Haiti

For a long time I’ve been preparing my trip to Haiti. Two years after the devastating earthquake things are still very bad. Apparently. I would go there to see for myself. Yesterday was the day. Haiti is a country, so I have to try to get a good photo here for Streets of the World. But obviously there is so much going on that I want to spend more time here and try to help a little in the way that I can. I contacted the Dutch Red Cross who are working on several projects in Haiti. It seemed like a good idea to help each other out. They will provide security and I will provide them with a reportage about their activities.

 

Arriving in Port-au-Prince is somewhat exciting. You never know what to expect but here you know you enter a country with many problems and a lot of grief. A small band was welcoming the new arrivals. That’s a nice start. Customs was unexpectedly swift and before I knew it I was walking into Haiti. The first guy that came up to me offering a taxi did so with a very broad smile. Again, unexpected. The driver from the Red Cross was waiting for me and we started the long drive through Port-au-Prince to their headquarters.

 

I somehow thought that the city would still be a big pile of collapsed buildings but it wasn’t like that at all. Of course some buildings were heavily damaged but most of the city seemed restored or was being reconstructed. The city was bustling with activity. The very real reminder of the disaster were the many tent camps set up by the side of the road signaling that many people still haven’t found a decent place to live yet. And I noticed many street kids. At the Red Cross I got a warm welcome and we started working on my program for the next days. We decided to spend the first three days in the field visiting the projects and after that three days in Port-au-Prince for the Streets photo. During those days in Port-au-Prince the carnival would erupt which might become a problem. Apparently it can get rather violent.

 

Yesterday we started driving from Port-au-Prince to Jacmel, the second city of Haiti. We stopped along the way in Leogande to see the water sanitation project the Red Cross is working on with many local people. They have already built 3000 latrines, are working on education and hygiene and are providing for safe water supply. Impressive to see. They really make a difference by providing these basic but extremely important needs. The enormous cholera epidemic seems to be getting somewhat under control because of these measures. Today I will visit the cholera efforts in and around Jacmel. Times are still very rough here. But I’ve seen people working hard to get their fate back in their own hands and I actually had a lot of laughs with many of them. It never seizes to amaze me how resilient people are. Even the people of Haiti.