Documenting conditions in the camps
To all my friends:
I’m sorry for the long absence. I’ve been extremely busy dealing with the crisis in Haiti and here. One more reason to write you might say. I agree. However, Haiti was reeling from its worst crisis in over 100 years! It was hard to concentrate on anything else. As co-chair of the Haiti Relief Effort, I’m coordinating the collection of food items, tents, and water. Thanks to FANM’s Relief Coordinator Martine Theodore, and Volunteer Coordinator Marie Yolaine Ferdilus, we are ready to send our next shipment of collected goods to Haiti once transportation is secured. I wish to thank each and everyone who donated money, food and medical equipments to the people of Haiti in their time of great need. Special thanks to the American people , President Obama, local and national media, religious and our business community for their generous support. I’m asking you to afford the same urgent concern for the people of Chile who also need our support after the devastation caused by the powerful earthquake. They urgently need your prayers.
Only hours after the earthquake hit Haiti, my staff and I were engaged with the media, relief organizations and area hospitals to provide housing to U.S. citizens relocated from Haiti, grief counseling and supportive services to those whose family members were flown in for treatment. We assisted those children who were passing through Miami and Fort Lauderdale airports to join their adoptive parents. We coordinated volunteers to assist the Red Cross and the Department of Children and Families. Surprisingly, an important service was to rush to bring sweaters upon request to these children who were just freezing cold once they arrived at our airports. They were not properly dressed to confront our unusually chilling weather.
In addition to helping here in the U.S., I traveled to Haiti with a medical relief crew from Notre Dame d’Haiti Church through Miami Air. Our meeting in the plane was coincidental, but we ended up sharing space in a Port-au-Prince church. Upon arrival, we found out that most people in the camps were still waiting for relief. Many needed emergency housing, food, potable water, and health care. I visited camps in Port-au-Prince, Leogane, Mathieu and Darbonne. What we saw on television and the reality on the ground were two different things.
The Camps
Shacks for earthquake survivors
I called them “camps” for lack of a better word. Thousands of makeshift tents covered for the most part by pieces of blankets or plastics or pwela (thick pieces of a clothing materials) . The lucky and well connected have beautiful tents with “Made In China” written over them. Even in the midst of the catastrophe of the century, the class division persists. Most of those interviewed complained that they have yet to receive any relief confirming previous reports. There’ve been a few distributions, but only the “gwo bibit (the muscled ones) got food and water. The others returned to the camp bredouille (without anything). A sign on a wall says it all “Nou Bouke” (we are tired)
Women and Girls at Risk
In times of crisis- In time of war, women and girls fare worse. Even in these horrible times, reports of rapes of women and girls abound. Fathers and husbands sleep in shifts to protect their loved ones, but they must leave the camp to find food. The situation was untenable.
Coordinating the help
The people of Haiti suffered un-imaginable trauma. Most are still in shock. Adults and children alike are startled by even minimal level of noise. The physical wounds will soon heal. The emotional scars will last forever. Despite the overwhelming challenges, Haitians have not lost their sense of brotherhood, their humanity. Whatever little food is available is shared among all in the camps. Relief organizations should build on these secular values and traditions to reach out to those in need. Use the community organizations and women heads of households for the distribution. Everybody will benefit. The women are already doing this on their own. They are the surest guarantee that the aid will reach home. There is no reason to reinvent the wheels. I saw a strong sense of humanity in the camps. The women took charge naturally, cooking, feeding everybody. It was heartwarming to see this level of humanity in the midst of such desolation and despair.
Looking Toward the Future
No matter where you turn, the misery of the people is evident. The babies are dehydrated. A woman is bathing right on the street. A newborn lays motionless. Her little tummy going up and down, is the only sign of life. She is too weak to cry or even suckle her mother’s breast. The mother, Julia told me that she uses a spoon to drop sweetened water though her lips.
Echoes of the Past
Memories of my volunteer time at Deschapelles, the Albert Schweitzer Hospital, flooded my mind. There, the babies were too weak to smile or breastfeed. My job was to feed them drops of black bean soup (sos pwa) and water with a teaspoon. When the babies looked into the deep recesses of my soul and gave me their first smile, I knew then that they were safe. I was not a doctor, even though at the time my head was full of dreams of becoming one. I wanted to build a hospital in Pont Benoit because as a child going there on vacation, I saw too many died en route to the hospital. That was so long ago.
There is a mountain of needs at every turn: shattered dreams, unbearable pain, thoughts of loved ones rotting under the rubble, thrown in shallow graves without the rites and traditions that are so dear. Like most, Haitians have a reverence, deep respect for the dead! Oh, the pain of never knowing … no rituals, no final goodbyes. The un-ending pain!
Planning for the Future
There has to be a plan to develop long term housing for the displaced. The peasantry has seen a population boost for the thousands who’ve deserted the capital. The state must develop a structure to absorb them…meet their basic needs. This may indeed be the beginning of a long awaited decentralization strategy. It is a golden opportunity to engage the displaced in the rebuilding process – create new green jobs, build roads, hospitals with the intimate collaboration of the diaspora.
The Rebuilding
This trip taught me that the Haitian people are ready and willing to serve! They’ve been left out of the equation for a long, long time ! They came out of this crisis in a very strong way. Everywhere you turn, the Haitian people are present, digging with their bare hands, pulling people out….people they did not even know! Their love for complete strangers, their humanity touched me deeply! They showed us that they can and they will rebuild Haiti if given the opportunity! They will need our support in the diaspora. There is a wealth of skills and expertise that can be put to use . Women, in particular must take a strong leadership role there. Otherwise, we will be in the same predicament in the next 100 years! Of course, the State of Haiti will need to develop a strategic plan, “un plan de societe” with all voices represented! Many doubt that they can do as much. But they must. They can!
We are looking for volunteers to pack all received goods bound for Haiti. Please call (786)399-3999 to help.
With Kindest Regards.
Marleine Bastien
