Video of a (SUAC) Child

(Was suggested that I explain the gum chewing. The air is heavy, hot and chalky. The smells are absolutely horrendous and chewing gum can help you from gagging in certain areas.)

This child was starving and dehydrated. As I explained in the video, she told us that she was playing outside of the large church building when the earthquake struck and killed both of her parents. She had been living right across the street the entire time. Later we learned that through the confusion that followed the earthquake, a recovery group had come to the building to try and find any survivors. She said that she told two rescue/recovery workers that her parents were inside. They told her to wait across the street. No one ever followed up with her and she did what she was told... and waited across the street.

Site that all NGOs are currently using to coordinate with one another and share information and support. LINKING cross coordinated with a food distribution and medical NGO and also provide psychological evaluations and therapy for children under 12.

http://oneresponse.info/Disasters/Haiti/Protection/Child%20Protection/Pages/Working%20Group%20on%20Rapid%20Registration%20and%20Interim%20Care%20of%20Unaccompanied%20Children.aspx

Another Earthquake and Another Tragedy

February 22, 2010
I woke up at 4:30 this morning to the ground rumbling. At first I felt dizzy and disoriented but quickly realized that the building was shaking. I jumped out of my sleeping area and yelled for everyone to wake up! By the time we had all run outside of the building, the shaking had stopped. We had just experienced an earthquake. There are more aid workers sleeping upstairs on the second floor of the building and it was scary to think that if this earthquake had caused the building to collapse, we would never have had a chance to warn them. My brother stumbled out 10 seconds later with white powder on his head. He woke up to a piece of the ceiling dropping on his face. He was amused about it, and we were so relieved that we all laughed at him. But our smiles turned solemn as we could start hearing commotion in the nearby neighborhoods.

I could hear frantic conversations and even heard a woman screaming to someone. The shaking had not been violent, but we all started getting calls from other aid/humanitarian workers we had befriended as they checked on our status and safety. We got reports that we were hit with a 4.7 magnitude earthquake, and the epicenter was about 15 miles away. I can’t imagine how much shaking occurred in January if this was only a 4.7!

We all discussed the possible reversal of the work we had done with the children and the real possibility that these children will take ‘two steps back’ on their healing journey.

We did not go into Citi Soleil today because we wanted to focus on the children at the orphanage. They showed signs that they were afraid to go inside the building and everyone now expected aftershocks.

Later in the day, near noon, Director Sam Sook ran out to tell us that two of ‘her children’ had been shot in crossfire in Citi Soleil in the morning. One little boy is 6 and one is 8. The 6 year old was shot in the shoulder and the 8 year old in the neck. Both are at an NGO hospital in critical condition but had a chance for survival. The two boys are being cared for by top Canadian surgeons who are volunteering in Haiti. Knowing that makes you feel more hopeful, but when you actually see that they are in a medical tent – a tent! – they look so vulnerable.

We were told that they were caught in crossfire between a group of men running around and looting and a man who started shooting at them because he was trying to protect his belongings. Keep in mind that they are living in shacks in Citi Soleil. I think the scary thing is when you have a large population in desperate time with very little to lose. These men have not been caught, and local police were notified, but nothing has been done. The sad thing is that the locals know these boys.

I had come to know these two boys during our time here, and these two were part of the next 90 children that were going to be accepted into the orphanage once the building was complete.

I couldn’t get my heart to stop racing. I had so many questions. But mostly, why these two when they are so close to a dramatically different life?

I have mentioned in a previous blog post how dangerous Citi Soleil is – local law enforcement do not venture into the area, and UN personnel drive through with guns drawn. I have photos of the bullet holes in the buildings. But the children we work with and know inside Citi Soleil are NO DIFFERENT than the kids at an American school. They want to play. They want to run and laugh. They want to be comforted and loved. Today the atmosphere was a little more tense. I saw people walking around with bats like this:


I often wonder whether, if the earthquake had not struck and there were no NGO hospitals set up all over the place, these children would have had a chance for survival. I wonder if it would have been a different outcome if our team had gone into Citi Soleil as originally planned. If they survive, I wonder what kind of life they will lead. They will need rehabilitation, and as they are orphans, I wonder what will happen to them.

