The BenefactorDieuseul Lundi's native land is an economic shambles, sustained by emigre donors like him. With earnings from two jobs in Miami he supports dozens of friends and relatives, paying for food, funerals a
By Carol J. Williams, Times Staff Writer
April 18, 2006
An aging propeller plane skittered to a halt on a dirt runway. Nearby, an ambivalent greeting party had gathered to collect Dieuseul Lundi for the last bone-jarring hour of his journey home.A nephew, Johnson Paul, had brought Lundi's four-wheel-drive Nissan with the cracked windshield.
He resented his uncle's quarterly visits because otherwise he could use the vehicle as a taxi and earn a few dollars.
A cousin, Asemedi Alexis, a voodoo healer and avid gambler, had come to hit Lundi up for money to bet on the afternoon cockfights.Jean Edner, a friend and business partner, wanted help reopening the idle cinder-block factory that Lundi helped pay for.
Since he left for the U.S. 33 years ago, Lundi has pumped tens of thousands of dollars back into Haiti through an extended family of at least three dozen people. On trips home, he resembles a one-man foreign aid program.
Access To This L.A Times Series On The New Foreign Aid
Copyright 2006 Los Angeles Times
