Donation or Reimbursement?

This was posted by my friend, Cole (of Hero Holiday), on facebook, and I need to share it. I think this is so well written and so TRUE. Take some time and research fair trade once you are doing reading this, like Haitian Creations! Also watch Mickey Mouse Goes to Haiti Part 1, and Mickey Mouse Goes to Haiti Part 2, also embeded at the end of this post.

Not too long ago Walt Disney began making some of their clothes in Port-au-Prince Haiti. They choose to make their Pajamas in some of the textile factories. 101 Dalmatians, Pocahontas, Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast pajamas. Sadly these factories were exposed as being sweatshops. Here is a quote from a women who was employed in one.

"They lock the gates on us and sometimes put security guards out in front with rifles to prevent us from leaving, said Jacqueline, as she described the method her employer uses to force workers to work over 10 hours a day without compensation. The supervisors would yell and curse at us to finish our quota. My daily quota is sewing 90 dozen zippers on pants for 80 gourds (~$2 USD)."
“The factory gets so hot it is like working in fire. Inside the air is so hot and full of dust that I can’t breathe, so I would put my handkerchief around my nose and continue working,” she said. “HAACOSA doe not have any purified water for us to drink. Instead, there is a tub of water that, I think, is rainwater or something because it is smelly and dirty. I think supervisors pee in the water because it smells so bad.” When asked if she drinks the water, she responded, “I have to, I don’t have money to buy water.”

Disney CEO Michael Eisner's income works out to 102,000 thousand dollars an HOUR while a Haitian worker in Port-au-Prince making Disney pajamas makes $0.55 cents an HOUR. (obviously he's not just makin that off of pajamas). The minimum wage in Haiti was raised last summer from $2.50 per DAY to $5.50 per DAY. Still 70% of the country makes less than $2.00per day. Some may say "well their living expenses are much lower than ours".

This is not the case in Haiti.During some of my different trips through Haiti it has come to my attention nothing is cheap. To rent a car is about $250.00 USD a day. Most of the products in the supermarkets are more expensive than here. Last year I found a 6 pack of granola bars for $12.00 US. From Gasoline to Vehicle's to Property. For the most part everything is more expensive there than it is here.

Walt Disney isn't the only company that has been taking advantage of the Haitian people. Levi's, Gildan Apparel, Hanes, Nike, Champion and Walmart are all companies that have factories in Haiti. They know they don't have to take care of the work force there, like they would here. These big companies have little regard for the well being of these people.

Last summer I met a women in Cite Soleil who had combined her money with 15 of her neighbors to buy a pound of rice. This is happening 700 miles from Disney World. None of this is breaking news. But if we are putting Haiti on the map lets get the facts out. The next time you donate to Haiti think of it more as a REIMBURSEMENT than a DONATION. They've worked so hard for so little. And the sad thing is we have all benefited from their exploitation.

I am amazed at these companies arrogance. They must assume we are heartless and stupid. Or maybe they think we are just too busy to notice these human right violations, or perhaps they figure we love the low low prices so much that we will turn a blind eye to the oppression of the poor.

Letting companies know that these things are unacceptable is just another way to help this broken country re-build.

Haiti: Donation or Reimbursement?