Haiti and Dissociative Amnesia

Haiti, my dreams are still filled with your suffering. Did I come away from being of service in Haiti irreparably scarred, with images permanently burned in my memory? When I speak of your continued suffering why do the eyes of others glaze over?

Today, Haiti is lost to a never-ending cycle of unkept promises, continued suffering and the psychological process of dissociative amnesia. We as a society are unable to hold the reality of the continued crisis in our collective consciousness. We have done our part, responded when the world identified Haiti as a priority, pledged our efforts and funds to relieve this perfect storm of human misery, and moved on.

While this dissociative process has allowed me focus on other interests, my religious community and the continuing disaster in the Gulf, for example, it is also a process that leaves the people of Haiti alone in their efforts to recover.

Other forces that have combined to stall the effort to rebuild Haiti include political posturing by politicians, endemic corruption and a lack of logistical infrastructure. Hundreds of millions of dollars are on hold with little hope of resolution in the near future.

Even worse, the small effective NGO’s that our Pagan community has supported have experienced severe reductions in contributions. While we may not be able to clear the logjam of international aid, our attention has also turned from those organizations that are doing an outstanding job.

This week 100% for Haiti completed construction of a school in Haiti. Due to funding limitations this school consists of plywood, a tin roof and a dirt floor. Today this organization is finding it difficult to supply chairs for the children due to reduced donations.

Among other projects, Haiti Community Support has established a permanent medical clinic which is providing free healthcare, yet the organization struggles with obtaining funding for the most basic of medical and dental supplies.

Two organizations doing great work, which our community has supported, are facing a humanitarian crisis with limited resources. In addition to the challenges in funding, these organizations also deal with obstacles in government regulation and establishing effective logistical support in a third world country.

With a background in disaster logistics, it is my intent to expand my abilities to address these issues. Logistics on the international stage present challenges that I will need new skills to meet.

Recently, I was honored to be invited to the International General Assembly of the Humanitarian Logistics Association in Nairobi Kenya. Attending this conference is an opportunity to learn how effective humanitarian organizations are operating, to interact with logisticians who have extensive experience providing relief in third world countries and to develop my skills in support of our efforts in Haiti.

With the generous help of a donor, I am able to attend this General Assembly in November. It is my intent to take the skills and connections I make at this event and offer them in support of the small NGO’s that have enjoyed the support of our community.

Bringing a more complex understanding of logistical issues and solutions to the table will set the stage for the continued growth of our efforts. This focus on developing my skills is a direct result of how personal this issue is for me. Millions have shed tears for Haiti, but the time has come to focus all the emotional energy on direct and rational action that can make a difference.

Whether you can afford to donate your time for direct action, or are able to provide financial support, I urge you to reestablish your commitment to the relief efforts in Haiti. We know who is providing effective relief to the people of Haiti and they deserve our assistance. Lives are being saved and children educated for a brighter future.

We were all traumatized by the images of Haiti after the earthquake, however our human tendency towards dissociative amnesia threatens to obscure and wash away all the progress we have made. This Samhain, as we remember 250,000 lives lost in Haiti, let us turn our attention back to the continuing crisis, make a commitment to support these causes long term and join together to make a lasting difference in Haiti.

Peter Dybing

http://www.100percent4haiti.org/

http://www.haitisupport.org/

http://www.humanitarianlogistics.org/