Ayiti Cheri

Karen Cuesta, one of P4H’s past Impact Trip members, wrote a beautiful piece about Haiti.

They told me not to judge a book by its cover

As they sat back and judged a country

A people so strong, relentless, intelligent

A fortress made by men built up by Poto Mitans

A country overshadowed and made blind to the world of its true power

They failed to see, chose to ignore

The beauty and resilience, the strength in unity

They had no interest in the culture

And grew hungrier in greed, feeding themselves the "good" of the savior complex

Do not judge a country by its headlines

Ayiti does not need what it already has

She doesn't want donations of what she can already make

Do not let them fool you, open your eyes and see for yourself

Stop feeding into their "heroic" savior complex

Her true heroes live within her

Her strength runs in the blood of her pillars

The women who raise leaders and instill strength into their men

Her true saviors are the ones who carry her history and live out her story

They are the true heroes, not them

Her kin do not only live within her borders

Oceans apart or miles in between

Diaspora, I'm talking to you

Do not forget those who fought before you

Keep in mind the generation that comes after you

Your country is righteous, it is not trash

Your country is planted, it is not buried

Your country is righteous and planted with true strength, dignity and passion

Your country is rooted in the One who is the vine

Branching out, you were placed

You were given an education to be fed

Absorb, learn, and grow

Then go back and water your roots

Ayiti Cheri, Bondye mesi Bondye