I just finished communicating with a veteran missionary in Haiti and gained some pretty important, time-saving insights about shipping merchandise into Haiti. This stuff is just too good to keep to myself so here goes....The paperwork for shipping into Haiti containers of merchandise is enormous. Shipping containers require SGS inspection prior to shipping from the United States to ensure that the goods are as stated and the costs are as represented on the forms.
If this step has been omitted, the customs office will not be able to process the goods until this requirement has been met. Please understand customs officials in Haiti are attempting to follow current internationally accepted shipping standards in order to prevent customs fraud and help control the smuggling of drugs.
Many times the news media tends to sensationalize reports of customs delays, failing to report the full story. Makes you wonder if, for instance, why a reporter fails to ask if any of the health centers which treat cholera are out of meds. Well, here's the rest of the story from someone on the ground in Haiti - someone who has lived there day and day out for decades.
The answer to the above question would have been a resounding "No!" Why? Because one organization alone had 50,000 kits on hand and the U.N. another 60,000 with excellent distribution. The sad part is the report made it sound like customs was unfairly keeping needed meds from the people. The fact was, the centers of distribution for these meds were already too overwhelmed with their existing supplies to be able to process the supplies sitting in customs if they were released.
If containers were shipped in through Agape Flights or Missionary Flights International, they would likely clear customs rather quickly. However, if the merchandise is in a container on the wharf, it takes much longer because of the backlog.
Those who have been in Haiti a long time understand the workings of the system and don't get in a sweat about the time frame it takes to process things, because they understand that the system is slow and far from perfect. It does work in due time though if you stick with it, stay calm, and file the needed paperwork requested in a timely manner. Here in the U.S., we tend to expect things done immediately and get really frustrated if it can't be done because "can't" isn't in our vocabulary when there's an emergency.
Here's a great alternate tip: If you have containers to ship, you could contact your local US Army or U.N. people and have them brought in through them somehow. A friend in Canada ships medical supplies from Canada through the Canadian Armed Forces whenever they have a plane coming to move troops. They do not go through customs and there are no fees to pay. The person on the receiving end just has to pick it up from the base.
Get this book to learn effective, practical ways to bring healing to Haiti from someone who grew up on the mission field in Haiti:
Haiti Past, Present, Future: Where is the Hope?