When I think about them I feel like my heart stops. I feel so helpless and angry. Dear God, why is this happening to them? What can we do to stop this? I have never begged from my heart so much as today. As I’m writing this, I took a moment to look through all of my photos for images of them. It breaks my heart because, just three days ago, they were laughing and playing.



It has been a surreal day.

A Haitian Thanks-Giving

One day while in a tent city working hard as usual, a woman came by and kept inviting us all to her home. Many people will do this and invite you into their tents. But this woman had a home that was somewhat still standing and had made a feast for us. Haitian rice and beans and coke! We were so thankful and so was she. We kept thanking each other :)



We adopted some stray dogs that day.

Choosing to See Moments of Beauty

Found beauty at moments when at the airport picking up a fellow aid worker that will take my place. The plane arrived at the gate carrying new arrivals into Port Au Prince and passengers starting coming in through the doors. They were all wearing identification for various NGO organizations and private companies. A couple insurance adjusters… but mostly, you can tell they are here to help in a humanitarian effort. You can see the anxiety and determination and excitement in their eyes. I was so thankful to them.

Then the pilot came down with two huge bags in each arm. He went up to the gate agent and explained that he brought all the candy he could so that she could pass it out to children waiting at the airport. He was so proud and wanted to do anything he could.



I feel like I’ve been here for two months even though it has been such a short time. The things you would see in a 24 hour time frame would be enough to fit into a normal week.

It’s the beauty that you choose to find in small moments throughout each day, the moments you hang on to keep you going till you find another.

Impromptu Praise in Haiti

After a day witnessing disaster and sadness we would go about our evening humming and singing to decompress. The four of us soon realized we shared that common musical bond so we decided to have some fun and record our very first YouTube video from Haiti. No practice at all so I thought it was very cool that our harmonies fit so well. You can hear the sounds of the streets of Port Au Prince in the background.

Video 2

Did you ever think you'd see this with orphan children inside Citi Soleil? This was only our third visit. These children are bright, joyful and energetic. Their minds are like sponges and want to learn. Note that the two boys that were shot today were in this group and live in this neighborhood. The shooting took place in front of this makeshift school. We MUST do something to get these children off of the streets of Citi Soleil. Please keep the two boys in your prayers.

Our Third Visit to Citi Soleil

What do you notice about the children and their living conditions from this video clip?

Healing Haitian Children... But How?

It is understood that the tragedy that has befallen Haiti will cause psychological trauma in children. It may take decades for children to process the experience. In some cases, the children may never completely recover. This may result in a population that is less productive and less capable of dealing with other issues later in life such as political upheaval, other disasters, etc.

But as Heather MacLeod, in a paper on the Holistic Care of Children in Complex Humanitarian Emergencies, stated, “Emergency responses to health crises and provision of relief food or household items have a long history. Many people are experienced in these disciplines – but when it comes to specialized assistance for children affected by war [or natural disasters], the pool of expertise is extremely small. Most staff learn on the spot. There is no diploma or degree that prepares people for addressing the holistic needs of children in conflict [or disaster] zones” (MacLeod 2000).

Other authors state that “…well meaning [relief] workers often lack specific child health or child development expertise. They may be unaware that children move through many different development stages and therefore have rapidly changing needs…[and in particular that]… the brains of young children develop most rapidly in the first year of life and that most brain development is completed by age three” (Mandalakas 1999).

I have found these statements to be true as well. Other relief workers I have met that have been here for weeks have shared stories of their experiences. There have been other disasters that have affected whole populations, such as the floods in Sri Lanka in 2003, the tsunami disaster in Asia in 2005, hurricane Katrina, and the earthquake in El Salvador in 2001. But each disaster is unique due to the unique cultural characteristics of the country before the disaster. For example, the majority of the children and especially orphans in Haiti before the earthquake were already living in such poor conditions. It was culturally more acceptable to have orphans running around and being cared for by local churches and such.

