Will the real survivors please stand up?
With the audience appreciated Survivor series of TV programs, one might get the idea that the real survivors are the people who win the prizes to stick it out the longest in this or that hostile environment. What about the people in the above pictures?
Homesteaders in our tradition:
We Americans have the memory of homesteaders who crossed the vast plains and learned to "make do" with the raw materials close at hand. When there were no trees, they built earthen homes. Both the environment and the historical moment combined to reinforce the idea that people had to fend for themselves without chronic dependence upon the government.
Who is asking for a handout?
Many Haitian families who live in the Paraíso mountain communities sustained damage to the homes where they live. In contrast to the local population that clamors for government or Church assistance as a first response, the "morenos" (as they are called) initial response to disaster is to fix things as best they can. From experience they know that they can not count on the government since they have no legal rights nor political clout. As a result, survival skills keep pace with the changing generations.
Do they need help?
The hardship honed self-reliance of the immigrant survivors remains a potent value and free hand-outs would do little to reach everyone. Perhaps the last thing the immigrants need is to lose their self-reliance and survival skills. The valuable help that the Church can offer them is through the parish schools. In this setting their children receive a chance to learn Spanish together with reading and writing. These schools provide a much needed cultural bridge between the local Dominicans and the newcomers. For this reason we must rely upon Dominican teachers, even as we struggle to find ways to encourage them to be consistent with their work days.
The value of a thatched roof:
When compared with a zinc roof, the natural roof has a very low carbon footprint, is cooler in the hot sun and keeps more warmth in the house during cold nights. The drawbacks concern durability issues. You would be surprised to see thatched roofs that withstood the fury of Noel, while corroded zinc roofs flew off in pieces. God bless the people who know how to resolve their own needs and who remain alert to share survival skills with their children. They would have a big laugh watching our "Survivor" TV shows, knowing that the challenges depicted are pure entertainment and that the "experts" have funny looking, awkward skills, like the easterner who becomes a summer vacation cowboy.
