How’s that for a compelling headline? I went back and forth over putting this book here in the blog, as so much in it is extremely unpleasant, depressing, and . . . maddening. The subtitle also seems to imply that Christian missions are going to be a main target of its criticism, but that isn’t the case. Secular NGO’s come in for much of the blame heaped upon attempts to help Haiti. (An “NGO” is a “non-governmental organization,” a term of astonishing flexibility and scope.)The book opens with a gruesome scene: five Haitian peasant men are murdered by a mob because they are supposedly communists. In reality the men, and hundreds more like them, are actually members of a charitable cooperative advocating land reform. The violence drives out their organization and others like it, but soon new projects come back. Schwartz comes to Haiti also and stays for a decade, doing research for his doctorate and then working for various relief organizations himself. You’d think that his tenure there must have been post-earthquake, but no. The book ends well before then, around 2005.
Schwartz is interviewed extensively in the film I reviewed recently, Poverty, Inc. The message of his book is twofold and is the same as the film:
1. All people, rich or poor, deserve dignity and respect.
2. All people, rich or poor, abuse power.
That pretty well sums up the human condition! Schwartz takes these two ideas and applies them to Haiti. You can’t fault his knowledge, as he lived in a village and a town, usually staying with a Haitian family, traveled extensively on the island, and worked (or tried to work) with a number of nonprofits/ NGO’s/missions. Ultimately he is completely disillusioned; I have so far failed to find out what he’s up to these days.
I will add two observations of my own, ideas that have become clear to me over the past few years:
1. Writing a check is a painless way to feel good about yourself.
2. Real involvement in people’s lives is difficult, uncomfortable, time-consuming, and worthwhile.
I would recommend this book to anyone who contemplates participating in any charitable organization of any kind in any way. Once you’ve gotten your eyes firmly and (I hope) permanently opened, then you can make good decisions about how you spend your money and your time.
Well meaning donors + self serving organizations + lack of understanding of the problem = astoundingly destructive effects on Haiti.