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Ultimately, through construction of some Chi, he found an organization whose principles
houses and a lot of local ingenuity and initiative, matched his own; he has been a part of Tzu Chi
this community also had new roads, new jobs, ever since.
better health education, and confidence in
what they could achieve together. The reason Like Beth, Erik, and Fr. Columbano, Lesly
a project like this worked is that the outside lamented the culture of entitlement that has
assistance was not an impersonal one-time become ingrained in the Haitian people—
handout, but rather one part of a long-term his people. By only giving, many NGOs have
plan aimed at improving the community: a plan conditioned the people to wait for handouts
initiated and carried out by locals. instead of figuring out how to achieve for
themselves. They have killed Haitian creativity.
The houses that Food For The Poor built were
significant in themselves, but their value grew Lesly explained that this kind of aid was
exponentially by the confidence, teamwork, unsustainable and ultimately detrimental.
and potential they inspired in their recipients. Instead, he suggested that NGOs should involve
As the locals had a voice in establishing goals more Haitians in their planning process so that
and a hand in seeing projects through, each they can find solutions that truly fit Haiti instead
person had a real stake in their ultimate success of simply trying to import their own. Mostly,
or failure. When the community is at the center, he stressed that there is no easy and quick
the culture of entitlement can be overcome and solution, that real problems cannot be solved
progress can be achieved. overnight. The country needs a long process
of rebuilding—“maybe even fifty or a hundred
TeACH A MAN TO PlANT years”—so patience is vital, as are education
and training.
As Donald drove us well past the city
and the tarps of so many names, we finally Following his meaning, I chimed in with an
reached the Pierre Payen moringa farm—a old proverb: “Give a man a fish, feed him for a
farm established by Michaelle Saint-Natus day; teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime.”
and adjacent to a community built by Food
For The Poor. We toured the nursery where When Lesly started laughing, I assumed
moringa trees quickly grow from seedlings into he had not understood. English was his third
trees, then visited the building where moringa language, after all.
leaves are ground into powder as a convenient
nutritional supplement for the malnourished “No, I understand what you mean,” he
and a job for the unemployed. answered. “But I don’t eat fish. I’m a vegetarian.”

We filled the sweltering bed of BLESSING Clearly, Lesly had already taken Master
with a miniature forest of young saplings to Cheng Yen’s teachings to heart. And with the
be presented to guests of the Buddha Bathing need in Haiti just as great in 2013 as it was in
Ceremony at St. Alexandre Church: gifts that 2010, the message he shared is something
would provide guests with a plant to nourish that should also be taken to heart: help must
and which would ultimately nourish them in be given wisely. After all, if you give a man a
return. vegetable, you feed him for a meal, but if you
teach a man to plant . . .
As we sat within a moringa forest, trying to
keep boxes full of saplings from flying out the #69, 78-80, 99
back at any unexpected pothole, I struck up a
conversation with Lesly Pierre, one of Tzu Chi’s
first seeds of hope in Haiti. Across the country Those who sow the seeds of blessings
in his hometown of Cap-Haïtien when the shall harvest plentiful blessings.
earthquake struck, Lesly’s compassionate heart
led him immediately to Port-au-Prince to offer Jing Si Aphorism by Dharma Master Cheng Yen
whatever help he could. When he found Tzu

1 6 Tzu CHi uSA FALL 2013