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The
factory was gearing down for the day.
Most workers, weary from a full day on
the assembly line, were clearing away
brightly colored cloth and preparing to
return home. I sat in a room next to the
main factory floor waiting to meet with
a group of employees who were staying
behind to do additional work—unpaid
work, in fact. By day they stitched together
clothing for export to the US. By night
they were learning how to read and write
in a Haitian literacy initiative called
Rotalpha.
I
was on a short visit to Haiti as a board
member to learn more about Beyond Borders’
involvement in the Rotalpha project. As
I waited to observe a class at this particular
Rotalpha site, a debate erupted in my
head. In spite of all the good things
I had heard about this project, I found
myself asking, “Why are we here?
Why is Beyond Borders collaborating with
the wealthy owner of this factory, a member
of Haiti’s elite?” The cool,
freshly painted rooms were a far cry from
the simple wooden structures that house
most of the literacy centers in the countryside.
The heavily armed guard who scolded me
when I photographed a bulletin board display
didn’t give me the same warm feeling
I got when children in the rural centers
greet me. All our other literacy work
was done in partnership with grassroots
organizations of poor people.
The
Rotalpha project, however, was started
by Haitian Rotarians who believe that
literacy is the key to Haiti’s future.
I had heard so many stories of Haiti’s
elite exploiting the poor, of being numb
to their struggles and resisting progressive
change. I worried that our presence in
this factory in some way signified a betrayal
of the poor. I imagined all kinds of evil
motives the factory owner probably had
for supporting this project.
In
rebuttal I reminded myself that by giving
these workers a chance to learn to read,
he was doing something no one else had
done for them. He paid for just about
everything—the instructors’
salaries, the teaching materials, the
new classroom furniture. Rotalpha trained
the teachers and Beyond Borders’
provided program leadership and technical
assistance to Rotalpha. The factory owner’s
involvement was even more impressive in
Haiti where philanthropic gestures are
still rare.
This
debate continued in my head until the
workers arrived and began sharing their
stories. One after one, the participants
expressed their appreciation for the classes.
One woman explained, “I didn’t
have the chance to go to school. When
I heard about this school, I went to the
accountant and begged him to take my name.”
Another woman described the humiliation
of being tricked by people who take advantage
of the illiterate. She told the story
of an illiterate farmer who was given
a death certificate instead of a deed
for land he bought, leading to his losing
the land later. She excitedly told me
how she actively recruits her fellow employees.
“Our boss is paying for this. Don’t
be ashamed! Don’t be blind! Open
your eyes and take advantage of this opportunity!”
Her
enthusiasm was justified. The workers
who did put aside their shame and joined
the class have been richly rewarded. Becoming
literate had become a long-forgotten dream.
Now, after only four months many were
already reading and writing with basic
proficiency.
I
never met the factory owner. I don’t
know his motives. Was he moved by compassion,
a sense of justice, or just a need for
more literate workers to serve as factory
supervisors? After meeting these participants,
though, I hardly cared. For whatever reason,
his interests and their interests intersected
in this literacy project.
In
Haiti where wealth is so unevenly and
unjustly distributed, the rich and poor
may live side by side, but they inhabit
vastly different worlds. Misunderstanding,
distrust, suspicion and even hatred grow
between the classes. A person belonging
to the other class is no longer seen as
a unique individual human being, but is
labeled and vilified as just another representative
of his or her class.
Part
of Beyond Borders’ mission is to
build understanding across economic and
cultural borders. With our Transformational
Travel program we have been doing this
between poor Haitians and wealthy North
Americans. The Rotalpha project is a unique
opportunity both to promote literacy and
also build greater understanding between
rich and poor Haitians. I am glad that
our staff had not been blinded by the
same old polarizing debate I was having
and had opened their eyes to the opportunity
of the Rotalpha project. I believe God
is using it as a force for both reconciliation
and justice in Haiti.
Renée
Matson-Caringi serves on the Beyond Borders
board of directors and is available to
speak about the Rotalpha project and other
Beyond Borders work at Rotary Clubs and
churches in the Philadelphia area. |
