I remember the first moment of learning about the quake and actually realizing that it was indeed bad (though I still did not realize how disastrous it really was). My first thought of concern was about my mommy. I tried to call Haiti with no success. My sister was in the same restaurant as I, but I did not want to tell her anything yet till I found out that our family was okay. I sent many text messages with no response. Finally, my brother called sobbing. My heart sank. What happened to my mom?
“Nothing. Mommy’s safe.”
What about Michel, Yvon, Freyèl?
“They’re all fine!”
Then he told me that many of my extended family members were gathered with other neighbors in an open field in fear of collapsing houses. Other family were still trying to contact their loved ones…
“Pòtoprens kraze, Tayi” (Port-au-Prince is gone, Tayi)
The reality began to sink in.
Of course I did not sleep for the next couple days, being inseparable with the television, the Internet and my phone as I tried to understand the scope of what was happening to my dear motherland. And I learned that it is an unimaginable tragedy.
Why? (2x)
One of the hardest questions about this catastrophe is WHY? Why did this happen to the most vulnerable people? Answers dealing with geology and history, though interesting do not actually even come close to satisfying the heart. WHY? I cannot answer that question without speculating so I will embrace another fact that surrounds the question, in fact it is the answer to another question: WHO is there to help carry this burden? I am not just referring to the international agencies (and other strong Haitians on the ground) that were so quick to respond; they are only able to be present to a small portion of the people affected. They can only help lift a small part of the emotional and spiritual burden. But Christ, so gentle and yet so strong, is among the suffering. The Haitians know Him very well, and they cling to Him with their tightest grip in the midst of the unbearable pain. It is comforting to know that we do not have a God who stands on the sidelines watching, wishing He could help. No, we have a God who knows how to suffer, how to die but ultimately how to rise, Rise, RISE! Yes He is able to keep the Haitian spirit soaring, baffling onlookers who do not understand why a crowd of people would gather in the midst of the rubble to lift their hands in praise! That is because Jesus is present, especially through is cross.
You may have noticed a few news clips showing destruction in the background with a cross standing right in it or next to it. The cross is the sign of the Suffering Servant being present to His suffering people. He did not abandon us, but He is most present to us in the midst of our own Calvary. And we smile because we know He is here, and that He can lift us up. Death does not have the last word for us who are in Him.
I personally asked myself another “why” question: Why am I so blessed that most of my family is safe? I know this question will resound in many survivors also. Why did God spare some and not others? It can’t just be that He loves us, for He loves those who died too. It is not because we are holier; many saints went down under the rubbles and many sinners are still standing. The only thing that makes sense in my mind is that God spared us for a purpose; He has a mission for us, and we must ask Him what it is and do it with a sense of gratitude and resolute faithfulness. I have a feeling the purpose would not lie far from the old adage: To know, to love and to serve God in this life, and to be happy with Him in the next. Let us begin now.
I mourn, of course. I consider all Haitians my family in a special way. Even closer to home, I lost my precious Nashtabie, my 10 year-old little cousin who was trapped under the rubbles of her school where she was taking tutoring lessons. Her little sister, Naomie, is normally there too, but for some reason, that day her mom asked her not to go, and thus she was spared. I have cried over Nashtabie and the thousands of dead family members several times, but I have hope. My faith allows me to hope.
These tools need to accompany those who will continue to work for the better: Faith, hope and love. Faith was demonstrated by the praying crowds who were suffering. Hope kept many alive under the rubbles. Love was displayed by the many men and women who risked their lives to save our brothers and sisters. We must continue that tradition in our lives keeping a lively faith, a strong hope and daily expressing our love for one another through service and relationships.
The Human Family
We are indeed family. I was so moved by the knowledge that there were so many people from so many countries that were so quick to fly in to help our wounded family in Haiti. This tragedy brought the best out of many people. Humans have a strong capacity to love. Imagine what a different world we would have if we could always treat the other as family just like we see in Haiti. I pray that this example of love being outpoured onto Haiti may serve as a catalyst to make us rethink how we treat each other in the world. May we have a paradigm shift. The other is not the enemy. Hatred is. Selfishness is. May we reconcile with distant family members. Let us follow the cue from the bottom of our hearts, which tells us that the other is lovable.
