par Maryse Noël Roumain

Integration Indicators and Brain Waste

Haitians (high and low-educated alike) are renowned for their hard work. Overall, 48% of them have filed applications and have become American citizens and 49% have become economically integrated by acquiring residences and businesses . Many have legalized their status especially after the earthquake when they were granted Temporary Protection Status. They marry nationals outside of their communities, demonstrating intergroup, and inter-racial social skills. They are voting and are otherwise integrating mainstream American politics, especially in recent times; some are elected officials. Many Haitian immigrants have children who attend colleges, sometimes in Ivy League schools. And, finally, they have accumulated important savings in American banks. (For details see Laguerre’s books).
Some of those who came in the 1960s and the 1970s did not adapt easily and experienced a loss of occupational, social and economic status (“brain waste”). Many of this generation were nostalgic of Haiti and nurtured the dream to return home. And they did when the Duvalier era ended with the forced ouster of Baby Doc and his family in 1986. Some of these returnees involved themselves in the struggle for power transfer during this period of transition to democracy and played major political roles.
“Brain waste” occurs when some categories of professionals from the source country are not accepted as such in the host country. In this case, there is a lack of correspondence between ‘push’ and ‘pull’ factors. When these factors do not correspond, ‘brain waste’ is widespread, characterized by the inability of qualified personnel to integrate the professions of their choice. Racism, language differences and legal status are also factors that intervene in ‘brain waste’.
The Haitian immigrant society has experienced a lot of ‘brain waste’. In the 1960s and the 1970s, for example, there was more of a need for doctors, nurses, nannies, clerks, manufacture workers, and taxi drivers than for teachers and other professionals. Since the 1990s, there has been lesser acceptance of the doctors whose credentials are no longer recognized producing other incidences of ‘brain waste’. About 1/3rd of the university graduates who survived the earthquake have left Haiti in the aftermath of the tremor, mostly for the U.S.; and these experience “brain waste”.

Diaspora Evolution over Time

Haitian immigration evolved over the years. For example, the concept and practice of “remittance” developed into “collective remittances” by Hometown Associations (HTAs), Haitian Professional Associations (HPAs) and Church-based Organizations (CBOs) that are transferred to build infrastructure (schools, clinics, churches etc…), establish businesses and provide training. In fact, it is recognized that financial transfers are only “one facet of an intense web of exchange” between the diaspora and its home country since “remittance” may include exchange of ideas, cultural transference and exchange, business transactions, ideological and political contributions, travel-related expenses, purchases and communication, returnees employment and, last but not least…tourism development (Inter-American Development Bank, 2012).
Many researchers are amazed at the strength of Haitian identity even among second generation Haitians and find Diaspora support “astonishing”. There is an admission that Diaspora remittances have addressed gaps in health care delivery and access to education in Haiti and that, overall, remittance reduces poverty (Sullivan, 2012).
It has been advised that Diaspora associations network among themselves and delegate responsibility to Haiti-based management staff in order to implement significant projects. Such associations include the Haitian American Association of Physicians Abroad (AMHE).
The Diaspora is, however, reluctant in making serious investment in Haiti, advancing political instability, heavy bureaucracy and feckless politicians as the main deterrent (see Fagen, P.W. et al, 2009).
Today, the Haitian diaspora has evolved into a pool of resources for employment, investment, political influence and tourism development in Haiti and it is recognized political rights, as the 1987 Constitution has been amended to grant them dual citizenship and the possibility to run for office. There is a realization it is uniquely positioned to help Haiti realize its economic potential and that the group must be tapped for its technical and intellectual capacity and investment capital (Center for Strategic and International Studies, 2011). Haitian immigrants now see themselves as transnational citizens in a globalized world who are building their lives in their adopted country while maintaining relations with the homeland. Second and third generations immigrants of Haitian descent are better integrated and contribute to the diversity and culture of the United States.

