Haitian Gossip > People > Community

In Haiti, Begging has a new professional touch - Shocking the way people ask you for money

In Haiti, Begging has a new Professional touch... True story -- One late afternoon, a man was passing by on motorcycle in the small Haitian city where I live, he pulled over next to me and asked me: "Pardon me, Sir, you don't know me but I need your help. I have an emergency and I need get somewhere in a hurry, can you by any chance give me 2 gallons of gasoline?"

More in Begging in Haiti, Haitian Newsletter Articles, Just a thought, Haitian Gossip, People, Community


In Haiti there are so many Things that make you go Hmmm...

KREYOL: Haiti - La mendicité vini tounen yon proffession nan peyi a... Neg la parèt sou motocyclette li, byen bòzò, epi li mande fè-l kado 2 galon gazolinn... Ki koze sa? Kisa ou panse de bagay saa?

Two gallons of gasoline? What the???

That man whom I didn't know just asked me to give him $430 gourdes (215 per gallon)... That's a lot considering that the average beggar only ask for $5 gourdes...

I was nowhere near a gas station. Was he really expecting me to give him a $500 gourde bill and send him on his way?

Here is the funniest part of the story... When I got home, I told a friend of mine what happened. Not surprised, he describe the man to me and told me the make, model and color of the motorcycle. He then told me that man was a professional beggar and that's how he makes his living, asking people for gas money...

That's when I realized someone came to me about a week earlier to ask me for gas money for his car because his daughter had some kind of emergency and he needed to take her out of town....

Have you had any similar experience in Haiti?

Write a comment  (5)

You might also like

Return to Articles List

All Comments (5)

Natasha Ducasse says...

No one is criticizing anyone here, he is right, how do you walk up to someone you dont even know and ask for money, its' very unconfortable it puts the person and a very unconfortable situation.

If you dont have gas for your car or motorcycle stay home, walk, or ask a family member or a friend, sell something, but please stop begging, leave it for the real poor those who cannot afford a bike. Instigating and making underline threats like that to another person for expressing their opinion about a situation, makes you just as guilty as them for posting it. Begging in haiti is real and it is happening at a fast rate and people should be aware and have the right to know the good ones and the bad ones. You can clearly see those in need and those who enjoy begging just because they can get away with

Reply  ... More

Natasha Ducasse says...

Begging in haiti has become a way of living in haiti, wether by phone, letters or in person.

I am not shocked to hear your story at all. I myself encounter this unpleasant situation almost on a weekly basis while living here in the US to the point where i have to change my phone number, hide my facebook profile as an effort to become more invisble to those beggers.

They have created many ways of begging, they use stories, they use family members, children, they do online, they target disapora's all over the world within the haitian community.

Reply  ... More

Patrick Princivil says...

My friend,

I have to tell you the truth, when you find somebody in any conditions like that don't criticize this person a motorcycle mean nothing if it doesn't have any money to put gas inside maybe he or she was in distress to make it work, maybe this person don't want to be a kidnaper or thief or drug dealer he or she is struggling like everybody, it doesn't look good to reveal thing like that on the system, if this person knows about what's going one behind his back you don't believe he or she can kill he or herself?

Reply  ... More

Georges says...

I know a professional beggar personally.

He goes to mass everyday at Saint Pierre, Petion-Ville, he is related and wears a well known Haitian family

Reply  ... More

John says...

Once had a guy that begs for a living ask me if I was going to give him a Christmas

Reply  ... More

Leave a Reply

Name (required)

E-mail (required, will not be published)

Subject: In Haiti, Begging has a new professional touch - Shocking the way people ask you for money edit

» »