Rebuilding Haiti
I am writing simply as a son of Haiti who loves her dearly, who has never lost hope in her and who is committed to her so much more firmly. I will list some bullet points that I think should make a minimum of a rebuilding plan. It is not exhaustive; there are many other factors to consider. But these I think ought to be part of the bare minimum of conditions.
- We must believe that Haiti will not perish. She will rise again
- We must rebuild Haiti one village at a time. This approach is long-term; it’s not a quick fix. No quick fix can rebuild Haiti. I think it is a good thing that people are returning to their villages. My village alone has more than doubled in population, and the local leaders have already met to discuss ways to handle the changes.
- We must focus on helping to provide the necessities in the villages so that people will have enough to remain in their area and flourish from there. We should build new schools and health clinics or strengthen the ones already present.
- Education in the villages should integrate a respect for peasant life including farming. We should educate our children to be Haitians and to love and be proud of it. Creole should be taught to all and be given utmost respect.
- We MUST work with the local village leaders in targeting the needs of the area and to come to solutions together. The Catholic parishes/chapels have proven to be strong agents of positive change in whatever villages they are located, and they should be helped in their services as much as possible.
- Two of the greatest needs I have come across in the villages are the need for clean water and for IRRIGATION. So many crops are lost without rain. If there could be a constant source of water for the farmers, I think we would be able to feed ourselves again.
- Rebuilding of the National Palace and Cathedral should take some precedence in Port-au-Prince because these symbols of the state and the Church are important in providing a sense of motivation, hope and guidance for the people.
- Haiti will not rise without her children caring for her, or without their being united to and for her. Haiti, our mother, is tired. She has been wounded. It is for her children to reach out, all hands on board, to help her up. We will require the help of her friends too, not a handout but a heart out, reaching out to their brothers and sisters in strengthening the human family. We must make a COMMITMENT to Haiti so that we do not forget her after the cameras leave.
- Lastly, every plan of reconstruction must include a plan for the orphans, Haiti’s most vulnerable.
Orphans
The Haitian orphans are Haitian children who cannot be forgotten. They are persons, not just a category of people. Some principles must be in place for helping them:
- We should have a no less radical than a ZERO ORPHAN ON THE STREETS policy. Period.
- Effort should be made to help the children while in Haiti as much as possible.
- Qualified Haitian families in Haiti should be encouraged to adopt Haitian orphans.
- We should support grass roots efforts that create homes for orphans (the less institutional it feels the better) in local villages and try to integrate the orphans in a community. The small mission with which I am involved (MWTS Mission Haiti [haiti300.org]) tries to follow that model.
- Potentially all the orphans that are homeless now could easily be dispersed throughout the villages if there were structures set up for them.
- Undiscerning mass adoption of thousands of orphans is not advised for several reasons, including: The horror of taking a child that actually has family members seeking for him; the shock of those children finding themselves in a brand new place with no familiarity and no particular family to care for them, and; taking away Haiti’s greatest resource (her children) by the thousands without any commitment to help these children stay connected to the ground and roots that gave rise to them.
- Individual international adoptions should be considered with the following recommendations: The child can GAIN a new culture but not LOSE his Haitian culture; proper consideration should be given to qualified Haitian families; foreign families should make every effort to learn about Haitian history and culture to as to help instill some of that in the child; travels should be planned to Haiti with the child so he can reconnect with his culture.
- I am currently helping an American family to adopt a Haitian child, and I would recommend their model. They are trying to learn Creole. They have asked me, a Haitian, to be the godfather. They plan on traveling to Haiti with the child.
How to Help
- Pray
- Commit to stand with Haiti according to your capacity for the rest of your life.
- Hope and pass on hope for Haiti
- Cultivate a deep respect for Haiti that she deserves and realize that true help is a heart out not a hand out. In other words you are reaching out to family and friends not just to “the poorest people in the western hemisphere”.
- Support the grassroots groups already doing effective work in Haiti. My group is doing just that: www.haiti300.org
- Start new projects or fundraising events to help your village (if you are Haitian) or another village community.
- Speak to Universities trying to have them offer scholarships to bright Haitian students. This is the time to mobilize when everyone’s attention is still locked in to Haiti.
- Find other creative ways to help that is respectful of the dignity of the human person and of Haitian culture.
Ayiti cheri, mwen renmen w! M fenk koumnse kanpe avè w!
