Anything can improvise in Haiti

I read five days ago a newsy office informing that Ban Ki-moon would name Bill Clinton like its special correspondent for Haiti.

“Clinton accompanied last month of March to the General Secretary to an official visit of two days to Haiti-- affirms the office—to support the development plan elaborated by the Government of Puerto Príncipe that looks for to wake up the made drowsy Haitian economy.

“The ex president has maintained a remarkable philanthropic commitment with the Antillean nation through the Global Initiative Clinton.

“Is a honor to accept the General Secretary's invitation to be the special correspondent for Haiti”, declared the former leader.

“Clinton pointed out that the town and the Government from Haiti have the capacity to overcome the serious damages that caused the four storms that razed the country last year.”

The following day, the same newsy agency informed that Mrs. Clinton, Secretary of State, full with joy, declared that “Bill was a stellar correspondent”. on the other hand, “the Secretary of the UN confirmed that had named Clinton like his new special correspondent for Haiti. We were together two months ago in that country and her presence helped to lift the conscience of the international community on the problems of the Caribbean country.

“The UN fears that after a period of several years of relative calm bolstered by the MINUSTAH the political uncertainty returns to the country.”

Repeats in the new office the history again of “the four hurricanes and storms that 900 deads caused, caused 800 thousand damaged and destroyed the civil scarce infrastructure of the country.”

The history of Haiti and its tragedy is much more complex.

After United States that proclaimed the sovereignty in 1776, Haiti was the second country of this hemisphere that conquered the independence in the year 1804. In the first case, the white descendants of the colonists that the 13 colonies English, fervorosos believing, austere and well educated, that were proprietors of lands were founded and of slaves, shook the yoke colonial English and enjoyed the national independence, didn't seize the autochthonous population, neither the African slaves or descendants that lacked all right, in spite of the principles included in the Declaration of Philadelphia.

In Haiti, where more than 400 thousand slaves worked for 30 thousand white proprietors, for the first time in the humanity's history the men and women subjected to the hateful system were able to abolish the slavery, to maintain and to defend an independent state, fighting against soldiers that had put from knees to the European monarchies.

That stage coincided with the peak of the capitalism and the emergence of powerful colonial empires that dominated the lands and the seas of the planet during centuries.

The Haitians were not the culprits of their current poverty, but the victims of a system imposed to the world. They didn't invent the colonialism, the capitalism, the imperialism, the unequal exchange, the neoliberalism neither the forms of exploitation and looting that have reigned in the planet during the last 200 years.

Haiti has 27 750 square kilometers of surface where, according to dear reliable, the population already reached, in the 2009, the figure of 9 million inhabitants. The number of people for square kilometer of arable earth rises at 885, one of the highest of the world, without development some of industries or other resources that allow him to acquire the minimum of indispensable material means for the life.

The population 53 percent lives in the field, the firewood and the coal constitute the only available domestic fuel for great part of the Haitian families, what hinders the reforestation. The absence of forests that with the fluffed floor of leaves, branches and roots, they retain the water, facilitates the human and economic damage that the intense rains cause in towns, roads and cultivations. The hurricanes, like it is known, cause considerable additional damages that will be every bigger time if the climate continues changing quickly. It is not a secret for anybody.

Our cooperation with the population from Haiti began ten years ago, when in fact the hurricanes George and Mitch whipped the Caribbean and to countries of Central America.

René Preval exercised the position of President from Haiti and Jean-Bertrand Aristide was boss of Government. The first contingent of 100 Cuban doctors was correspondent December 4 ,1998. The figure of Cuban collaborators of the health in Haiti rose later on to more than 600.

It was in that occasion when belived the Latin American School of Medicine, ELAM, where they study at the moment more than 12 thousand Latin American youths. Starting from then were granted the Haitian youths hundred of scholarships in the Ability of Medicine of Santiago de Cuba, one of the most experienced of the country.

In Haiti the number of primary schools had grown and went advancing. Until the humblest families desire that their children study, as only hope that can survive the poverty working inside or outside of their country. The Cuban program of doctors' formation was well received. The youths selected to study in Cuba had good basic preparation, inheritance maybe of the advances of France in that land. They should use one year in the course premedic that also included the Spanish language. It has constituted a good quarry of doctors of quality.

In our medical abilities have graduated as specialists in General Integral Medicine 533 Haitian youths, of them, 52 study in Cuba a second specialty that is needed at the moment. Another group of 527 occupies the registrations that correspond to the Republic of Haiti.

In that country work 413 Cuban professionals of the health that lend services gratuitously to that town brother at the present time. The Cuban doctors are present in the ten departments of the country and in 127 of the 137 communes. They also lend services more than 400 Haitian doctors formed in Cuba, and the students of the last year that carry out the educational practice in the own Haiti--next to our doctors--, that makes a total of more than 800 Haitian youths consecrated to the medical services in their Homeland. That force will grow more and more with the new ones graduate Haitian.

The challenge was hard, the Cuban doctors met with difficult problems. The infantile mortality was superior at 80 for each thousand born alive, the perspective of life was below the 60 years, the prevalence of the AIDS in the mature population in the year 2007 reached the figure of 120 thousand citizens. Dozens of children thousands and adults of diverse ages still die every year for illnesses infectilely like tuberculosis, malaria, diarrheas, fastidiousness and for bad nutrition, to point out alone some indexes. The own HIV is already an illness that can face and to guarantee the life of the patients. But this is not achieved in one year; it is indispensable a culture of health that the Haitian town acquires with growing interest. Advances are observed that demonstrate the possibility to improve the indexes of health considerably.

In three oftalmologyc centers created in Haiti, have been operated of the view 37109 patients. The cases that there cannot be operated by thier complexity, are sent to Cuba, where are assisted without cost some.

With the economic cooperation of Venezuela, 10 Integral Centers of Diagnosis are creating, equipped with modern technology that is already acquired.

More important than the resources that the international community can contribute, is the human personnel that uses such resources.

Our modest support to the town of Haiti has been possible although the hurricanes that Clinton spoke they also hit us. A good test that what it has lacked in the world is the solidarity.

It could be spoken equally from the Cuban contribution to the literacy programs and in other fields, in spite of our limited economic resources. But I don't want to extend neither it is desirable to make it to speak of our contribution. I concentrated on the health, because it is an unavoidable topic. We don't fear that others make what we are making. The Haitian youths that are formed in Cuba are becoming the priests of the health that in growing number that town brother requires.

The most important thing is the creation in new cooperation ways that this so much selfish world needs. The organisms of United Nations can testify that Cuba is contributing what they qualify like Integral Programs of Health.

Anything can improvise in Haiti and anything will be fruit of the philanthropic spirit of institution some.

To the project of the Latin American School of Medicine, was added the new formation program later in doctors' coming from Venezuela Cuba, Bolivia, the Caribbean, and other countries of the Third World, as their programs of health demanded him with urgency. Today they surpass the young figure of 24 thousand of the Third World those that study Medicine in our Homeland. Helping to other has also developed ourselves in that field, and we constitute an important force. That, and not the robbery of brains, is what we practice! Can they affirm the same thing the rich and overdeveloped countries of the G-7? Others will follow our example! Nobody doesn't doubt it!

Fidel Castro Ruz

May 24 of 2009

4 and 17 p.m.