Shelters for "Deaf Camp" in Haiti: blog from the field

* Guest blog by Louise Taylor, Delegate for the Canadian Red Cross in Haiti

A week before the anniversary of the earthquake that devastated Haiti, the Red Cross fulfilled its promise to provide shelter those left homeless on January 12th to some very special people. “Deaf Camp”, a sector of La Piste, one of Haiti’s largest tent villages, is home to a group of audio deficient residents. And on January 7th, the approximately 600 residents began to their move across the gravel field to their new transitional homes provided by the Red Cross.

Jethro, in front of his new shelter, displays his certificate of ownership.

 

What strikes one the most when visiting Deaf Camp is the silence. The ruckus of Haiti dissipates a part from the clanging of hammers on wood. Emotion, importance, noise is expressed through enormity of a gesture. And today, despite the silence, it was evident that something enormous was happening. Smiles were abound and the air was charged with festivity and, maybe, even a little happiness.

As the residents transported their goods, I popped my head into a few of the homes to meet the Red Cross’ most recent home-owners and found Jethro. After having lost his leg in the earthquake, he found work though the Red Cross, who employs residents of deaf camp to build the shelters. When his job of digging holes for the foundation was finished, he stopped showing up to work assuming that there was nothing else he could do. Aaron Anderson, an IFRC Shelter Delegate, quickly put a stop to that and trained him on how to construct the shelters. Jethro now works as a team leader, directing crews on constructing the transitional homes, one of which he is now the proud owner.

With uncanny poise and charm, Berta, our14-year-old translator, connected with media to the likes of Al Jazeera, telling the story about Deaf Camp to the world. After having lost so much in the earthquake, and demonstrated so much resilience, it is clear that the residents of Deaf Camp needed a day, this day, to be able to celebrate a new beginning.

And for myself, and my other Red Cross colleagues, we needed this day too.

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