When I first came to Haiti, the tent cities and camps that sprung up to provide shelter for those displaced by the earthquake held an interest for me as I had spent several months in a refugee camp as a child. What I witnessed reminded me of all the things that I went through - in this, I suppose, all refugees are alike.
Two weeks have passed and the journalists, save for a handful, have left. Interest seems to have waned despite the development of ever increasing problems....
more »When I first came to Haiti, the tent cities and camps that sprung up to provide shelter for those displaced by the earthquake held an interest for me as I had spent several months in a refugee camp as a child. What I witnessed reminded me of all the things that I went through - in this, I suppose, all refugees are alike.
Two weeks have passed and the journalists, save for a handful, have left. Interest seems to have waned despite the development of ever increasing problems. Everyone I talked to was in desperate need of most or all of these four things: food, potable water, shelter, and medication. They stood angry and upset, waiting for aid that never came while being portrayed as criminals and looters when scavenging for food and supplies that they need to survive. How easy it must be for us to judge when we are not dying ourselves from a lack of the basic necessities of life. In the words of Anatole France, "The law, in its majestic equality, forbids the rich as well as the poor to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal bread."
Problems arise from more than just the earthquake itself - issues that predate the quake were not wiped away, but rather exacerbated. All the social troubles before the quake from crushing poverty to lack of infrastructure that made life difficult for the average Haitian were only compounded. Health and sanitation are now starting to become a major concern. Infections are increasing as well as disease. Wounds inflicted during the quake are not healing properly as it is nearly impossible to keep them clean and immune systems are compromised due to stress and lack of proper nutrition. Each day, more and more people show up at hospitals, clinics, and volunteer medical sites.
Despite all this, there remains hope. They find hope in the surviving members of their families, in each other, and in their religion. They will live on and they will rebuild.
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