(Palkkatyöläinen 2-2002 - Juhani Artto) Mathieu Marcel, 28, lives in Capotille, a village in the North-Eastern corner of Haiti. His home region is one of the poorest areas in the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, but Mathieu does not complain.

A rebellion of black slaves made Haiti an independent republic in 1804, but repression did not end there. A power élite has exploited the people throughout the country’s history. Eleven years ago the poor people voted for the little priest Bertrand Aristide to become President, but even he has concentrated on accumulating personal power and wealth. Even so, Mathieu does not complain.

Heavy rain periodically stops all traffic along Capotille’s potholed village road. There is no teacher in the neighbourhood, and a rented two-acre plot of agricultural land provides no proper livelihood to a family of six, but Mathieu does not complain. He is a man of action. He does not accuse others for his family’s sparse living conditions, nor does he expect relief for his problems from the capital or from abroad.

The State provides no support whatsoever for Capotille’s poor families, nor does the bank lend them even enough to buy seed or a hoe. Mathieu and his fellows resort to the age-old approach of the have-nots: self-help and collective voluntary work.

"Many people have joined our voluntary work groups after having seen what we do. One may give a small banknote, another a couple of coins. Everybody has muscles in their body," Mathieu explains.

"This is how we repaired our village road and managed to build a toilet for each family in our village. We have provided food for those who, for various reasons, have been left with nothing. When somebody falls seriously ill, our village community manages, one way or another, to transport that person to the health centre in town.

Mathieu’s neighbour and mother of two, Hermelyne Pierre, 27, has the same spirit for voluntary work. She has volunteered to be responsible for HIV/aids education. "The most difficult thing is that some men do not give due respect to women. We try to change their attitudes by friendly discussion. We are not seeking conflict between men and women," Hermelyne says.