Research shows that listening to children is central to both identifying threats against their safety and to helping their recovery, but adults are often too traumatized themselves to do this. Allowing children to express themselves in a safe place and re-establishing the routine of school is also vital, if they are to recover from trauma. A survey of 315 children showing signs of trauma (nightmares, flashbacks) in camps in Sierra Leone highlighted that after four weeks of attending school classes where they were encouraged to draw and tell stories, the symptoms of PTSD had lessened in all but 30 children. That is why reopening the schools in affected communities and establishing a routine is so important to help children recover.

I met today with the mayor of Tabarre, Jean Bernard Chassagne. The orphanage I’m working with, Children’s House of Haiti, is currently located in the Tabarre region of Port-au-Prince, and we wanted to work with the local municipality to address the needs of the local children and to try to creating a sense of community among them. He was not open to any ideas, but was very vocal that his offices and staff needed food and supplies. Without being too politically incorrect, it is enough to say that it has been frustrating trying to work with the local government, and I doubt we will ever get to a point where we can trust them to have the people’s best interests at heart.


Since Children’s House of Haiti, on the other hand, does have the children’s best interest at heart, and had done so long before the current tragedy, my plan is to continue working with this orphanage even after leaving Haiti this week, helping bring in sponsors and donors so that a campus can be built. This orphanage has already done such incredible things for the people of Port-au-Prince, but the best evidence of its long-term impact on people’s lives is that the adults who that stayed in this orphanage as children call Director Sam Sook “Mom”. Immediately following the earthquake, all these former residents instinctively gathered at the orphanage and were the first responders for the children. These men and women are contributing members of the community and are inspiring to see in action. Hearing where they came from and seeing where they are today gives me hope for other children that I’ve met whose outlook seems hopeless.

Even though PTSD recognition and therapy is, in my opinion, as vital as providing food, water, and shelter, long-term rehabilitation programs are needed to fully break Haiti’s cycle of poverty. Giving these children a sense of routine, sense of safety and a sense of community is one of the objectives for Children’s House of Haiti. And one I will continue to work towards as well.

Humor is Good Medicine

I know I've been giving you tons of gloomy news here, I thank you for not tuning it out and trying to avoid the reality which is so easy to do. Sharing some things we’ve found
reasons to laugh about. 

-I mentioned in an earlier post about the dogs barking at
night. The second night there was not the sound of one dog barking!!! This was night that all the Koreans had teamed up at the same mission so we joked that the Koreans had eaten all the stray dogs... Ewww I know! 


-Upon waking I discovered that there are so many animals running
around I feel like I’m at a zoo. The sheep and goats just come up to you like you're their buddy.
 
-We have a ton of medicines donated from various countries.
They are labeled in different languages, but we requested that they also have
an English label. Some of these are so funny and actually confusing! One is an
ointment of some sort with a cartoon dog on it, called Licka Cream. We can’t
figure out if it’s for dogs or people, never mind what it’s used for. 
 
-One day when we were on our way out the door, we all
grabbed a bunch of hand wipes. They are individually wrapped in square
packages. While in the field, I grabbed a package and ripped it open to
sanitize my hands and realized… it was a condom! They’re the same size, and
whoever sorted it must have accidently mixed it in. 

-A newcomer aid worker had come in from Korea. On the way out the door he grabbed an aerosol can of what he thought was insect repellant to find out he had sprayed himself with deodorant! He'd never seen aerosol deodorant it turns out. :)  


***We take our laughs where we can find them.***

View of Port Au Prince from the mountainside

Looking down into the city from the mountainside is overwhelming. EVERY SINGLE PERSON down there is suffering and in pain.

Professional Face Painter

Forgive my short post but the generator is out and I'm typing this on my iPhone.
Started the day visiting more tent communities and I was sad to see that the areas we stopped in had no signs of previous aid. No tarps, food provisions or even trash that would show evidence that water bags had been there. We scheduled them for food and medical distribution for tomorrow and went onto our main destination for the day.

This was a different community than we had been in yesterday. Learning the lesson the hard and painful way, we set up our work areas on solid ground. My leg is still swollen but I found a way to stay off of it most of the day.

Using EMDR ideology my responsibility for the day was play therapy with one of the groups of children. To stay off my leg I used face and body paint to interact the children. This allowed me to touch, connect and talk with each child individually. Once I had the whole group engaged and trusting, we played 'games' that taught coping exercises.



