The World's Richest People Are In Haiti (Scholarship Contest Essay)

100 Word Abstract:

This essay highlights the writer's life changing experiences in southwestern Haiti during July 2008. The writer offers the reader two atypical solutions to poverty --- openness of mind and unconditional love.

100 Word Biography:

I am 29 year old teacher and writer who generally spends her summers traveling the globe. In July 2008, I traveled to Haiti. My experience was life changing. Winning this contest would be another life changing experience and provide the opportunity for me to get a masters at New York University so that I can continue teaching in New York.

The World’s Richest People Are In Haiti

by Amanda Kay Johnson

Entering their world ... I was about to enter their world ... in Haiti. I would spend six days loving on and caring for children of all ages in an orphanage in Desourcee, a southwestern village. I went with excitement and an inability to speak much French. Little did I know it, but they were about to change my world.

I don’t really remember having any expectations for my trip before going but simply an open heart for the people there. I had read or seen news stories of Haiti many times. They all lead you to believe that the people are some of the world’s most destitute, that the country is full of voodoo, and that the countenances of people living there are as bleak as their country is barren. These are not the thoughts that I would take back with me when I returned to America six days later.

I know six days can seem like a short time; yet for me, they were a vast expanse of hours and minutes. In that time I lived with, played with, sang with, and worked alongside bright spirited people who were full of warmth and hospitality. Their smiles and happiness seemingly never ended. In Haiti if people have food or money, they share it with their family (which are usually very large, say eight to ten people) and their neighbors. Haitians that are in America work not only for themselves but also to send money back to folks in their homeland. They have joy and contentment with few material possessions. Seeing all of this challenged me personally to continue to be nonmaterialistic and to continue to give often to others.

In the orphanage and village of Desourcee I met many children. I saw that the people gravitated consistently towards the blondes. I however, am a redheaded girl. I tried to put that observation aside and love on the people well. One day I met a girl about two years old named Francessca who was underdeveloped and still unable to walk. The little girl and her mom came to see old friends but chose to also love me. I was amused that her mom lovingly walked up to me, gave me a kiss, and immediately placed her daughter in my arms though we were complete strangers. Through this interaction and others later on in the week, I learned just how tremendously open and loving the people are here. I was struck that they are much more close knit than American families and really take care of everybody.

There were other things to learn such as it being quite the myth that the people of Haiti have bleak countenances. On the day I interacted with a church there, the large mass of people sang with an abundance of voices that abounded full force from their hearts and danced joyfully to the steady rhythmic pulse. They truly worshiped God brimming with happiness and hope that their needs would be completely met. During this interaction, I was able to share with the people who had gathered that I truly found Haitians to be inspirational people. To me, they are the richest people I’ve ever met because they have learned to find contentment not in stuff but in helping others, sharing, and living simply! Haitians embody to me love, friendliness, and openness to others.

On another day while in Haiti, I traveled with others to the mountainside. During my bus ride I saw houses walled in by gates topped with broken glass, trash everywhere, and people abounding in or near the streets. Although these scenes contrasted my American city, I realized that I didn’t feel like I was in a foreign country. That feeling of “home” abided within me throughout my stay. Though cultures and languages were different between myself and those I interacted with what was mutual was the idea of genuinely accepting people for who they were. I really think that me trying to approach things with a local Haitian mindset helped me also keep that feeling of “home.”

So what lessons do my stories and six days in Haiti offer towards eradicating poverty? My time overseas convinces me that openness of mind and unconditional love for others are pivotal. Without both I think any practical actions toward helping those living in poverty can only be empty and heartless. People, especially those in poverty, must be treated with dignity; thus, to offer a “solution” but not empathy is meaningless. Can simply entering their world with the heart belief that you are both equals be the pebble that sends forth ripples upon the global pond and erases financial despairity? Perhaps it is far fetching, but I say “yes!”