umWHAT can I do to change the world?

25,000 children die every day from the effects of poverty.
This is equal to the earthquake in Haiti occurring every 4 days; the 2006 Asian tsunami happening every 1.5 weeks, or reliving the death toll of 9/11 every 9 days. We concentrate on these individual tragedies because of their uncommon nature and profound impacts felt around the world, but what about the things we don’t hear about in the news? What about the massive death tolls that accumulate every day, but aren’t covered by any media outlets?
The truth is that child poverty is so rampant that it has ceased to be considered newsworthy. Something as simple as a case of diarrhea may cause infection that leads to death in many impoverished countries around the world. Due to unsanitary water sources, or a total lack of access to water, illnesses that we don’t give a second thought to in North America are ending lives at alarming rates in other parts of the globe.
Even before Haiti was hit with this horribly fatal natural disaster, it was a country already in ruins and stricken by tremendous national poverty. It is the poorest country in the western hemisphere, a mere 800 kilometres away from the Florida coast. “Misery is the entirety of the condition of the people,” says Herault Beauvais, a community leader featured in the documentary, The Road to Fondwa. They lack clean water, nourishment, access to education, and funds to finance their businesses and farms. The main roads in the capital Port-au-Prince are flooded and lined with businesses that rarely make a sale. Mud and waste up to the knees cover the ground. Vendors show up in an attempt to make a living, but “as long as there are no roads, there is no business.”
According to Haitians, because so many countries are trying to help them, they are stuck in a place with no particular direction. Different people are giving them various instructions on how to fix their problems, but these solutions don’t necessarily work for the Haitian people. There is a word in Creole that many Haitians in the countryside use; "konbit". A konbit is the gathering of a group of peasants who put their heads together to find solutions to their problems and then put their hands together to achieve it. This is how the Haitian people work to move forward and alleviate their poverty, in konbit.
This highlights a crucial concept in understanding how development and aid in impoverished countries should be focused. To instil change that is both tangible and sustainable, it must fit with the culture and the mentality of the people who live it. Manouche Douze, a student at the University of Fondwa, says that she appreciates the assistance of foreigners in Haiti, but asks that “rather than giving us a little something every time, show us how to do it ourselves.”
Another example of the Haitians' incredible desire to learn comes from a boy in his early teens. He walks for three hours to school and three hours back to his neighbouring community every day. “I leave my house at 4 a.m., because I should be in school. In school, I can learn something so that I can be of service tomorrow.”
It is this belief in education and growth that affirms the possibility for change. The people of Haiti, and other impoverished countries, don’t choose to live in their present conditions; they desperately seek growth and prosperity. Not only do they want to see change, but they want to be the change. According to Herault, “We hope that one day, we will truly live well.”
-Sarah Bockstael
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The University of Manitoba World Humanitarian Action Team (umWHAT) is a new student group dedicated to bringing about positive social change through education and action initiatives carried out locally. As an affiliate of Free The Children, our goal is to raise enough money to have a school built in a marginalized community overseas through Free The Children's Adopt-a-Village program, and also to support members in travelling overseas to help build the school. In addition, we aim to educate not only our members, but also the community at large, about the social issues that exist and ways to get involved - how we can "be the change" now, and into the future!
For more information, please don't hesitate to contact Matt Hlynsky at matt.hlynsky@gmail.com