What are the contemporaneous issues?
While the arrival of the so-called ‘boat-people’ has significantly decreased due to pressures on the part of the American government and better surveillance of the coastline by the U.S. coast guards, other waves of Haitians continue to arrive in America by regular means, with or without the proper visa to stay and seek employment. Meanwhile, the Haitian population has continued to grow. It is now estimated at 10 million in the country and the United States continues to be an anchor point for both those who want to work and earn a living by any necessary means and those who desire to complete their higher education studies and have a career in their field while maintaining relations with their homeland…
The Haitian Brain Drain Continues…
Since there has been no change of policy (especially immigration and labor policy) in the source country or the receiving country, the educated Haitian émigrés continue to leave their homeland for the US. There is important unemployment and brain waste in Haiti itself which the U.S. and Canada profit from.
Acknowledging the fact, the Lavalas government, under the presidency of Jean-Bertrand Aristide, created the Ministry of Haitians Living Abroad (in French: Le Ministère des Haïtiens Vivant à L’Etranger or MHAVE) in 1994. Its stated goal is to provide a framework for the development of the native land through increased investment and trade (see MHAVE website). Up to now, in its twenty years of existence, MHAVE has done some networking with Haitian-Americans and Haitian-American associations abroad but this Ministry has not articulated a working plan for investment and trade as it proposes to do. Beyond that, the consulates and embassies have yet to be modernized to respond to the diaspora’s demands in terms of economic, political and cultural aspects.
Some contemporaneous issues that should be addressed are:
– The reduction of brain waste inside and outside of Haiti
– The facilitation of a better integration in the host country
– The rationalization of remittances
– The structuring of Diaspora participation in the political process
– The assistance to Haitian diaspora businesses inside and outside of Haiti
– The funding of cultural exchange, Haitian studies and Language classes
– The encouragement of diaspora participation to tourism development.

Bibliography
Center for Immigration Studies: Fact Sheet about Haitian Immigrants in the U.S. 2000.
Center for Strategic and International Studies: The Role of the Haiti Diaspora in Building Haiti Back Better: Johanna Mendelson Forman 2011.
Fagan et al. Haitian Diaspora Assessment and their investment in social services – Report to IDB, 2009
Inter-American Development Bank: Haiti Remittance Survey, 2007.
Inter-American Development Bank: Remittance to Latin American and the Caribbean in 2011. Washington, D.C.
Jadotte, E: Brain Drain, Brain Circulation and Diaspora Networks. Report to the Least Developed Countries, 2012.
Johnson, N: Analysis and Assessment of the Brain Drain phenomenon and its effect on Caribbean countries.
Laguerre, M.S. American Odyssey: Haitians in New York City: 1995
Laguerre, M.S. Diasporic Citizenship: Haitian Americans in Transnational America. New York: St Martin Press. 1998
United Nations (2010): Health Workers, International Migration and Development, Department of Economics and Social Affairs; Population Division 2010.
World Bank (2011) Migration and Remittance: Fact Book, 2nd Edition.
WHO and PAHO: report on the Healt

par Maryse Noël Roumain

“Mutual Gain” and “Remittances”

