Stoic

By Rick Perera, CARE Media Officer

This will be my last blog entry from Haiti – but certainly not the last about Haiti, a country that has worked its way into my heart.  I leave tomorrow on a special charter flight for aid workers. I first visited Haiti just over five years ago, in the aftermath of the devastating Tropical Storm Jeanne.  It was an unkind introduction to a country, and I’d hate to think I’m one of those people who only notice Haiti when it is struck by catastrophe.

But it’s worth noticing Haiti, even now.  Because when things are at their worst – and it’s hard to imagine anything worse than the great earthquake of 2010 – the Haitians show a level of courage and resilience that is nothing short of inspiring.

A woman at Delmas Camp, where CARE is working. Image: Evelyn Hockstein/CARE.

To say the people of Port-au-Prince are stoic would be an understatement.  They are incredibly strong.  Though virtually all have lost close loved ones, they have put aside the business of grieving in order to deal with more pressing matters:  how to feed their children, remain safe in dark and dangerous corners of a ruined city, and brace themselves for the inevitable mud bath of the coming rainy season.

It can be jarring to discuss the matter of personal loss with a Haitian.  Shoulders are shrugged; work goes on uninterrupted.  One frequently hears the phrase, “it’s God’s will,” equal parts faith and resignation.  Some Haitians even seem to feel responsible for the disaster than has befallen them.  At open-air religious services across the capital, worshippers repent for the nation’s sins and seek divine forgiveness.

One feels intense sorrow and sympathy for those who have lost so much, who bear their pain with such dignity.  But mostly I feel admiration.  Haitians are intelligent and patriotic.  Most – especially women – are amazingly hard workers.  They’ve borne more suffering in three weeks that anyone should endure in a lifetime, and kept their heads high.  The Haitian diaspora is renewing its commitment to the homeland – returning to lend a hand, or digging deeper into hard-earned funds to support those left behind.

By rights these gifted, diligent people ought to be as rich as anyone on the planet.  But they’ve been saddled with intractable problems – from weak government, to poor health care, to disastrously bad stewardship of the environment.  Until those challenges are addressed, any kind of recovery is unthinkable.

None of these, of course, could have prevented an earthquake, but they most certainly could have limited damage and fatalities.  On any block you can see well-constructed buildings that suffered little visible damage, side by side with the rubble of shoddily-built dwellings.  Corruption and lack of building code enforcement are as responsible for the death toll as are tectonic shifts.

Things will never be the same here – and they shouldn’t.  The impetus for a reinvented Haiti will have to come from Haitians themselves, but the rest of the world must firmly commit to stand by these lovely, long-suffering people for as long as it takes.

I’ve written before of a “new calendar,” denominated in B.C. and A.C. – Before and After the Catastrophe.  Haiti needs a new clock, too.  It’s zero hour.

A young girl outside the shell of the largest church in the town of Leogane. About 90% of the city was destroyed in the earthquake. Image: Evelyn Hockstein/CARE

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Changing pace

By Rick Perera, CARE Media Officer

Rick Perera in Haiti. Image: Evelyn Hockstein/CARE

We’re all starting to feel a little safer, and more relaxed – though that’s a relative term, of course. We’ve noticed that there haven’t been aftershocks in a week or so. The mass distribution of rice that got underway yesterday has gone smoothly so far – a huge relief since many survivors have had little to eat since the quake. Of course it will take a long time to reach everyone in need, but the system is working well so far.

Just now structural engineers declared that our three staff apartments, even those on the fourth floor, are safe for occupancy, so we will have more room to spread out for the night. Some will remain on mattresses on the floor, of course, but I don’t mind for a few more days – a slumber party is just one more bonding experience with these people who have become closer than family during the past two weeks.

With some flights resuming from Port-au-Prince, it’s getting easier for staff to get in and out, without arduous trips by land or nail-biting waits for unpredictable aid flights. Many of the first wave of emergency staff are starting to be replaced with new models. Team Leader David Gazashvili (unmistakable in his dirty CARE T-shirt, Frankenstein boots, and surgical mask) left last week to resume charge of the emergency unit at HQ. Our IT hero Astor Chirinos, who took us from text-message-only to full-scale satellite Web access in a few days, has returned home.