I'll share some of the stories and experiences I had with the children tomorrow when I can use a keyboard.
The stories and heart breaking, heart warming and sometimes even hopeful.. I can't stress enough how strong and brave these children are and have been.

Well, I learned that I'm pretty darn good at face painting!!! I'd never done it before but the faces came out really cute! If I need a new day job I've decided I'll become a professional face painter:)



A couple really beautiful moments today:

After 4 hours of therapy and painting 97 beautiful faces, I walked out of the play area to stretch my legs. I looked out to see the kids running around around chasing each other and role playing basing their characters off what was painted on their face. Amidst all the dust, rubble and bleakness was almost 100 kids with kitty, bunny, puppy and tiger face paint running around, chasing each other and laughing. It was so beautiful that I almost cried. I thought to myself that if I did nothing more than this during my trip, than it was worth it all. It was colorful and a purely Innocent moment.






The Global Assistance team ( food distribution NGO) told me later that they saw the kids when they went to drop off food and that they were still running around and that they were moved as well.

The food NGO was late because one of the main roads leading in was badly damaged and the truck could make it over. They had to unload the truck, get the vehicle over then load it up again. So here is an example of why some communities had not gotten aid. Travelling into certain areas is almost impossible for large operations.


Later after a trip to the UN, we went to a grocery store that we were told was open! This grocery store apparently wasn't a big secret because when we got there, I thought we were at a UN reunion! There was military from America, France, Brazil, Argentina, Italy and NGOs like the Red Cross, World Health Org, World Food Programme, ... Was pretty cool. Then on my way out I ran into someone I had grown up with! The last time I saw him was 8 years ago with the Salvation Army. Both our parents were officers in the Salvation Army and I met him and his brother when my parents started Officers Training in 1990. He is not here is Haiti with the Salvation Army but a medical team. How random and incredible is that?! Seeing him at a grocery store in Haiti.

Photo of me and Chris at the impromptu reunion:


I feel emotionally spent!!! In a good way. I try and hug and love these kids as if they were mine. What if I were in this situation and I was separated from my child. I would want the people who were caring for my child to be as kind and loving and warm as possible. I hugged each child a little longer and a little harder today.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

I am lucky that I’ve been paired with a knowledgeable organization that understands and not only focuses on the survival aspect but on the psychological well being of the child as well.

Since the earthquake, like many people, I have been glued to watching any media outlets yearning to learn more about the situation of the children in Haiti. You cannot forget the images of the child in General Hospital that was screaming and wailing as the news anchor held her hand.
Children become…they are used in the media’s
representation of disasters, where children, and the single child become “icons” of
suffering and disaster – passive “victims” who need rescuing by outsiders. Then they are helped with some basic necessities and then... then what?

Linking the World ideology follows the guidelines of The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), established in 1990, and ratified by
all but two countries, guarantees children inalienable rights in all circumstances. These
rights are very wide ranging and the ones of particular relevance to children affected by
disasters or armed conflict include:
" Survival rights: Children have a right to life, to survival and to attainable standards of
health and living3.
" Protection rights: Children have a right to a name and nationality from birth, to an
identity, and to not being separated from their families. They also have a right to be
protected from abuse, from abduction and trafficking, from torture and unlawful
imprisonment, from armed conflict and conscription, from sexual exploitation, from
economic exploitation, from narcotics, and to be given special consideration when in
conflict with the law. The Convention also makes special mention of the right to
recovery and reintegration of children affected by armed conflict, and the rights to
protect unaccompanied children, refugee children and the right of children with
disabilities to special care4.
" Development rights: Children have a right to develop and to get an education
directed towards the development of the child’s personality, talents and mental and
physical abilities to their fullest potential and for a respect for human rights and
fundamental freedoms. The Convention also emphasises the right of children to enjoy
their own culture, religion and language. Children also have a right to rest, leisure and
privacy5.
" Participation rights: Children have a right to participate in and express their views
freely in all matters affecting them, in the media of their own choice, in accordance
with their age and maturity.

