Waiting for Godot: Foreign Aid in Haiti

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.  

In the play, the audience knows very little about the much anticipated Godot and his reasons for delay or absence. This is the main difference with the situation in Haiti. We know who Godot is in this case: the donor countries. We also know that these donor countries find themselves in a dilemma. Should they wait even longer to send the pledged funds, in the hope that the situation in the country will eventually improve and as a consequence the money will be put to a better use than it would now? Or should they rush in immediately with the funds before things get even worse than they already are?

When disaster strikes, humanitarian aid is quick to rush in and attend to the urgent and immediate needs of victims. However, after disaster often comes the need for reconstruction. The problem in Haiti is that after the disaster came increased political disorder and social chaos. The question then is whether this second wave of help - known as foreign aid or official development assistance - should be provided only when things settle down and donor countries are confident that the country will make good use of the money. Thus, the chicken-egg problem: should foreign aid wait for order or will waiting only makes matter worse?

The situation is further complicated in the Haitian context due to the controversial nature of past (and arguably present) foreign aid interventions that have been undertaken in an attempt to "fix" Haiti for both altruistic and strategic purposes. These interventions may have often had well-meaning ends, but have also been complicit in propping up predatory and corrupt Haitian governors. Yet it is precisely because the international and the Haitian community now have the benefit of this hindsight that donor countries' obligations and ability to respond more effectively to the crises facing Haiti is heightened. Thus, the dilemmas facing aid workers and donors, who do not wish to see their efforts to improve conditions and lives go to naught or into the pockets of unintended recipients, should not be taken lightly.

Maybe what is not so well known to the general public is that the difficult position Haitian donor countries find themselves now is a common dilemma for foreign aid donors across the board. The academic literature on the topic has shown that countries with good governance are better able to make effective use of foreign aid, but they are also the ones that need it the least. In this context, donor countries need to choose between helping more effectively a country that needs less help, or helping less effectively a country that is desperately crying out for help. Thus, Haiti may be an extreme example of the dilemma faced by foreign aid donors, but it is certainly not an exception.

In other words, while there is a need and an urgency to think deeply and hard about how to best address the current problems in Haiti, we should also understand Haiti as a call for action regarding the foreign aid system in general. Here, the characters of the play Waiting for Godot might suggest that eliminating uncertainty would go a long way toward reducing anxiety and inefficient allocation of time and resources. Knowing if foreign aid will come for sure could at least avoid making the donees wait in vain. Knowing when it will come could allow for planning and a more efficient allocation of recipient time, rather than simply trying to hold "the terrible silence at bay".

To be sure, predictability is not the panacea for the problems in the foreign aid system. There is a great deal of academic debate as to whether foreign aid should be increased or not. There is also significant disagreement among experts as to how it would be put to the best use. Predictability will not address these questions, or illuminate these debates in any way. Neverthless, it could potentially tackle one of the many flaws in the system, one that can make a significant difference in outcomes.

The situation in Haiti points to good intentions and mixed results. It also points to the dilemmas and decisions constantly faced by well-meaning foreign interventionists facing difficult situations, such as that continuing to unfold in Haiti. Harm and suffering could be greatly alleviated in the future through efforts of reforming the foreign aid monolith so that it takes a more credible and sustainable approach to reconstruction and development. The recent events unfolding in Haiti suggest that if Canada and others involved in reconstruction efforts in developing countries are to retain legitimacy, they need to rethink the foreign aid system so as to ensure that it will do less harm than it currently seems to be doing. Creating a mechanism that would give credibility and foreseeability of foreign aid, perhaps even allowing enforcement of foreign aid pledges, may prove to be an important step in this direction. The other option is to give Haitians the same destiny of the characters in Waiting for Godot: