Which NGO are you with?

As I boarded the plane on early Saturday morning I couldn't help but notice I was one of the few people traveling alone. The small groups of Haitians were probably traveling with family and friends, headed back home or perhaps off to visit, having moved to the states or Canada. All of the "blan" (the Haitian term used for white people) were nicely organized into groups, complete with matching t-shirts. While waiting in line and on the plane, I heard constant discussion amongst my white counterparts that went a little something like this: "So where are you going to be volunteering?" "So where does your church group do their mission work?" "So which NGO are you with?"
Now don't get me wrong, I love working with CHI (Community Health Initiative) and HFM (Harvest Field Ministries). Both are great NGO's (nongovernmental organizations... aka nonprofit orgs) and I am very proud that they let me be a part of their group. But many of the reasons I am so proud to be a part of these groups is they spend much of their time working ALONGSIDE Haitians. They listen to Haitian healthcare teams who are on the ground all the time and fill in the gaps where they are needed. And while I love my comfortable CHI t-shirt, we will not be seen parading throughout the Port au Prince airport saying things like "we're here to help you this week, yep we're going to do a lot of good." I think this is because CHI and HFM understand that the people who really deserve to be patted on the back are the Haitians we work with. The ones who have more resiliency and love for their own people than I could ever begin to put into words.
I can only imagine that if I was to take a vacation in the near future to a place like Dominican Republic (the country on the other half of this island of Hispaniola) or Jamaica or Cancun, etc. the conversations I would hear throughout the plane would be very different. It would probably go a little more like this: "oh so where are you vacationing?" "aren't the beaches so beautiful?" "I am so excited to get to my resort." Haiti also has beautiful beaches and the hotel where I stayed on my first night here was gorgeous.
And so I have been wondering the last few days why Haiti has to be so different. Why Haiti has been written off by so many blan as not tourist worthy or in need of so many handouts. I know it has taken me the last few years of working in Haiti and working on global health education in the states, to come to realize the important difference between a hand out and a hand up. And I applaud the NGO's, the Haitian government initiatives, the local projects, etc. that help to employ Haitians, buy local materials, and work on systemic economic and health changes.
As I chatted with Dr. Cleonas today on our way back from the Port Salut hospital, we had a beachfront view for half of the 45 min ride. Our discussion ranged from "work talk" about our projects for better access to HIV care to why Haiti is the country it is today and our views about the current situations. He seemed hopeful for future infrastructure changes and possibilities for a tourist economy. We talked about the importance of NGO's working alongside the current Haitian healthcare infrastructure (Did I mention he too likes CHI/HFM's method of helping the local system up?). We talked about our own visions for what Haiti could be in the future.
After this chat today, what I realize now is that helping people out is okay, but helping people up is great. Perhaps the advice I'll give to myself and others when they ask me what I think about the current situation in Haiti and how the NGO's are doing down here is this: give a man a fish and he eats for a day. Give a man a job as a fisherman and he and his family could eat for life... and the neighbors from whom he buys rice or mangos or homemade bread could also have jobs and eat for life too...