The term “mutual gain” is preferred by some due to “remittances” to the country of origin: it is a fact that the nationals, who settle abroad, pay valuable contributions to their families left behind; remittances refer to money, goods, clothing or other assets immigrants transfer to their native country.
It is reported that 45% of Haiti households have a family member living abroad. Of those, 31% receive an average of $150 USD per month ((IDB , 2007).
After the horrific earthquake which swept away the lives of a reported 300,000 persons, 200,000 Haitians living illegally in the United States have been granted Temporary Protection Status (TPS) which allowed them to work – without fear of deportation – and to send money home. TPS might have been worth as much as 360 million dollars in additional remittance to Haiti in 2010 alone (Jadotte, 2012).
Beyond being a short-term, post-disaster recovery tool, remittance is considered vital to the long-term development of Haiti. Economist Michael Clemens at the Center for Global Development suggests that the potential benefit of a Diaspora for development has been repeatedly demonstrated.
The Caribbean area is the largest recipient of remittances in the world and the United States is the largest source of these remittances. The United States contribute 90% of remittances, Latin America and the Caribbean region 6% and Europe 4%. From the year 2000, remittances – estimated at 2 billion dollars a year – outpaced Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and the country’s exports of goods and services. They are also above development assistance (World Bank, 2011).
Remittances also help the country’s economy, providing cash flow and foreign currency (IDB, 2007). Additionally, it has been noted that there is a spill over of knowledge, technology and savoir-faire when Diaspora experience is transferred to the native country. Therefore, it is argued, one should talk about “mutual gain” since these remittances cancel out the loss of human capital.
In the case of Haiti however, we should ask whether “remittances” as specified above are a sufficient compensation for the depletion of our educated and skilled.
Let us take as examples two sectors where there has been a significant contribution to the U.S. and Canada: Health and Education.
The health care sector:
Here is a somber picture of the health situation in this country as portrayed by the World Health Organization.
Malaria is endemic… Vaccinations efforts have decreased… Diarrhea and gastroenteritis are the second leading causes of death in adults and especially children… typhoid, tuberculosis and leprosy are present…HIV/AIDs infections affect 4.5% of the Haitian population especially pregnant women and their babies… malnutrition and anemia are high…health services reach 60% of the population while the rest (40%) relies on traditional medicine… There are only 2 institutions that provide mental health care in the Capital city, Port-au-Prince.
“In 1998, there were 2.4 physicians per 10,000 persons and in 1996 there was 1 nurse per 10,000 and 3.1 auxiliaries per 10,000…In 1999, a bilateral cooperation agreement was signed with Cuba, under which 500 Cuban health professionals have been working in 62% of the municipalities, for 5 years…”
(World Health Organization and Pan-American Health Organization, 2010)
The Education sector:
Many Haitian educators were able to emigrate and work in their field, particularly in Quebec where the French language is used. Those who had graduated from Haiti Teachers’ Schools are known to have provided instruction to primary and secondary school students who went on to College and contributed to the development of this Canadian province, leaving our public and private schools to the least qualified.
Here is the situation of our Education system today:
– The illiteracy rate is close to 60%
– There are significant school structural deficiencies;
– The public schools cover only 20% of the total demand for basic education;
– The quality of education is deficient as well as the quality of teaching materials;
– There is a lack of qualified teachers and adequate curricula (United Nations, 2010).

Recalling the Past: A historical overview
The history of educated Haitian immigration to the United States comprises 5 main periods:
– The period of the Haitian revolution (1791-1804)
– The period of the US occupation of Haiti (1915-1934)
– The period of Papa Doc (1957-1960 and 1960-1971)
– The period of Baby Doc (1971-1986)
– The period of transition to Democracy (1986 to the present) including the aftermath of the 2010 devastating earthquake.
Leaving apart the time of Spanish and French colonization which lasted three hundred years, these periods are marked by a flight of the educated; the first instance having been those inhabitants of the island who left for the U.S. during the turbulent period of the Haitian revolution: 1791-1804.
Laguerre (1995) mentions that those émigrés settled especially in Philadelphia which became their cultural capital: “In Philadelphia”, he writes, “Médéric Louis Elie Moreau de St Méry (1750-1819), a former Haitian government official, ran a printing press and opened a bookstore which soon became a meeting place for concerned Haitians. There, they read about the latest development about the Haitian Revolution in Le Courrier de la France and in Colonies, a newspaper published by Louis Gâtereau; Moreau de St Méry also wrote during this period his outstanding work “Description Topographique, Physique, Politique et Historique de la Partie Française de l’Isle de St. Domingue.” It is also in Philadelphia that John Audubon (1785-1851), the naturalist and illustrator, born in Haiti, wrote his study of birds. Another Haitian immigrant Joseph Savary became the first black to hold the rank of major in the U.S. Army. It is estimated that about 10,000 Haitians settled in New Orleans during this period.

The second wave of Haitian émigrés arrived in the US during the American occupation of Haiti (1915-1934). These immigrants were “well educated and deeply involved in opposition politics. About 500 of them resided in Harlem in 1925”. Some played an active role in the Harlem Renaissance , the Marcus Garvey movement and the American Communist Party. They developed businesses and those who had the proper credentials were hired to teach French and Spanish in the New York public schools. Haitian women were hired as caretakers, housework help and sleep-in maids (ibid).

The 3rd major period of emigration started when Papa Doc was elected president of Haiti in 1957 through manipulated elections. These were primarily political exiles that fled the country due to political persecution including several dissenting priests of the Catholic Church.

