(C) Daily Kos

(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .

When Help results in Harm [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2025-04-17

I clearly recall the first time I realized helping was not always helpful.

There was a movement in the US about the cheap labor in Haiti, some well meaning group had decided to take up the cause of Haitian workers and set up a boycott of the companies that had factories in Haiti. It was a great boycott, it worked, the factories closed for the most part, they left behind thousands of workers without a job now tossed back into misery. Then the boycotters and organizers, pated themselves on the back and never looked back to see the utter devastation they left behind. For in Haiti one person working often supports 10 or more people.

Haiti has had over 30 years of AID from all the international community, 30 years and each year things get worse in Haiti. Haitians are not Americans or French or Canadians, your ways do not work here. You built schools (we have thousands of schools) you don’t form teachers. You build hospitals that stand empty of equipment or staff. You have programs to stem reproduction, programs to empower women… but you never understood Haitians. Did you know that most businesses in Haiti are run by women? Do you know women are called the pilar of the house? You see what you want to see, you don’t look beneath the surface.

I wasn’t planning on talking so much about Haiti, this was rather on how what you perceive as helping someone can be destructive causing more harm then if you’d left things alone. Take Gaza, to bring things closer to home, actions by well-meaning people (yes I know some were not well meaning but that’s not what I’m tokay about now), have left Gaza worse off today then it was before and would have been under Harris. All under the guise of helping. One famous presidential couple destroyed Haiti’s agricultural sector with their help.

Before you try to help, it is best to analyze the fall out from your help first. It’s best to really understand the workings of a country and its mindset before you get involved. It’s better to listen to the voices on the ground rather than those on the web or tv. And before anything ask your intended helpee what they need, like or would prefer.

In my 20’s I used every bonus I got to buy Christmas gifts for street children in Haiti, just me no organizations (some friends joined after a few years), but one Christmas I didn’t have time to buy the gifts (illness) so I distributed money, a couple of weeks or so later, a group of kids approached me… Miss Muriel, we know you meant well, but next time we’d rather wait for the gifts because when we get money we give it to the family, but the toys are for us… it was simple and reasonable but it had never crossed my mind.

Also, a 100$ given directly to someone in need has 100 times more impact than 1000$ given to big charities who must first cover overhead fees before they can help. So choose how you help wisely. People have a tendency to look down on those of us who do direct aid not realizing direct aid does way more to help than big charities.

Just my musings this afternoon, as a morning conversation brought a lot of memories back.

#Writing #Poetry #BlackPoetry #BlackHistory #SocialPoetry #BlackKos

#TheAmericanHaitianPoet ©All Rights Reserved

*Disclaimer what I write is published on all my platforms, when I say you, believe me I don’t mean you whoever might be reading this, when I say white people I don’t mean all white people, when I say I, I still don’t mean you, when I say certain people I don’t mean all, this disclaimer will be updated to include all future ridiculous complaints*

paypal.me/murielvieux to help Haitians families 10$ x donors can go a long way.

#ThePoet - Muriel Vieux – April 17th, 2025, ©All rights reserved

[END]
---
[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/4/17/2317059/-When-Help-results-in-Harm?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web

Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.

via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/