about to recommend is ALREADY available in Creole, but it is an excellent text on low tech living / businesses / building. The VITA handbook (Volunteers In Technological Assistance) is a book written by experts who have dealt with hard core third world conditions, i.e. Africa. Cost (in English) is about $20.00. This organizations sounds like it is manned by Peace Corp type personnel. Their website is www.vita.org . These people could probably give you plenty of advice; they have free technological manuals that can be printed out for your use. I hope this helps you.

-- j.r. guerra in s. tx. (jrguerra@boultinghousesimpson.com), March 11, 2002.

I've never been to Haiti or Cuba--but I found these interesting organic food articles about CUBA:

http://www.pathtofreedom.com/cubagreenrevolution_ie.htm

I thought it was very interesting how sustainable agriculture was being used in a very poor country where buying pesticides and fertilizer are not an option.

Hope this helps...

-- Ann Markson (tngreenacres@hotmail.com), March 21, 2002.