Ontario Director of Disaster Management, John Saunders (@CRCSaunders), has been in Haiti working with a team deployed with the first ever field Canadian Red Cross field hospital.
On this, my last night working at the Canadian Red Cross Cholera Treatment Centre, I find myself sitting outside my tent which I have called home for most of the past three weeks, listening to the noises of the hospital 30 feet away, the sounds of traffic coming from the road and the sounds of gospel singing coming from the church beside our location. The Carrefour lighthouse, casting an eerie four-point star of light cuts through the wafts of smoke ever present at night as residents burn their garbage on the street. The lighthouse has been called a beacon to the people letting them know we are here to help.
While our focus has always been to help combat cholera, we came with the intent of making a difference beyond just health. We have started to initiate public education campaigns about how to prevent cholera. We are boosting local markets by purchasing supplies here. We have employed many local staff -- and in an economy with 80% unemployment, that makes a difference quickly.
There is a vibrant spirit about the people of Haiti. There is a pride existing here, perhaps stemming from their continued survival despite human and ‘natural’ calamities that continue to plague this land. There is “a joie de vivre” with so many of the local people I have come to know. For Haitians, it is all about family. SO much so that I think I now have half of Carrefour praying for me that I will have children one day.
Speaking of children, I fondly recall a conversation with a little girl. While she was being treated I would often walk by, wave, make a face, hold up a balloon made from a surgical glove -- all in an attempt to make her smile. Sometimes it worked and other times she stared at me like I had completely lost my mind. When she was leaving, a translator helped me to ask if she was feeling better. She said: “Yes, thank you. Your smiles and balloon made me laugh but... you shouldn't do that when I am pooping. That’s not very funny.” The cholera beds are made with a hole in the middle since often the patients are too weak to move and the diarrhoea can come on suddenly, so I guess some of the times I got the cold stare was unbeknownst to me potty time.
It was just 3 weeks ago that we arrived on this empty field and we now have a thriving medical operation. It has been one of the most rewarding experiences for me. While I do know we helped many hundreds in this short time, I am also the recipient of so much from the friendships I now have here and the personal growth.
Now, back to staring at the lighthouse and contemplating this beacon of hope and symbol of so much potential here in Haiti....