Michèle Pierre-Louis
“I’ve been an educator for part of my life, and I think education is very significant. Rebuilding the education [system] is rebuilding the future of Haiti. Disaster preparedness should start in schools with the kids. They have to know that we are on a fault and that anytime again there can be another earthquake. They have to know that there can be mudslides because of our environment. They have to know that we are in a hurricane path, and they have to know what should be done when there are hurricanes. They have to know how we should care about the environment. These are vital sectors. …
The situation we are in today—we cannot think of getting out alone. We don’t have the resources, whether human, financial, or material. It’s difficult to come to terms with that, but we have to face reality. That’s what reality is, so we need the international community; we need the donor countries, and we need the bilateral and multilateral institutions like the World Bank and the European Union that already are stakeholders in Haiti. But I think Haitians should be deciding what kind of society they want to build in the future. It’s our responsibility, and I don’t think we should run away from that. If we run away, it’s going to be a disaster, too.”
Excerpted From: Pierre-Louis, M. (2010, May 1). A Long Road Ahead — Leveraging Culture in Haiti’s Reconstruction. Harvard International Review. Retrieved October 11, 2010, from http://hir.harvard.edu/women-in-power/a-long-road-ahead
