Monday, March 17, 2008
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Bad and more bad news
I heard from the facilitator and things are a horrible mess in Haiti thanks in large part to UNICEF. Haiti has some of the worst human rights violations around, forced prostitution, slavery, child labor, you name it. Unicef went down there to put some pressure on them and complain about how many children have to get adopted out because Haiti won't take care of them. In response to Unicef Haiti has slowed adoptions down too a snails crawl to give the appearance of doing something about all the children in need. Unfortunately, they don't have anything set up to help these poor people or the children, so the innocent are suffering while bureaucrats try to set up aide. Maddening, maddening, maddening!!!! The president of Haiti released many files but the chief prosecutor is refusing to sign off on any of the dossiers that are stuck in parquet. There are some lawyers down there right now trying to resolve the stuff with Unicef and the chief prosecutor. I really don't understand what is happening with Unicef or what I just explained but that is the gist of it.
In other bad news, I have to now pay $500 for Dania's care. Not that I mind supporting her but you never know for sure what is happening to your money. Some O's charge $300 a month once you have chosen a child. This is supposed to be a one time fee of $500 for me. Some O's are in dire straits limiting meals to twice a day and receiving little medical attention. The orphanages are solely sponsored by adoptive parents or through the humanitarian aid groups that work for Haiti. I initially paid a $3,000 donation to the orphanage after I choose Dania to help with upkeep, school supplies, water, food , and medical care for the entire orphanage. Since adoptions are barely moving, the same kids are stuck there while new ones can not be accepted to get adopted out. So the O is not making any money. The facility is designed to house 100 children but right now there are 150 because it is so difficult to turn away a needy child to die on the streets. They said right now it is pointless to try and do anything, I should wait to see how the lawyers fare, and then will be directed to contact state officials and such to put pressure on Haiti and Unicef.
How am I doing? Believe it or not, I am taking this in stride. I've deeply sighed a couple of times this afternoon, and I feel heavy, but there has been no wailing or gnashing of teeth. I am starting to get realllly angry at these officials, not because of what they are doing to me and my little girl but for all those parents and children that are being turned away and receiving no assistance.
I leave you with this grim picture of the condition of Haiti. I borrowed this off a women who blogs and works to change things for Haiti's children.
The Haitian legal system is not available to protect the victims because only people with financial resources can afford justice. In Haiti, about 10 percent of the population holds 90 percent of the wealth. Consequently, the economically powerless, especially women and children, suffer unspeakable abuses and do not have access to the protection of law. Many of the tiniest victims of this abuse end up in one of the morgues located in the capital city of Port-au-Prince. The morgue I saw resembles a toy store with what looks like hundreds of toy dolls on storage shelves in a large dark room. However, they are not dolls but dead babies and children who are stacked on top of one another on shelves that reach all the way to the ceiling. Nobody seems to cry for these dead children, nobody asks how or why they died. Nobody comes to claim their bodies.Many of the dead babies were born to the girls and women who have been forced into prostitution for various reasons, and as a result many unwanted babies are born. Babies end up in garbage piles on the side of the road, inside of sewer drains or in the river drowned. Some of the babies are born out of liaisons between the prostitutes and U.N. peacekeeping troops.
In other bad news, I have to now pay $500 for Dania's care. Not that I mind supporting her but you never know for sure what is happening to your money. Some O's charge $300 a month once you have chosen a child. This is supposed to be a one time fee of $500 for me. Some O's are in dire straits limiting meals to twice a day and receiving little medical attention. The orphanages are solely sponsored by adoptive parents or through the humanitarian aid groups that work for Haiti. I initially paid a $3,000 donation to the orphanage after I choose Dania to help with upkeep, school supplies, water, food , and medical care for the entire orphanage. Since adoptions are barely moving, the same kids are stuck there while new ones can not be accepted to get adopted out. So the O is not making any money. The facility is designed to house 100 children but right now there are 150 because it is so difficult to turn away a needy child to die on the streets. They said right now it is pointless to try and do anything, I should wait to see how the lawyers fare, and then will be directed to contact state officials and such to put pressure on Haiti and Unicef.
How am I doing? Believe it or not, I am taking this in stride. I've deeply sighed a couple of times this afternoon, and I feel heavy, but there has been no wailing or gnashing of teeth. I am starting to get realllly angry at these officials, not because of what they are doing to me and my little girl but for all those parents and children that are being turned away and receiving no assistance.
I leave you with this grim picture of the condition of Haiti. I borrowed this off a women who blogs and works to change things for Haiti's children.
The Haitian legal system is not available to protect the victims because only people with financial resources can afford justice. In Haiti, about 10 percent of the population holds 90 percent of the wealth. Consequently, the economically powerless, especially women and children, suffer unspeakable abuses and do not have access to the protection of law. Many of the tiniest victims of this abuse end up in one of the morgues located in the capital city of Port-au-Prince. The morgue I saw resembles a toy store with what looks like hundreds of toy dolls on storage shelves in a large dark room. However, they are not dolls but dead babies and children who are stacked on top of one another on shelves that reach all the way to the ceiling. Nobody seems to cry for these dead children, nobody asks how or why they died. Nobody comes to claim their bodies.Many of the dead babies were born to the girls and women who have been forced into prostitution for various reasons, and as a result many unwanted babies are born. Babies end up in garbage piles on the side of the road, inside of sewer drains or in the river drowned. Some of the babies are born out of liaisons between the prostitutes and U.N. peacekeeping troops.
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