The United States Marine Corps is not a peacekeeping force. I visited Haiti in 2004 with the Marine Corps due to a revolution that resulted in the removal of Haiti’s former president Jean Bertrand-Aristide. As a combat engineer, my typical duties mostly involved problem solving with explosives. The less seductive side of basic engineering involves construction, and more times than not, fixing what has been destroyed. Two centuries and several decades of civil war have left most of Haiti in ruin.

When structures fall apart in the US, repairs are made. When structures fall apart in Haiti, they stay broken until they become dust. City Soleil holds the distinction of being one of the most poverty stricken areas in Haiti. While in charge of constructing a roof for the lone school in City Soleil, I was offered a long look at true poverty.

Haiti is the third largest country in the Caribbean. Originally a slave colony, after 100 years of French and Spanish rule, the slaves revolted, which ultimately resulted in Haiti gaining independence in 1838. The French charged the people of Haiti for this distinction, which led Haiti to take out an insurmountable debt via loans from the French government. Haiti has since been a grossly impoverished country, with little hope of economic recovery in sight.

Poverty in Haiti is a bit different from the poverty seen here in the United States. In Haiti, the poor shower only when it rains. And the majority of Haitians are poor. The bread most Haitians need for survival came from a recipe that includes dirt as an ingredient. The dead were not given proper burial. Most were simply dumped on the coastline. The coastline of Haiti was a landfill, a place for disposal of a great many things. Large pigs sifted through piles of garbage and refuse, these animals adapted to survive by eating whatever they were able to digest.

Michel Martelly was elected president of Haiti in 2011, receiving only 16.7 percent of the popular vote. Since his election, Martelly has kept the Haitian government at half strength to avoid subjecting himself to the responsibilities and duties of his office. A recent attempt to impeach Martelly failed. Martelly is just one in a long line of many ill-equipped leaders. While he has not massacred his own people, his commitment to inaction stands to serve as a drawn out massacre, leaving Haitians to scavenge for sustenance. Without proper intervention, Haiti serves as nothing more than a scenic place for people to die. The Haiti I observed ten years ago is much like the Haiti of the present. While starvation and natural disasters have claimed many Haitian lives, the greater evil lies in sustained violence brought on by gang warfare and largely unchecked by a horribly corrupt police force.

Responsibility is a learned behavior for some. As a parent, I am finding that my responsibility lies not just to my kids, but also to those around me. I cannot very well teach what I am not willing to practice. Haitians do not need supervision so much as they need advising, a leader to recognize what is wrong and lay out a plan to end the suffering. Haitians deserve the same type of local and global representation that comes with a true democracy. Ultimately, the United Nations, along with the aid of other sovereign nations, must act to aid the people of Haiti. The voice of Haiti needs amplification. Haiti needs leaders, people of conviction, to call for an accounting of the injustice that runs rampant. The people of Haiti are human, and deserve to be heard.

My responsibility is to impart responsibility to my children. Sadly, responsibility is not contagious. The history of Haiti tells of a resilient populace. Through slavery, civil war, natural disasters and countless horrors, the people of Haiti still stand. It’s time the world take notice and give the Haitian people a sustainable hand up.

mmacdonald@mavs.coloradomesa.edu