Labadee

[TravelerThom]

..."This just doesn't feel fair....

Life is not fair. I was born into a solidly middle-class family and got a good education. Most Haitian children through no fault of their own are born into poverty which is next to impossible to escape. Haitians with a job at Labadee are doing better than most of their countrymen. Not going to Labadee would place those workers in an even more dire situation. It is sad that the average Haitian gets such a bad deal, but not going only makes things worse.

 

Thom

[MizDemeanor]

Heard an awful lot this hurricane from Weather Channel about the deforestation and that Haiti is the poorest country in the northern hemisphere.

 

I plan to dig into why they are not succeeding when there are so many countries and organizations that can assist bringing them to a better place on a grand scale.

[Poohb]

We will be in Labadee the week of Thanksgiving. I too would like to help out and will do some research to see the best way to donate. Would be happy to bring anything I am allowed.

 

If you are on the "O", come join us on our thread. We're up to only 10 pages.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2212685

[forkcreek]

Heard an awful lot this hurricane from Weather Channel about the deforestation and that Haiti is the poorest country in the northern hemisphere.

 

I plan to dig into why they are not succeeding when there are so many countries and organizations that can assist bringing them to a better place on a grand scale.

For decades Haiti has been ruled by political leaders who get rich thru graft and corruption.Little happens without a liberal supply of "green grease." Despite this, until Jan 1990 the people were able to eke out a

poor but adequate existence. For instance, until then they were able to feed themselves. The earthquake of Jan 1990 destroyed most of the sparse infrastructure and food production plummeted. Despite many charities collecting money ( including the Clinton Foundation) and boasting about the distribution success, in truth there is very little to substantiate those claims. In addition, the population went from approx 7mil/100k in 1990 to approx 10mil/800k in2016. The result is that Haiti as a Nation is poverty stricken mess and events such as the recent Hurricane only make it worse. There is little evidence the situation will ever improve.

[MizDemeanor]

For decades Haiti has been ruled by political leaders who get rich thru graft and corruption.Little happens without a liberal supply of "green grease." Despite this, until Jan 1990 the people were able to eke out a

poor but adequate existence. For instance, until then they were able to feed themselves. The earthquake of Jan 1990 destroyed most of the sparse infrastructure and food production plummeted. Despite many charities collecting money ( including the Clinton Foundation) and boasting about the distribution success, in truth there is very little to substantiate those claims. In addition, the population went from approx 7mil/100k in 1990 to approx 10mil/800k in2016. The result is that Haiti as a Nation is poverty stricken mess and events such as the recent Hurricane only make it worse. There is little evidence the situation will ever improve.

 

 

....dont know what to say...

[Pratique]

....dont know what to say...

 

It is very sad. Haiti has been independent for some 200 years and has never been able to get their act together despite the assistance (and occasional interference) of many other nations and organizations. These days some Haitians are too proud to accept foreign assistance, especially from the U.S. - they seem to want to go it alone but clearly are not able to. It is too complex for me to comprehend. Nonetheless, I am glad to hear of Royal Caribbean's efforts there.

[TravelerThom]

Heard an awful lot this hurricane from Weather Channel about the deforestation and that Haiti is the poorest country in the northern hemisphere.

I plan to dig into why they are not succeeding when there are so many countries and organizations that can assist bringing them to a better place on a grand scale.

The CIA World Factbook https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/ is a good first source. They rank Haitian per capita income as 211/229 entities, the lowest in the Western Hemisphere (there are a number of African countries North of the equator that rank lower).

 

Too much corruption, too many people, too little education, too few resources, too many natural disasters for starters. Unemployment is 40%, underemployment much higher than that. At the end of WW II Germany was totally wreaked, but people were educated and felt if they worked hard they would eventually succeed. Haitians have no experience with or hope for success. Breaking that chain is extraordinarily difficult. It is hard for the average Haitian to worry about conservation (deforestation) when they worry about their kids starving to death next week.

[theLCC1]

We will be in Labadee the week of Thanksgiving. I too would like to help out and will do some research to see the best way to donate. Would be happy to bring anything I am allowed.

 

 

Thank you! I'll wait to hear back from you!

[Cayman Turtle]

Really? Ok...if I call and let them know we all want to help, how do I/We advise people to bring clothes/soap etc?

 

 

I'll be heading to Labadee on a cruise in three weeks. I'll post this thread in our roll call and hopefully we'll get some more people on board. Count me in for bringing along a bag or two.

[Snit13]

I found the info but it only addresses the school supplies, http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=43631318&postcount=20 Wanting to know if we can bring clothes and what not.

 

Google.....Free The Kids, Inc. You will see real damage and how destructive Hurricane Matthew was in Haiti.