On Caribbean Time

There are no easy ways to convey just how relieved I am to have found work. And not just work, work that I think I’m actually going to enjoy AND in a new location! Really, what more could I ask for? I just landed a grant from CIDA to work with UNICEF Eastern Caribbean office in Barbados as a Monitoring & Evaluation Officer. I couldn’t be more thrilled and am slowly adjusting to my new life on the island.

First, there’s beach everywhere When hot, move closer to the ocean where winds (and the occasional shower) are sure to follow. People are genuinely lovely and although I’m exercising every precaution possible, it doesn’t seem that I’ll need to. They drive on the left, which you’d think would make crossing tough, but no, drivers politely stop traffic to let the random strangler find a way through. There is a lot of rum floating around the island, white, dark and coconut flavored are slowly making me like cocktails again. Vegetables are in short supply due to the  heavy rainy season and imports are pretty expensive, but my dismay at this has been replaced by the vast array of fruits that are sure to join my palate, paw-paw anyone?

As for work, it’s just been a few days, but getting to know the office and the work done here is going to be an uphill climb. I’ll be working with the M&E Specialist who is virtually instrumental in identifying the problems existing on each of the 10 states in the Eastern Caribbean and balancing that with the budgets we have to work with to direct programs and plan for action. I think I’ll have my hands full. The other officers work in Child Protection, dealing with child abuse, corporal punishment, juvenile justice etc and Early Childhood  Development, dealing with advancements in ECE, life skills advancement and HIV/AIDS – I’ll likely have more to say about each of these issues as time progresses and I learn the work more closely.

I’m truly excited to be working with a great group of people, along with my Canadian counterparts working in Communications, ECD and Sport for Development – who incidentally are my roommates! With the help of a German cum-Bajan lady, we were able to find reliable accommodations, in  a nice residential area of town, not too expensive and 10 min walk to the beach! Fruit trees in the back cinched  it for me and off we begin our life in the Caribbean.

Challenges of Development

Would the thought of losing your left hand be enough of a deterrent to not commit a crime? It certainly would be for me! Heck, the thought of a fine or public scrutiny would be enough to keep me at the speed limit! These are the thoughts going through my head when I read about a Nigerian Islamic Court baring a Twitter feed discussing dismemberment for criminal punishment. So not only are the sentences harsh, but the Islamic Court also ruled that discussion of it via Twitter should be silenced – just another sign of a blossoming theocracy!

Sharia law. I think the Iranian’s were the first to instill it during the ’79 Revolution and its institutionalization in several Islamic nations has since been adopted. The intermingling of Islamic tenets and the law dictate the conduct of the citizens. Yet I don’t think Islam and democracy are or should be ever contradictory.  Rather a bizarre interpretation of Islamic preachings are used as a political tool to instill fear, squash dissent and ensure that the ruling elite are never challenged. I’m not an expert, but in my ignorant eyes today, I see Sharia law as a cop out to real leadership and equate it with a police state.

On the other hand, harsh punishments for criminal offenders also take place in other areas of the world – drug traffickers in Thailand, kidnappers in China- though none that I can think of had ever enforced bodily dismemberment as a tool for justice. It reminds me of something out of the Middle Ages, one where human rights, international law and political retribution were obsolete.  These deterrents may be strong deterrents for criminal activity, but one that isn’t humane and life sentences or losing a hand for petty crime is not a solution. Economic development, social services and education may have lead these vagrants on another path away from criminality and a life sentence and towards prosperity and opportunity. Money put towards these goals would be money well worth it in the long run, yet the long run is rarely in the best interests of political leaders in nations such as these. Therein lies the challenges of development.

Fundraising at its Best

I’m truly amazed and a little shocked that funds are still being  raised for Haitian relief. First, the out pour of contributions from regular Joe’s, then the telethons and concerts and now, a cover of ‘We Are the World’ being released. It’s wonderful that so many people have rallied behind a cause and done something great for other people in the world for no other reason than helping out. I’m shocked for three reasons; first, because news never stays new for long and what’s hot today will be gone at the latest by the end of the next week. So the fact that stories continue to hit the press about Haiti and the fundraising continues to rise, is phenomenal. And second, I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a wide-scale fundraising effort generate so much success. The Canadian government matched donated funds on the first week – out of the ordinary, but a positive step. And third, a good chunk of the funds are coming from the public, independent of development aid and disaster relief funds that governments have in their stocks.  Fantastic, get everybody involved!