My own “relief,” the indefatigable Melanie Brooks, CARE International’s media and communications coordinator, is scheduled to depart Geneva tomorrow, overlapping for a couple of days so I can hand off media operations here. It will be awfully nice to see her! She’s planning to stay on for two or three weeks after I leave, and then we’ll decide how to proceed.

It ain’t over yet, of course. Tomorrow, my photographer colleague Evelyn Hockstein and I will leave at 8:00 a.m. for an excursion to the city of Gros-Marne, in northwest Haiti, to see where displaced people who have fled Port-au-Prince are camping, and how CARE plans to help them and their host communities.

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Returning home

By Rick Perera, CARE Media Officer

I’ve just returned from one of the most heartbreaking visits of my two weeks here: to meet the family of Dr. Franck Geneus, CARE’s gentle, dedicated health program director. Their homes destroyed, his extended family of 30 is packed into Franck’s brother’s tiny house and yard — from the littlest niece, five-month-old Joelle, to grandmother Inosie, who says she’s 94.

Franck with his destroyed childhood home. Image: Evelyn Hockstein/CARE

Franck’s father Ovanier, 64, and mother, Marie, 61, sit idly in the yard, restless and frustrated. Hardworking, middle-class Haitians, they’ve lost not only their home but their livelihoods: the grocery store on the ground floor run by Marie; upstairs, the private school where Ovanier employed eight teachers and taught 100 pupils.

Franck takes us to see the modest, tidy, pink-stucco villa. Its three stories are hanging precariously over the crushed basement, on the verge of crashing into the rubble-choked lane.

He was born in this house, grew up here, was married here. He intended to move his young family in when he returned to Haiti, full of hope at the prospect of running CARE’s efforts to improve the country’s struggling health care system. That was just two weeks before January 12.

We all know what came next.

‘It’s my first time back here since the earthquake,’ Franck says, shaking his head. ‘I’m in shock.’

He points through a huge gash in the facade that’s spilling the guts of the house, including a large, wooden cabinet, battered and coated with dust. ‘My father and I built that cupboard, ten years ago,’ he says, his voice trailing off.

Funny how such small details can catch the heart of someone whose life has been forever changed by disaster.

And yet Franck is not destroyed. He is plunging into his work, readying CARE’s strategy to manage camps for displaced people, address the threat of violence against women and sexual assault, and take on the daunting challenge of meeting the health needs of women and infants.

This unassuming man, just 37, is not only a Haitian. He is first and foremost a healer, deeply devoted to his family, his country, and his people.

CARE is so fortunate to have him.

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I Pledge Allegiance

By Rick Perera, CARE Media Adviser

Rick Perera, an American CARE worker currently in Haiti, describes the impact of the earthquake on Haitians as they start to assess their future. 

You can handle a lot if you keep busy, but watch out when you get a chance to stop and think.  On a long drive last night I had a talk with an exhausted CARE driver, and felt for a moment what it must be like to be Haitian.

He spoke with wounded affection for his country, so beautiful and so tragic.  ‘We have a sweet climate.  We have smart, hardworking people.  We could be every bit as successful as America or France.’  The man punctuated his sentences with the phrases “Avant la Catastrophe” and “Après la Catastrophe” – Before the Catastrophe, After the Catastrophe.  One can almost imagine a new calendar taking root here: B.C. and A.C. 

It reminded me of my first visit back to the U.S. from Germany, where I was living, in November 2001.  At any restaurant in New York you could clearly hear “Nine-eleven, nine-eleven, nine-eleven” emerging from the regular rumble.

I remember how I felt on that horrible day, when I saw the Twin Towers collapse live on my computer screen as I sat, powerless, at my desk in Berlin.  I walked to the US Embassy, a few blocks away.  Germans were lined up for blocks to lay flowers at the end of the sandbag-blocked street.  Most of my friends sent me text messages.  “Dear America, you were there for us in our hour of need – now we’re there for you,” wrote Berliners.

I saw an American flag, and I broke down.

Now, when I ride by the ruins of the graceful Presidential Palace in Port-au-Prince – not so different from the White House – my heart breaks again.  When I hear the passionate love songs to Haiti and Port-au-Prince playing on the radio, I feel the wounded patriotism of this lovely people.  When I see the collapsed police stations with the beautiful Haitian flag at half-staff, tears come to my eyes again.