The Convention also assures them of the right of freedom of thought, conscience,
association, peaceful assembly and access to suitable mass media6.
The CRC obliges States Parties to undertake all appropriate measures to implement the
rights recognised in the Convention in a non-discriminatory way with the best interests of
the child as a primary consideration.

Right now, children are at their most vulnerable and
therefore it is when not only their right to survival, but all their rights, and especially
those listed above most need to be enforced by the country and any other aid workers dealing with children on Haiti.

Part of the day, I spent with the medical team. Same one that has been vaccinating and supplying medical aid. They have started the process of PTSD recognition and rehabilitation. I used play therapy with one of the groups of children today and took notes on each child's behavior and reaction. Another group of children had one on one sessions with our psycologists. They use the EMDR methodology to help children cope with PTSD. It was amazing to see the children change dramatically over the course of 5 hours of therapy!



On another note, I was injured today. Part of the foundation that the medical tents were on gave through and I happen to be standing near the edge. I fell and hurt my left leg, cutting and bruising it. Thankfully I was with doctors, but this was NOT an ideal situation. I was so mad with myself for an hour for letting myself get hurt. One of the most annoying things is when aid workers get ill from doing something stupid like drinking the water or not getting the correct inoculations and become liabilities and/or more work for the other aid workers. But I kept going after the incident. Just have to realize that when you are in a disaster zone, you're vulnerable. And you're no good if you're not 100%.

So basically, an amazing day getting to spend time with some of the children we've identified in the past few days. We played. Talked about the earthquake, which was the goal of the play therapy. Some children were afraid to even use the word earthquake. They call it various names other than by name. I believe it is another way of avoiding dealing with pain. When they opened up and starting telling their stories, it was heart breaking. I wont even go into some of their stories on this post.
We encouraged them to say words like 'earthquake' and 'falling houses. To say that people were killed. This is a part of the methodology of EDMR. Most importantly:
We want to help these children see themselves as survivors instead of victims.
They have a much brighter future ahead if they are armed with coping tools now.

Things That Make My Heart Cry

-Neglected kids running around everywhere
-People selling and eating cookies made out of dirt
-People selling fly-covered food on the streets
-People using cups to get water from the ditches and streets
-Injured children who have created makeshift crutches for themselves
-People using used coke bottles to bottle the water from the
street gutters and selling them
-The determination in the eyes of the young teens selling
things on the street
-Having to wear face masks to protect myself from disease,
even though I'd much rather touch and hug the kids and connect with them, show
them I really care 
-Signs everywhere in graffiti and signs in English or Creole saying
“Need help” and “We need water”, or names written on walls of persons missing
-Amputees standing in line for food

At one point, I had to close my eyes…this reality didn’t
seem real.
 

Rain Usually Puts Me To Sleep

Its raining again. I'm laying in my bed so stressed and upset that it's raining. If you know me you know that I love the rain. Ultimate indulgence for me on a rainy day is to order pizza and watch a movie with all my windows open and a fire going.
But right now I am thinking specifically about the children I met today. Thinking about their living conditions. They are already living in black mud and trash. They have no shelter from the rain and tomorrow everything will be wet and it will be hot making it a breeding ground for disease carrying insects. Rain, rain go away...

I Want a T Shirt That Says I Survived Cite Soleil

I will add photos to this post soon. You can view images at
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2052254&id=1379850505&l=cbd58ba403


Day 3 Port Au Prince, Haiti
5 am wake up call by... roosters, I think.
Ran over to drop team 2 off at Delmas to register kids.
started identifying children who had not been reunited with families and/or who were orphans. My team for today went towards Cite Soleil.

Normally, UN and U.S. military personnel would accompany us, but our objective was to get deep into Cite Soliel, build trust and have the Haitians help us in identifying some of the children that are homeless and hungry. I have to be honest. I was scared at first.
For us to stay safe, we didn’t travel with security inside Cite Soleil. Our team was small: 8 people, 3 of whom are originally from Cite Soleil. We didn’t carry any food either. This kept us safer than if we went in with even a small amount of food.

A couple adults tried to manipulate us, picking up orphans and saying they were theirs and asking us to give them food. When we told them we had no food, they would drop the kids and run off. That made me even more determined to find more orphans. Not only are they preyed upon by outside traffickers, but they are used by some in their own communities. They need protection.

