St. Pierre parish,
Baradères, Haiti
Sister parish of St. John the Baptist, Silver
Spring, Md.
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Haiti: Giving Hope a Second
Chance Being sent to Haiti—the poorest, most deprived corner of the Western Hemisphere—after having paid for whatever crime landed you in prison is a harsher fate than most deportees face. “It’s a life sentence, like being sent to die in Hell,” Caman remarks. “I used to see Haiti on TV and change the channel— all that poverty and violence. Who wants to go to Haiti? You want to go to Hawaii.” Caman spent his first years in Haiti deeply depressed. He missed his family and his American-born daughter. He spoke no French and little Creole. Haiti was shocking. “Nobody ever told me about this stuff, child slavery, kids with huge bellies and diseases we have vaccines for,” he tells me his eyes widening. “You just can’t believe people can live like this. It’s not human.” Everywhere he looked, Caman saw corruption and degradation. It was hard for him to feel pride in anything. “They told me this is a black country, “ he says shaking his head. Observing the mulatto caste system based on skin color and the power of U.S. dollars, Caman concluded: “The only two colors that matter here are white and green.” After his first year, Caman settled down with his girlfriend Alud and their son, Malcolm, was born. By the time of his daughter Jasmine’s premature birth, Caman’s economic situation had worsened and Alud was in poor health. The baby was tiny as most preemies are. Though she grew, she failed to crawl. Caman and Alud waited hours at clinic after clinic only to be told that the child’s condition was likely congenital. It was the lowest point in his life. |
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At the public hospital a young man waits to see the doctor
after a gang member tried to slit his throat with a machete. 