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Experts, local staff and the Haiti community come together

By Steve Hollingworth, Senior Vice-President, CARE Global Support Services

I want to say a few words about our staff here in Haiti.

Sophie Perez is the country director. She is from France but she has a deep commitment to Haiti. She has lived here for nine years, and has in-depth knowledge of the country, the people and the customs. Her knowledge, sensitivity and experience here are invaluable. She has been joined by David Gazashvili. David is an expert in emergency response – ready to leave home at a moments notice. He comes from the Republic of Georgia and is now living in the state of Georgia. David came to set up our response team. This group is now in place, and includes 20 experts in logistics, water and sanitation, health, shelter, procurement, security and information technology. These are experts who work with CARE all over the world. It’s a bit like a high school reunion here, with everyone’s shared experiences from Banda Aceh, Pakistan, Darfur and other emergencies.

I can not emphasize how important this group is to CARE. They are experts in their field. But they know that the success of our response depends on them meshing with our Haitian staff – listening to their advice and direction, and following their lead on the best ways to work with the communities, local authorities, mayors and the Haitian civil defense.

Steve Hollingworth (CARE Chief Operating Officer), Sophie Perez (CARE Haiti Country Director), Lise Tonelli (Emergency Team Leader) inspect damage in the hard-hit Delmas section of Port au Prince. Photo: Evelyn Hockstein/CARE

Time and again, in the way CARE is successful in responding to emergencies, we find that we need to work alongside communities. They have resources. They have expertise and contacts to address their needs. Women play a key role in CARE’s relief efforts. Right now, we’re distributing water purification sachets. The communities that are receiving these sachets have identified women to train and motivate their neighbors to use the sachets correctly. Once we put our water bladders in place, local committees take responsibility for the maintenance and refilling of them.

CARE staff and volunteers unload hygiene kits. Photo: Evelyn Hockstein/CARE

Involving the local community in emergency relief efforts – no matter where disaster strikes – allows people the chance to take back power and control of their lives. And that is one of the keys to successful relief and recovery efforts.

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Distribution in Leogane

By Patrick Solomon, Senior Vice-President, CARE Global Support Services

Distribution has started in Leogane. It is working in an orderly fashion primarily because of the pre-work done by CARE staff to engage the mayor and others in the community. This morning we had lengthy discussions with the community’s leadership and then the logistics committee. They wanted to be very involved and came up with their own plan for distribution.

The distribution took place in the driveway of a telecom building that is now being occupied by the municipal authorities because their building was destroyed. There was great collaboration between the community (including girl and boy scouts) and CARE.

CARE staff and girl and boy scouts unload hygiene kits in Leogane, a severly affected earthquake area. The hygiene kits include soap, toothpaste, mosquito nets, sanitary napkins and other basic items. Image: Evelyn Hockstein/CARE

The community leaders delivered chits to the participants in camps. When ready, the people from the camps came to the building and were escorted to the truck by the scouts where the distribution took place. They gave the chits to the CARE staff working with the community team including the scouts. The chit was then marked with whatever item they received so they couldn’t get duplicate items. When they received the items, they were escorted to an exit away from the entrance which helped with crowd control.

The people who received the items for their households did not appear malnourished or severely hurt but there were some people who needed extra support to walk by the scouts. The people who came were the representatives from the households. Several people who came had some type of cream around their noses to most likely prevent them from smelling the stench.

They all seemed very appreciative of the support they were receiving from CARE. This was an excellent example of CARE partnering with the community. Today we started distributing 1,500 jerry cans and 1,200 hygiene kits. We also solidified plans to install three water bladders tomorrow. We plan to continue to focus on this community and also increase our distribution of items there.

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Aftershock rocks Port-au-Prince

By Bogdan Dumitru, member of CARE’s emergency team in Port-au-Prince 

I am sitting on the top of the office, because this is where we get a cell signal. I have to get down soon because there might be another aftershock.