The only thing that I don’t seem to get is why Haiti is special? I don’t mean that they don’t deserve it, but rather, Haiti was a devastation before the Earthquake; rampant crime, scores of trafficking victims, poor rule of law, devastated economy, but the news barely covered it, Hollywood was ignorant and I’m sure ordinary citizens didn’t even know where it was on a map. Does it take a disaster to get people to wake up and act?  And if that were the case, why doesn’t widescale action happen for every catastrope, issue or devastation that takes place in the world?

Did ordinary citizens, business tycoons and Hollywood starlets lend their efforts to raise funds for victims of the tsunami, an earthquake in Sumatra (which occured just a few months before Port-au-Prince) or for victims  of genocide etc. Are earthquakes easier to understand? I just see so many causes that could benefit from similar fundraising efforts, but no one seems to acknowledge that there is a need for it – at least not in the mainstream press.

So as the Haitian funds continue to flow and provide aid to those that need it, I hope that donor’s, both governmental and private sphere, become a little more aware of the world around them and spread their awareness and funds around to other parts of the globe that could use similar assistance. A simple good deed goes a long way.

Foreign Correspondence

I’ve  thought of a career in journalism.  I like being able to express myself in ways that the spoken word couldn’t. But what has made me shy away from the practice as a career avenue, was it’s lack of analysis that it provides its readers.  True enough, good journalists with years of experience are able to provide insight to their readers that the regular desk reporter wouldn’t, but it rarely did anything more than inform the public, but even that was subject to the biases of the newspapers or corporate politics.  I found it discouraging to write a piece that you were so passionate about, hoping to spark debate, a public outcry or promote change, only to find reader’s indifferent. I wanted to be part of the group of people that made those changes, not simply uncovered them. I respect journalists, for the work that they do and the lengths that they go to to uncover a story. But for me, a story is never just a story. I would tend to invest myself in it and would want to see things through, work towards change and spread awareness.  It took me a long time to figure that out and even now, I cannot pretend that writing isn’t a part of me, my blog can attest to that. And so, I’m writing today to express just how affected I was this morning by all the reports coming out of Haiti.

Being abroad, far away from chaos, it’s easy to keep these events at an arm’s length. Life has been tough, dealing with my own problems, worrying about family and friends, job prospects and those nagging 10lbs that just won’t go away. And knowing myself and the extent that issues affect me, I just change the channel or avoid the links on the webpages, send my best wishes and wait until the news becomes less new and is replaced by a new story.  But today, it was unavoidable. I was reading yesterday’s paper (I was working yesterday morning) and found more than 10 articles dedicated to Haiti, with documented photos alongside. The headlines were striking, ‘surgeons conduct amputations without anesthetic,’ ‘gang executions of looters,’ ‘foreign aid slow to come.’ I was bombarded with emotion, tears brimming my eyes. I can almost imagine the chaos that is echoing out of the country.

If I can just see myself trying to report these types of things and bubbling through a reportage, trying to take in the children around me who are drinking dirty water, which in itself could be infested with countless unknown diseases. But I’m thankful that I did have that shock this morning. It’s prompted me to internalize this, and write about it here. I’ll be surfing the aid agencies tonight, trying to find the best one to donate to. I have little funds and am working 3 jobs and living with my parents, but I would sleep better tonight knowing that I can contribute. And it’s because of those journalists.

It’s at a time like this that I’m proud of our government – never thought I’d say that, – for its quick action to assist -  lower ing immigration standards for claimants from Haiti, delivering aid and surgical equipment, for welcoming Canadians into the Haitian Embassy. Perhaps the Governor General and her  Haitian heritage had something to do with it. Regardless, it almost makes up for the fact the PM basically closed Parliament for a few months and reaffirms what Canada is all about.