Haiti is currently in the headlines again due to the ravages of a cholera epidemic that has hit citizens still reeling from a humanitarian disaster brought on by last year's earthquake, and has been compounded by hurricanes, floods, a problematic election and general unrest. Some Haitians have been pointing their fingers at the UN as the author of their latest misfortune, blaming foreign aid workers or peacekeepers for bringing cholera with them. At the same time, close to the scene, humanitarian workers, staff, doctors and nurses have been calling for more help from abroad as they survey the miserable conditions that Haitian citizens are forced to deal with after they have been "helped".
Frustration and anger are surely heightened by the fact that millions (or billions) of dollars of funding pledged in support of reconstruction is still sitting in the hands of foreign aid entities. One cannot help but think of the famous play by Beckett, Waiting for Godot. In the play, the two main characters try to entertain themselves while waiting for Godot, an acquaintance that never shows up. Despite agreeing at the end that they will no longer wait, neither of them leaves. Similarly, Haiti seems to be expectantly waiting for foreign aid, without knowing when and whether it will come.