We are trying to calm the staff. This one was stronger than all the other aftershocks. I was across the road in the apartment. People made it down from the fifth floor downstairs faster than I did. People were screaming. I don’t know what kind of damage there was for our staff. Some of them were at their home, so we will try to find out if they are safe. I didn’t hear any cracking of the building. There was a real rumble, and then the earth moved. It wasn’t that long, but I can’t tell. I was running.

The aftershock was closer to Jacmel, so I don’t know what the impact would be there. We haven’t heard any reports from Jacmel, and our internet access was cut off after the quake.

We are next to an IDP camp, and when the quake hit there was a big scream coming out of the camp. They’ve lost everything, all their houses, and they are terrified.

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Pictures from Port-au-Prince

A 7 month pregnant woman holds her daughter, aged 1-and-a-half, in a makeshift shelter in downtown Leogane. About 90% of the city was destroyed. Image: Evelyn Hockstein/CARE

Hatians with no access to water bathe and wash clothes in the streets where water runs along gutters from broken water pipes. Image: Evelyn Hockstein/CARE

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Get it fast, but get it right

By Rick Perera, CARE Media Officer

I keep hearing the same question from journalists: why isn’t aid getting to these desperate people faster?  The answer is:  aid workers are moving as fast as they can, but the conditions are grim.  Haiti has never seen a catastrophe of this magnitude in modern times; it was already desperately poor to begin with; and in the aftermath of so many disasters in recent years, the people and infrastructure were utterly unprepared to cope.

A CARE staff member in Haiti. Image: Evelyn Hockstein/CARE.

‘It’s always very difficult in the first few days,’ says CARE Haiti Country Director Sophie Perez, who has worked on multiple relief efforts in Haiti, including the aftermath of hurricanes and political unrest.  ‘It’s important not just to get it fast, but to get it right.  If we just hand out material without the proper organisation, it can result in chaos, violence, and loss of life.’

Sophie is confident that, with enough resources and coordination, CARE and other humanitarian actors will be able to reach those in need with urgent help.  But she’s concerned about the longer term.  ‘What will happen when the media attention turns away?’  It will take years for Haitians to recover – and they will need a great deal of support if they are to rebuild better, instead of recreating conditions leaving them vulnerable to future disasters. 

Reconstruction means not just rebuilding infrastructure, she adds – but addressing the underlying causes of poverty, from poor governance to education to environmental degradation.  CARE has been working in Haiti since 1954, and is committed to staying as long as we’re needed.

‘The longer term will cost a thousand times more than the immediate relief,’ she says.  ‘I sincerely hope the world won’t forget Haiti once the initial attention fades.’

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Desperation at our gates

By Rick Perera, CARE Media Officer

If charity begins at home, CARE is in the right place.  Just outside our Haiti headquarters, many hundreds, perhaps thousands, of newly homeless people are camped out in the main square of Pétionville, a near suburb of Port au Prince.  They wait patiently in the hot sun, but their desperation grows by the hour.  At night, groups of people can be heard clapping and chanting.  Some have hung banners, painted on bedsheets, with messages like “We need help!” in English and Creole.

Hatians line up to receive emergency supplies. Image: Evelyn Hockstein/CARE

As CARE Haiti Country Director Sophie Perez and I walk by, we pass many pedestrians with handkerchiefs tied around their noses and mouths against the overwhelming stench.  Waste of all kinds is piling up in the streets around the square.  An overflowing garbage truck stands idle.  The gutters are clogged with plastic bags, bottles, and objects beyond description.  Perez shakes her head when she sees the growing piles.  “We urgently need to address the waste disposal issue,” she says.  “If that garbage keeps accumulating it will certainly spread disease.”

Over the past few days CARE has been focusing on distributing water purification packets, containing a powder called Pur.  It’s highly effective, and can make almost any water safe to drink.  But to use it requires two five-gallon (about 20 L) containers – one for dirty water, the other for clean – and the worst-off here don’t even have a bucket to their name.  So for many, the magic powder isn’t enough.

“We will distribute the Pur along with hygiene kits in the coming days, packed into large buckets that people can use,” says Sophie.  The kits will also contain crucial items, from soap to sanitary napkins, to help survivors stay healthy under these appalling conditions.

In the meantime, CARE is working to arrange for a tanker truck to bring water to the square outside our gates, and a huge rubber “bladder” to store it.  There’s so much to do everywhere in this city.

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