From 1960 to 1971, many upper and middle-class educated and skilled Haitians entered the United States, most of them professionals or white-collar workers. The growth in volume of middle-class Haitian immigrants was also stimulated by an American immigration policy influenced by the Civil Rights movement that expressed a need for Latin American and Caribbean expertise and also promoted family reunion.

Under the government of Baby Doc, from 1971 to 1986, a greater number of semiskilled and domestic workers arrived in addition to the educated and skilled, changing the occupational profile and status of the Haitian immigrant. Haitian emigration was a profitable “business”.

Still under Baby Doc, starting in the 1970s, political and economic deteriorating conditions in the provinces and the rural areas drove “refugees” known as “boat people” seeking asylum in Florida after dangerous voyages on frail sailboats. United States officials refused to recognize them as political refugees as were the Cubans and they were apprehended, interrogated and sent to jail awaiting eventual deportation. The flight of the Haitians on frail craft is also a lucrative “business”.
While economic/political asylum seekers continued to reach Florida shores, a new wave of Haitian emigrants arrived in the U.S. during the politically unstable period of transition to democracy in Haiti (1986 to the present time), when the Military and the Lavalas-affiliated movement dominated and economic conditions continued to worsen. The composition of this group is diverse, comprising all categories of social classes, education and skill levels with a high representation of college students enrolling for higher education in Florida.
Integration Indicators and Brain Waste

(to be continued next week. Read and comment)

By: Maryse Noël Roumain
(One chapter will be published every week).

The Departure of the Educated Haitian Emigrant: Concepts for Analysis

January 2014

Abstract:
The educated Haitian emigrant, who departs his/her native country and settles in the United States, is the subject of this paper as I discuss the following:
1- “Brain Drain” and “Brain Gain” in the Haitian Context.
2- What constitute “mutual gain” and “remittances” in our case?
3- Recalling the past: a historical perspective.
4- Integration indicators and “brain waste”?
5- Haitian Diaspora evolution over time.
6- What are the contemporaneous issues?

Brain Drain in the Haitian Context
The Caribbean region has the highest emigration rates in the world and this emigration is larger in the higher schooling categories. Approximately 30% of the labor force of many Caribbean islands has left their countries, and more than 80% of College Graduates have immigrated. The receiving countries – primarily the United States and Canada – have thus benefited from an increase in qualified human resources from the region while there is loss of human capital that is vital to the development of society, in the source countries (Johnson, 2009).
In Haiti, the propensity to migrate increases with educational level; since the labor market is not able to gainfully provide jobs for these groups, they have been leaving the country in large numbers (Jadotte, 2012).
Until recent times, there have been few studies evaluating the nature and impact of Brain Drain on the source country or the host countries in Haiti. A report published by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) mentions that this country has the lowest aggregate emigration rate (10%) in the region, but that the tertiary educated has been in this country reduced by 84% due to emigration to OECD countries (Mishra, 2006).
Some question the pertinence of the terminology “brain drain” to characterize Haitian migration. However, it is recognized that a high percentage of the educated has left Haiti, particularly since the 1960s and before those times as well – although in lesser numbers -. Those who left then were likely to be from the middle and professional classes: they tended to be educators, health care workers, professors and teachers, political dissenters and reformers, college students and high school graduates… Most left due to political conflict, difficult socio-economic conditions, or incited by immigration and employment policies at home as well as abroad; some were political exiles, especially during the Duvalier era (1957-1986), a dictatorship of twenty-nine years. Both “push” (factors which cause emigrants to leave their homeland) and “pull” factors (those that attract immigrants to receiving countries) acted upon this flight of human capital.
When these persons migrated, there has been a corresponding shortage of qualified intellectuals, professionals, leaders and cadres remaining in the country. Haiti has been subjected since the middle of the 20th century to an important loss of human resources affecting primarily the health and education sector as well as political leadership… it is one of the six countries in the world with more than 50% of their native born physicians living abroad while having at the same time critical shortages of health workers, thus experiencing a “brain drain” (in French: Drainage, Fuite des cerveaux) while countries like the United States and Canada, the primary beneficiaries, have experienced a “brain gain” (United Nations: 2010).