Page 32 - 37-Fall 2013

Restoring the Luster of

the pearl of the Antilles

Fay Chou | Translated by John Ueng

Haiti’s trash problem is far from solved, but
things are moving in the right direction.
Photo: Fay Chou

n a summer afternoon in Haiti, the sun Silver-haired Genelia Sanon-Loulouse quietly
is hot and blinding. On the roadside of a watches every move of every person in sight.
Omajor thoroughfare, a crude food stand This section is her turf, where she makes her
sits under a tree a dozen steps from a bus stop. living. The moment someone finishes drinking
from a plastic bottle, she walks over to collect
it and place it into a large plastic bag. Nearby,
she has safely stashed a dozen large bags full of
empty plastic bottles.

Down the hill on the other side of the
thoroughfare is a dried-up riverbed. Layers
of discarded plastic bottles fill a small open
area amid dusty shrubs and abandoned cars.
Her small figure bent under the scorching sun
with her bare feet buried calf-deep, Laurette
Joassin rummages through the bottles. One
after another, she tosses recyclables into a large
Collecting recyclables is hard work, but it is a plastic bag. When the bag is full, she ties it up
chance to make a living. Photo: Fay Chou tightly, hoists it over her head with some effort,
then slowly walks up the hill back to the street.

3 2 Tzu CHi uSA FALL 2013