Hello friends and family!
It's been a whirlwind here in Haiti- we have been very busy! Although Emily just posted an excellent summary of the past 10 days, I’ll give you my version of a few significant moments.
It's been a whirlwind here in Haiti- we have been very busy! Although Emily just posted an excellent summary of the past 10 days, I’ll give you my version of a few significant moments.
On our second day in Haiti, we went to the Hands Together to Defend the Children orphanage, where 35 kids make their home and receive basic education. At this orphanage EDV has been doing some much needed reparations as well as supporting the children with health education. There we got down and dirty to finish building the wall in the back of their lot. This wall provides security for the kids from the back alley. We mixed cement and applied it to the top of the wall where we placed shards of broken glass to act as a barrier for possible intruders. Now that’s what I call recycling.
The next day was an emotional day for me- for everyone. A group of us went to a new orphanage that EDV is assessing for future projects. At the orphanage, our resident RN and resident pharmacist lead dental health classes while two EDV volunteers performed basic check-ups with the kids to address any immediate health concerns. Meanwhile, Leah, Amanda and I lead art and jewelry making classes.
To wrap up the day we passed out de-worming medication to all the kids- very important to maintain their health.
To wrap up the day we passed out de-worming medication to all the kids- very important to maintain their health.
Although we had a wonderful time with the kids, it was very hard to be there and experience the reality of these orphans. The condition of this orphanage is remedial and sub-standard. There are piles of trash, no sanitary toilet, no roof on their classroom, and not much room to sleep. At Haitian orphanages, in general, the children don’t receive much attention; there simply aren't enough hands or energy to go around for all of them. The few staff members are on duty 24/7 and it would be impossible to give the proper attention to every single child. The older ones take care of the younger ones, but it still does not fill the void of an adult’s nurturing touch. Desperate for any form of attention, the children were constantly fighting to sit in our laps. All the little ones wanted to be picked up and many of them started calling us mommy.
Seeing their desperation for basic love was heartbreaking for me. I fought back tears at some points during the day. Every single child there was absolutely beautiful and it is so sad to think that none of them get to have a normal childhood. On the surface the children seem happy, but look a little closer, and you can clearly see a deep sadness lurking inside of them. I would not want to wish that upon any child in the world, but the reality is that there are many orphans, especially in Haiti. (On a side note, some Haitian parents give up their children to orphanages because they think their children will receive better care than they can provide. 80% of Haitians are unemployed and after the earthquake many parents just can’t afford to support a family any more). I wanted to take every one of those sweet children home with me. All I wanted to do was sit there and give those kids love and hugs all day. I sat down and let them take turns sitting on my lap. Those kids and I speak different languages, come from entirely different worlds, but there was something very peaceful and beautiful about sharing a non-judgmental hug between total strangers.
Overall, emotionally packed moments like my experience at the orphanage are a daily occurrence as an outsider experiencing the real Haiti. Even something as simple as walking down the street to buy bread stirs the emotions. Everywhere you look there are crumbling buildings, piles of rubble, people plagued by illness. Despite these conditions, the spiritual strength of the Haitian people is not broken. In fact, it is quite the contrary. Never before have I met people so hopeful and determined to bring about a better future. The resilience the Haitians have is powerful and no matter what tragedy comes there way, they know will become stronger because of it. As my Haitian friend Jhonson explains, who donated what little money he had to an orphanage: "God did not let me die in the earthquake because I was not meant to die. My destiny is to make my country a better place for the future."
May we all be as wise as Jhonson...until the next post,
Overall, emotionally packed moments like my experience at the orphanage are a daily occurrence as an outsider experiencing the real Haiti. Even something as simple as walking down the street to buy bread stirs the emotions. Everywhere you look there are crumbling buildings, piles of rubble, people plagued by illness. Despite these conditions, the spiritual strength of the Haitian people is not broken. In fact, it is quite the contrary. Never before have I met people so hopeful and determined to bring about a better future. The resilience the Haitians have is powerful and no matter what tragedy comes there way, they know will become stronger because of it. As my Haitian friend Jhonson explains, who donated what little money he had to an orphanage: "God did not let me die in the earthquake because I was not meant to die. My destiny is to make my country a better place for the future."
May we all be as wise as Jhonson...until the next post,
Chelsea
Welcome to Haiti!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing such deep insights on the experience so far. I really feel the children and what that must be like. Helps me to remember to be kind to those around me :) Thanks for sharing your love with the world's kids! xoxo Meg
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