Kidnappers In Haiti!

On Thursday, February 18, ten United States citizens were brought up in front of a judge on charges of kidnapping 33 Haitian children after attempting to cross the border into the Dominican Republic on January 29th. They were building an orphanage, and many Haitian parents are reported to have sent their children willingly. Perhaps it was because of this that eight of the 10 would-be kidnappers were released on their own recognizance and allowed to return to the United States. The remaining two, however, remain behind for more questioning.

What will happen?
For more information see CNN World

A Joyless Carnival Season in Haiti

As we end the festivities of Mardi Gras, we realize that Haiti's usually extravagant Carnival celebration did not occur this year due to the devastation of the earthquake.

The January 12 earthquake hit just as the Carnival season was beginning. The Haitian people have lost so much that they feel no desire to celebrate. "I'm not sad because we don't have Carnival. I'm sad because I lost eight people in my family. They'll never dance again," said a 25-year-old woman.

We should take this sad reality as motivation to continue to reach out to Haiti in the hopes that the people recover physically as well as regain their spirits. It is difficult to speculate whether Haiti will be recovered by Carnival season next year.

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Haitians Start Rebuilding On Their Own

Ignoring the call from the government to hold off on reconstruction for the time being, many Haitians have begun to either rebuild their homes damaged by the earthquake or have begun collecting materials to build new homes on their plots of land in and around Port-au-Prince. The Haitian people are angry at the government which has largely been disabled for the past 2 weeks and its plan to delay reconstruction efforts until proper building codes can be applied and to relocate some families who live on unsafe plots of land. Haitians are jealously protective of their land plots as many have been passed down from generation to generation and many also contain vegetable gardens which are a critical component of many Haitians diet. Here's an article for more information.

Extreme Suffering for Children in Haiti

Although there have been multiple posts about the tragic earthquake situation in Haiti, I can't help but add one that impacted me even further.

Haiti's children make up 45% of the country's population. They "are among the most disoriented and vulnerable survivors of the earthquake." Needless to say, their world is gone. Not only have the surviving Haitian children lost parents, family members, homes, and schools, but some are also suffering from severe injuries and trauma. Many are now stuck on the streets, struggling to survive each day. There are concerns that these children will be taken advantage of for trade or trafficking.

Haiti's first lady, Elisabeth Delatour Preval, says, "The children of Haiti, unless they get help, they will have lost their childhoods, their innocence."

Let us use this as further motivation to take action in assisting the people of Haiti.

Source: New York Times

Pray for Survivors Still Buried Under Rubble in Haiti

It amazes me how many people were affected by the tragic earthquake that struck Haiti over a week ago. Britney Gengel was an American college student volunteering in Haiti feeding the poor when disaster struck. Eight of the students on her trip were found but she, along with four others, are still missing. She was someone from a privileged society who traveled to a poor developing country to help other people and now her family is grieving but hoping for her return on her 20th birthday. Searchers don't give up hope! More people are still alive and buried in Haiti and we hope for all of their immediate rescue and help. Healthy humans can live under rubble for 12 or 13 days in most extreme cases. Today is day 10, let's keep hoping and trying.

Source: CNN

Lack of Organization in Haiti

Anderson Cooper reported about the conditions following the earthquake in Haiti on Larry King Live. His report shows that due to a lack of structure and the proper medical staff and equipment many more lives have been lost and continue to be lost.

Haiti

The long-suffering people of Haiti are facing yet another unimaginable natural disaster and the ensuing human crises.

I haven't written anything about this yet because I am so saddened and feel so helpless that writing about it almost seems fruitless. That, and I'm not quite recovered yet from the paralysis I felt upon hearing the news and seeing the massive destruction to the infrastructure of Port-au-Prince and the loss of so many innocent lives.

Haiti is a country that has had a significant presence in my line of work. I have met and befriended numerous Haitians over the years. I have studied Haiti's people and culture. I have had my students study and learn about Haitian life and culture. In fact, this semester my students in one class will be reading Edwige Danticat's first novel, Breath, Eyes, Memory, and will be watching Jonathan Demme's documentary film titled The Agronomist about the great Haitian radio figure, Jean Dominique. In another class, we'll be reading Paul Farmer's Pathology of Power, which features Haiti as an important case study of his thesis of structural violence.

May God bless and be with the Haitian people in this sad, terrible tragedy.