Proposed Call to Action : Haitian Diaspora is the solution

I think a CALL TO ACTION to members of the Haitian Diaspora is needed in order to address the issues we are seeing in our mother country, but to truly take the reins of the future of Haiti.

My name is Marvin Mathelier.  I am a 37 year old that has taken 2 years off of work to go back to school to better understand why developing countries stay within this poverty trap and cannot climb the economic ladder- such as in Haiti’s case.  I’m currently working on my Master’s in Public Administration with a focus on Global Policy Studies at Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA).  Both my parents are Haitian and I have been to Haiti multiple times as a child, and just recently through military diplomatic means via the U.S Department of Defense and State Department.

—————————————————
Call to Action:  Diaspora Call to Action: As we’ve heard many of times this is a Haitian problem.  Then let us take ownership of it and make it better for future generations. 

We need to truly unify the Haitian Diaspora

We have so many organizations and nonprofits doing amazing work for Haiti within the U.S and elsewhere. HOWEVER majority of us are siloed or are incapable of working with other organizations.  Like a United Nation Humanitarian Cluster- which is a system that unites all NGOs to understand how to maximize their resources to fill gaps during a humanitarian response-The Haitian Diaspora needs to do the same. 

The Diaspora has such a wealth of knowledge in politics, economic development, education, healthcare and if we don’t have a specific knowledge we have the networks to connect with.  We need to become our own « Cluster System » to maximize our effort, understand our capability and address the gaps impacting our mother country. 

•  I know there are organizations like the Haitian Diaspora United for Haiti doing some work on this, how is this going? Are there additional support needed to make unification effective?  Would love to discuss more on this

Dual CitizenshipThis has been an ongoing discussion for years.  For multiple reasons it was never truly instituted in the Haitian constitution.  I can think of one major reason, fear that the Haitian Corrupt will lose influence because the Haitian Diaspora finally has a vote within politics and economic growth. Diaspora has the communication means to know who they should vote for, vs. the majority of Haitians in Haiti may not have the means or can be easily coerced to vote for a corrupt individual. 

Additionally the Haitian Diaspora can fight against outside agencies from putting in their own « puppet official ».  

TO BE CLEAR: I AM NOT SAYING a HAITIAN DIASPORA can and should run for Haitian President OR major public officials.  In fact I believe only those born in Haiti and have resided in Haiti for X amount of years can run.  However for someone born in another country but is dual citizenship should not be able to. Additionally I think one of the goals of dual citizenship is to support the Haitian people in finding the right leaders so they can build a government with strong institutions that will support its people. 

Our neighbor, the D.R does this as well.  Also, Let’s not forget more than 1/3 of Haiti GDP comes from remittances, imagine the power we have if we are able to harness this through true unification.

• If members of the diaspora agree that there should be dual citizenship in the Haitian Constitution.  Escalating this to our elected leaders INCLUDING the National Haitian Elected Officials Network is PARAMOUNT. This can also be part of agreements such as the Montana Accord.

Why is this important–

the Diaspora will have a say on not just the political and future development of Haiti, but also the security means, and the economic growth of the country. 

NEED TO Emphasize, 

the Diaspora will work Hand in Hand with the Haitian Government and its people- Supporting the Haitian government and keeping it accountable to its people.  Also being a liaison between the international community and the Haitian Government.

The Brain Drain will be leveraged!  

Many people have left Haiti to the U.S, and through our actions we have contributed to the economic growth of the U.S and other countries we reside in. Although we may give back through remittances it is rare for us to do more, due to many reasons.  We have business people, doctors, lawyers, all these professionals in other countries that can use their talent to provide business opportunities to Haiti.  

Example:Business:

Imagine if a Haitian business executive or entrepreneur (Such as Reginald Fils-Aime, former President of Nintendo) was able to partner with a U.S company to help build work opportunities in Haiti.  This will build more jobs for Haitians on ground. Which will stimulate the economy, generate government revenue in the form of taxes that will build better infrastructure and institutions.

Education: 

Imagine if our education professionals (such as Claudine Gay-President of Harvard or Jean-Claude Brizard, former CEO of Chicago Public Schools)) found ways to partner with Haitian schools or NGO to provide government subsidized education to children of Haiti.  This could be the beginning of truely building our human capital, in turn increasing economic growth (This has worked in China where they were able to become a developing country to a global powerhouse in less than a decade).  

Gender Equality: 

Imagine if we had Haitian gender allies, that empowered Haitian women.  Especially since Haitian women make up 62% of the informal sector.  Now these women are part of the formal sector, are able to pay for medical expenses for themselves and their children. Furthermore with more female representation in the government (which is severely lacking), this will provide women a voice—> in turn women truly becomes part of the workforce, which decreases the child mortality rate due to a decrease in birth rates (which is a good thing, because more mouths to feed with limited resources is bad for the economy).  Haitian Diaspora working with the Ministry of Women Affairs would be paramount.

Security: 

We have many former and retired veterans and police officers that can support the continuous development of Haiti security force.  Do I believe the international community may still be needed to support, yes but it is not stable for long term growth.  Use the Diaspora to support.

Finally:

The Diaspora is powerful, but we have not realized our true power, not yet.  We won’t get anything done if we just blame the U.S and the international community.  The Diaspora needs to fight for dual citizenship, the diaspora needs to unite to support its brother and sisters back home.  The only way to do this is through a unified front with a unified objective that is toward solutions addressing corruption and enabling economic growth
Throughout Haitian history the solution for Haiti’s turmoil was always some type of international intervention.  That has not worked.  However one solution we have not used is the pure unification of the Diaspora.  With that being said, there is evidence of the POWER of the Haitian Diaspora.  

Take the Aids Stigma against Haitians in the 80’s and 90s.  

On April 20, 1990 over 100,000 Haitians poured across New York City due to a protest against a FDA recommendation to exclude Haitians from donating blood because Haitians were supposedly more at risk of HIV infection.  My parents told me this story- they were there and they experienced the power of their community.  See Picture below.  
We need this movement again. 

BUT OUR VOICE needs to be unified towards a long-term solution that is a Haitian solution for Haitians and By Haitians.  I would love to discuss more on this topic, have debates, and find ways to make this approach (or any approach-doesn’t need to be this- we just need to take action).

Best,

Marvin Dee Mathelier
516-946-6769