When Government Does Not Function, People Take Care of Themselves

In the midst of the electoral crisis in Haiti, PICO leaders are not waiting for others to solve their problems. “Too many groups have come and trained people to expect charity. When they leave, there is nothing left. PICO will be different.” PICO organizer, Florice Tyrell is putting her words into action. She supports leadership teams in 13 villages across the Northeast Department as they organize labor for basic sanitation; building roads to get their crops to market; and forming cooperatives to establish a source of income. In Ouanaminthe, youth clean up roads to protect community health. Government may be broken in Haiti, but people are not.