My article is titled "Bound for home, healed, heartsick". It was written by Stephen Smith and was published in the Boston Globe on May 1, 2010. The article can be found at:
http://www.boston.com/news/health/articles/2010/05/01/four_haitian_children_flown_here_for_treatment_return_with_bittersweet_feelings/?page=1
This article is about four Haitian children who came to the United States for medical treatment, after being severely injured in the Haiti earthquake. After getting treatment in the U.S. and seeing how wonderful of a place it is compared to their home country, these four children must now go back. These four children were flown from Haiti to Shriners Hospital for Children in Springfield, Massachusetts. These children consist of two boys and two girls, ranging from age 3 to 13. They were found by a nurse and a doctor from Western Massachusetts who working at a Haiti hospital. The children have been in care for months now and finally have to go back home. Unfortunately, although they have missed their families, they wish they could stay.
It was very hard trying to get these children out of Haiti. The nurse and the doctor had to contact a man from Wisconsin who gets people out of tights spots and they had to talk to the prime minister. Why so much trouble? The Haiti government did not want these children leaving Haiti. The government thought that the nurse and doctor were just going to take the kids. The Haitian government decided to let the kids come to Massachusetts to receive care. But on these two conditions. Smith writes, "Government authorities in Haiti and the United States agreed to let the children come to Springfield for treatment with the explicit understanding that the children would return to their homeland. And family members were not allowed to accompany the young patients, another measure taken to discourage attempts to stay." The children were all healed but are still recovering a little. They are happy now and wish they could stay in the U.S. They know that they would live a better life in America but they know they have to go back to Haiti one way or another. The families of the children received tents and money and the children are assured medical care until they are fully recovered.
Although, this article can be seen as a happy article, it can also be viewed as very sad. Yes, these kids got to come to the U.S. and get medical treatment that many people in Haiti will never get. And they also got to travel to America, and experience something great. But these children have to go back to one of the poorest countries in the world. And to make matters worse, they must go back to a country that must rebuild everything, due to a massive earthquake. I understand that the government wants these kids to stay in Haiti, but I think its unfair that your country is making you stay somewhere. These kids had the chance to stay in America and they want to stay, but their country is making them come back. This article would not have the same effect on me if I had not read Mountains Beyond Mountains. Since reading that book, I notice Haiti a lot more and whenever I read about Haiti, it is never something good. These kids have to go back to a poor country and live in a tent. I am sure many people wish the kids could stay in America and get a great education, but it is not possible and it makes this story very sad.
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Now that we have read Moutains Beyond Mountains and have been learning about Haiti in class, this article was very relevant in demonstrating the difference in medical services in the United States than in Haiti. I am aware of Haiti's lack of fair medical treatment services, but to hear it coming directly from Haitian children was very sad. It was sad to hear the Haitian children talk about how the missed their home but they loved the U.S. The article also talks about how the Haitian government was reluctant for the children to leave, which almost suggests that they knew the children would develop a liking for the U.S and start to realize all that is wrong with their native homeland.
ReplyDeleteAlthough it is sad that the children do not get to stay in more comfortable conditions here in America, I understand why the Haitian government wishes to discourage immigration. If travel was affordable, it is likely that many Haitians would emigrate to the US, but Haiti needs the strength of its people during this crisis. The government is clearly hoping that someday it can become a comfortable place to live like the US, but in the meantime it does not wish to lose its people.
ReplyDeleteRose, I agree that the Haitian government is probably trying to prevent emigration for exactly the reason you stated (more warm bodies to work and be taxed), but I think our own government had more to do with forcing the return of the children. Given current policy and insanity over the waves of immigrants from Mexico, I expect that the US government is trying to stem a similar tide from Haiti, and threatening the Haitian government with some sort of nasty sanctions to ensure its cooperation.
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