From one man’s promise to his father to a group of medical volunteers, Haiti: Day by Day captures the essence of human kindness. In 2014, Connecticut filmmaker Scott Sniffen started following a team of doctors, nurses and other medical volunteers to rural Haiti as they try to bring basic healthcare to areas where there are none. One leader of the group is Guinxe Gabriel, a Haitian American who never forgot the words of his father when he left Haiti at a young age, “Remember the others.”
Haiti, the poorest nation in the Western hemisphere, has a long history of unrest, corruption and bloodshed, which continues today. The filmmakers are witness to life in the mountainous regions of the small Caribbean nation, where some areas compare to life during the 17th century. Despite impoverished living conditions and little to no support from their government, the smiling, friendly islanders meet the volunteers with open arms and are more than accepting to wait in the heat to be seen by a doctor, perhaps for the first time in their lives.
The film also reports on other sustainable efforts in Haiti, programs which incorporate Haitian doctors and volunteers into long-term efforts. And the film follows the group back to Guinxe’s childhood home in the mountains where his father ignited the dream so many years ago.
In the end, filmmaker Sniffen hopes to shine a light on a different Haiti than the one often seen in the media; a Haiti with smart, vigilant, capable and most of all friendly people, all with hopes and dreams like us all.
Where to Watch
Haiti: Day by Day premieres on CPTV on Tuesday, October 18, 2022 at 11 p.m. It will re-air on CPTV on Wednesday, November 2, 2022 at 10 p.m.
It will also be available to watch on-demand on this page, on YouTube, and at video.cptv.org.