CHF - Helping Rebuild Haiti

A typical Haitian night is filled with a plethora of sounds – confused roosters, unsettled dogs, nightclub rhythms, to name a few. As I lay out on the damp grass (my new bedroom on the CHF Haiti office lawn), looking up at Orion and the other stars, there is one sound that I would not have expected to hear – at least not after what happened on Tuesday, 12 January 2010.

Singing. Above the hum of generators, sporadic gun fire and chirping cicadas, I hear a multitude of voices. Haitians are singing. In the wake of the worst disaster in the history of the UN, they are singing praises to God. I cannot quite make out the song or a specific tune, but it clearly a hymn.

Amid all the negative press about insecurity and violence, there are a multitude of stories of hope and unbelievable resilience. To be sure, security is a very valid concern today, as there are reports of isolated violent incidents. And as desperate mothers’ and fathers’ survival instincts kick in and they try to secure food and water for their families, more reports of violence can be expected. However, to portray the city as a warzone and its people as ruthless savages is neither accurate nor appropriate.

In all I have witnessed during my 9 years in Haiti, I am always astonished by the resilience of the Haitian people, their determination to survive, and their devotion and unwavering faith in God.

Not once have I heard anyone question why God would allow something like this to happen. Actually, it has been the exact opposite. I have heard people who have lost loved ones thanking God for saving those He did. Conversations are peppered with phrases like “thanks to God”, “by the grace of God” and “God is protecting us”.

Whether you are a believer or not, I believe it is impossible to question the strength of the Haitian people to overcome this tragedy. However, they cannot and should not have to do it alone. And as the CHF International team in Haiti, we are making sure that they don’t.

CHF International is continuing to undertake relief work both immediately and plan for the longer term. We have been able to survey many of our previous infratructure projects and we are glad to be able to report that most have survived the earthquake well, which means we can launch into new works with the knowledge that our construction techniques have been truly tried and tested. In the Petit Goave area, for example, all five schools built by CHF survived the earthquake intact. These schools are currently being used as shelters for displaced people.

In the meantime, CHF is providing logistical support to the Haitian Red Cross. Yesterday and today we transported 750 hygiene-kitchen kits from St. Marc (about 2 hours north of Port-au-Prince) as well as portable water treatment plants. As of today we also made available to the Red Cross two of our vehicles and drivers to help with the transportation of personnel and materials in Port-au- Prince.