Look for more on what I experienced on a one-to-one level with the children in a future blog post. Very interesting. Most of these children are joyful and playful. They yearn for human touch and want to be hugged and want to interact with you. In Cite Soleil, especially, the kids LOOK sick. Many have physical injuries, open sores, yellowish eyes and coughs. You want to touch them but at the same time, stay safe. It tears you apart.You can see the desperation the children’s eyes.
And then, there are the kids that are angry and hateful. Which breaks my heart even more because they need love the most.











I wish I could describe better what I saw. There are so many things that I just want to throw my hands up and say… It’s BAD. Wikipedia’s entry on Cite Soleil says it is the most dangerous part of town. Police and aid workers will not even go there. Brian sent me this link after reading that I was inside Cite Soliel: http://missionlifeline.blogspot.com/2008/12/city-soleil.html





I got so dirty playing with the kids in Citi that I HAD to change clothes. I think I even managed to get poop on me.

Today in Cite Soleil, we found around 76 orphans.





I got us into trouble today. I didn’t have food of course, but as a resource to connect with the kids and get them to talk openly, I used balloons. They are small and easy to carry in my BDU pockets (if you carry something in your gear bag and people see you reaching in there, you’ll attract too much bad attention). Well, I attracted some bad attention because people started seeing that I had balloons and started gathering around our team begging and grabbing at us for balloons. After I gave out all I had, they started to get angry. So our guys got us out of there. This was around 3PM. The day after tomorrow, we are planning on doing a food distribution to this section of Citi Soliel. We will come in at that time with the UN and the U.S. military.

LARGE NGOs like the Salvation Army and Red Cross have a different system of distributing food and medical services. They hand out vouchers and people come to designated areas. But there are communities that are not reached and/or those people have no means of getting to those locations. Some are afraid to leave their tents fearing what little they have will be stolen. Some have injuries or illness and some don't even know there is help available. Our group's goal is to reach those types of people. Together, large and small NGOS... work together this way with one goal. Help the people of Haiti.

Since we finished our original mission early, our driver took us to see the palace. That is the image I am most used to seeing on CNN. We get there, and…okay, great, I see it. It doesn’t affect me. Hmm.




Got caught up in a riot right outside the palace. President Sarkozy arrived and a mob was making its way to meet him. so today we did couple UN no, no's.

He drove us around other sectors in Port-au-Prince and then took us to the top of a mountain where we looked down at the city. There is a huge cloud of dust below. It is gray and flat. The only colors you can see, which are not even color, are from the tent cities.

I have not cried once since I’ve been here. When I am on my mission, my adrenaline is going and I don’t even have time to think, “Oh, this is sad.” I am identifying needs and trying to be vigilant about my surroundings. At night, when I try and reflect, I wonder why I don’t feel the need to cry even though my heart breaks and I feel like there is not enough that I can do to help. And of course the last thing I want to do is cry in front of the people I’m trying to help! But here at the top of this mountain, I felt an overwhelming need to cry. Looking down and seeing the devastation and how big the city is, you realize that EVERY SINGLE PERSON down there is suffering and in pain.







After that, we received a call asking if any teams were available to go to a neighboring fishing village to try and purchase clams, conchs, and fish for the aid workers. We decided to go even though we had not made the trip before. The drive was over an hour away, on damaged roads. We went to two villages, but they had no food. We finally were able to find a third one that had some conchs and even a lobster! We purchased it and while the team bagged them up, I started talking with the kids that had gathered around. Most of them are orphans but are being taken care of by the fishing community. They proudly showed me all of their toys, which were all make from pieces of trash. I went to my supplies and brought out all the stuffed toys and candy I had and we gave them all out.


We spent too much time there, because it got dark long before we made it back to camp. It is so dark that even with headlights, it is hard to see the road. Plus the dust affects visibility. The roads have holes, bridges are broken, and there are rocks everywhere and tons of people walking around in the dark. This was very dangerous and a big lesson for us. Crazy, dangerous and incredibly productive day :)

And most importantly, made it home and had a big clam bake for dinner!