Seeing Haiti first-hand

* Alison Frehlich, Public Affairs Advisor, Canadian Red Cross, is blogging from Haiti

Since January 12th I sometimes feel a bit like I live and breathe all things Haiti. It has been the largest part of my workload since then and it occupies much of my thoughts. If you asked me almost anything about what the Red Cross has done to help the hundreds of thousands of people affected by this disaster, I could probably have listed off each activity one by one and with correct and up-to-date stats. But it wasn’t until this week that I was able to combine my knowledge with the reality, as it was on that day that I touched down in Port-au-Prince for the first time.

I’m in Haiti to visit Canadian Red Cross programming, see our activities and meet with my colleagues. As I continue to manage communications around this very important disaster response, it is incredibly valuable to be here and see the true context of what people are facing.

When I arrived in Port-au-Prince, although deeply affected by the destruction, rubble and makeshift camps, I was also in awe of the beauty of this country. Rolling mountings with palm trees as far as the eye can see -- it’s breathtaking. This is a country well-loved by its people, and it’s easy to see why.

Today I visited a community in Leogane where the Canadian Red Cross is building shelters for people whose homes were destroyed. I met with three families who shared their stories with me. All three had one thing in common – their appreciation for the support they’ve been given. Prior to moving into their new shelters each family had been living in tiny make-shift shelters. One family, a young couple with their tiny baby had been living in what can only be described as a tool shed. They welcomed me into their new shelter with smiles happy to tell me what a difference it makes to have moved into it, especially with a young baby.

It’s hard to hold onto these good stories when you look around and see so much loss. It’s clear that the road to recovery in Haiti is a long one. But, I’m proud to be part of an organization that is committed to being here for years to come to help the people of Haiti as they build a new and stronger future for themselves.

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