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HAITIAN EARTHQUAKE RECOVERY

I was not prepared for what I saw today. I have seen poverty before on television - mostly on special programs that ask views to adopt a child from a third world country.  Something inside me stirred as I watched these pictures, but after the television was turned off, these emotions faded away.  Today I came to the full realization of how abstract television is; I only wish I had the capability to accurately put my thoughts and feelings on paper so that this letter might be more effective than television.

Ketly Pierre, with whom I am staying, asked me if I would accompany her and her friend as they visited the bateys.   The first mention of the word batey had no impact on me for I had never heard it uttered before.  From now on this word will be accompanied with strong emotions.

 The bateys are small villages which are located among the sugarcane fields.  They house the families of the men who cut sugarcane for a living.  Ketly informed me that these people, all of whom are Haitian, are the most oppressed and taken-advantage-of in the Dominican Republic.  I had no comprehension of what she meant until I actually saw a batey.

After driving through seemingly endless fields of sugarcane, we arrived at the first of two bateys we would be visiting today.  The ‘houses’ were 10 by 15 foot shacks constructed of wood and roofed with rusty scraps of tin.  There is no electricity or running water; there is usually a shower and water faucet which are shared by all.  A fire pit outside each house serves as a kitchen.  The doors are either cloth or a crude construction of wood and scraps of tin.  Gaping holes serve as windows.  In most bateys the houses are not owned by the families that live in them but by the company that takes advantage of these people.

The men are paid about US$2.50 for every ton of sugar they cut.  A grown man working hard can cut from one to two tons in a twelve-hour day.  The harvest lasts for six months.  Only a few of the fortunate men are able to find work during the rest of the year.  They are expected to support their families on less than US$5.00 per day.  With this money the people can afford only to survive.  The food must be bought at the over-priced batey stores because the trip to into town would be just as expensive.  But at least the ‘housing’ is free.

There are children everywhere; most of the youngest wear nothing.  Some have only a tattered shirt, while almost nobody wears shoes.  The only medical treatment they receive is what is brought to them unless they have a relative in the city who is able to help them.

Our task was to continue tracking the weight of the smallest children and provide whatever services our meager medical supplies could offer.  This program is called Fuente de Vida (Fountain of Life).  The needs of the people are endless, while the resources to meet them are difficult to find.

One woman brought her child who had been ill for quite some time.  His little stomach was bloated, and he was running a high fever.  A round trip to the hospital would cost about 60 pesos or about US$4.00 - a large sum of money for them but only a video rental for us.  The woman had left the city of LaRomana to live on the batey with a man who is not her husband and who has abused her.  She had left against the wishes of her mother.  She had no money and no place to go.  She thought she had no choice but to watch her little boy die.

My heart cried out, and I desperately wanted to help in some way.  I wanted to do so many things that were out of my power.  I wanted to help this child and give him a home, an education and a father; I wanted to comfort the mother and give her a job, security, and a loving husband; I wanted revenge on whoever was responsible for the conditions these people were living in.  All I could do was give her 300 pesos.  Three hundred pesos, but at least a chance.

We talked this mother into returning to her mother in LaRomana.  She packed her belongings, which filled two grocery bags, and we took her to the city.  Her mother graciously allowed her to come back home.  The 300 pesos will provide enough time for her to find a job in one of the many factories that surround the city.  All of this was accomplished with about $25.00.

One precious little life was given another chance to survive, but I am not satisfied.  I will not be able to return to the United States and continue life as usual.  We ,as Christians, cannot stop at just one life.  Every time I go to buy a pair of shoes, I will ask myself, “Do you want the shoes or another life?”

This letter was written by Peter Beckendam following his three week visit to the LaRomana region where he traveled to several bateys with Ketly Pierre, an American Baptist Missionary.