Working in Haiti

Well, I've finished one full week of work in Haiti. I've sat at a desk reviewing accounting procedures and transactions. All around me staff are scurrying about, exploring building project possibilities in devastated regions of the country, receiving updates on material aid delivery trucks stuck in the mud, or working with local organization to support buying local produce.


Accounting isn't the most glamorous job. Who wouldn't rather be out there, helping people and making things happen? Accountability sometimes gets in the way - just more senseless paperwork. Don't pretend you haven't thought that once in awhile. Yet, accountability is important. How else do you know if you've used your resources efficiently, achieved your objectives, or satisfied your stakeholders?


Needing to get out of the office, I asked if I could tag along with a team heading out to Citie Soleil, a notorious slum area, to investigate the possibility of partnering with a local group to open a youth centre. I felt physically ill at the sight and smell of the canal washing away the city's waste through the slum area into the ocean (to be washed up in Cuba, I hear). However, I was also inspired by the optimism and dreams of the youth leaders, warmed by the obvious pride of some local residents in their nice tents (made in Winkler, Manitoba), and pulled in all directions by children vying for a finger of mine to hold.