Kore Pwodiksyon Lokal

The highlight of today was a visit with Harry (Ari) Nicolas. I first met Ari 20 years ago. He, Carla and Dja used to provide orientations for the Trip of Perspective groups we brought to Haiti. He always provided a different way of seeing what is going on in Haiti … so I knew I couldn't go home without an opportunity to sit at his feet and learn from his wise and reasoned teaching.

Today Ari is the Director of a very interesting program, called Kore Pwodiksyon Lokal (Support Local Production). I started the conversation asking, “What is needed now?”

Ari observed that millions of dollars are flowing into Haiti in response to the earthquake. But even all that money is worth nothing without a vision. Haiti, he continued, is facing its history. This moment is more important than the revolution we faced with our colonial masters. Today's enemy is in our heads, and this enemy is much harder to fight against.

Haiti is at a crossroads. The world is watching, and we are watching the world. It is just 4 months since the quake, and we realize that the decision to change Haiti is in the hands of the Haitians. All Haitians understand this truth, but they lack the training to carry it out. We lack the education to know how to make the needed changes. We need education, not food.

Many Haitians have a vision of what this country needs now, but don't believe they have the capability to carry it out. So, we need to empower ordinary Haitians, to encourage them to think outside of the box, and to come together in a community effort to be the change we need. We cannot wait for or look to the government to do this for us.

Kore Pwodiksyon Lokal (KPL) has created a series of TV commercials that address these issues, pointing to the need for a community response. The local TV stations are so impressed with the quality of the TV commericals that KPL has produced, that they are now showing them free of charge. They have become very popular. You can see for yourself their positive message, and the vision for the future of Haiti by clicking on the following http://www.youtube.com/user/korepwodiksyonlokal#p/a/u/0/npvx4F9JZyo