MikeM visits Haiti after earthquake

After the earthquake, Port au Prince airport  was closed to commercial flights so we decided to drive into Haiti over the mountains from the Dominican Republic and cross the border in Jasmine, near the lakes.  It had been 3 weeks since the Jan 12th earthquake.  I was traveling with my father, Dr. Mike and one of his employees, a medical assistant named Lara A.  We hired a driver in Santo Domingo named Richard P with the help of some friends that live in the Dominican Republic.  We left our hotel at 5:00 am and it took us about 6 hours to get to the border.

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The crossing into Haiti was like driving into a lawless war zone. We went from peaceful agricultural communities to a state of chaos and mild riots. When our vehicle stopped because convoy traffic was being routed in different directions, we noticed a mad mass of people scrambling for the first distributions along the road to Port au Prince.  After we passed through the first 20 miles or so, things seemed to calm down. We would rendezvous with our Haitian driver and the director of a local orphanage at the only gas station operating within 50 miles.

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We retreated to the orphanage which felt like asylum once we got off the streets and into a gated yard. The orphanage was small and occupied mostly by kids with congenital birth defects like cerebral palsy and hydrocephalus. They had been living and sleeping outside since the earthquake as there was plenty of space in the grassy yard surrounded by a privacy wall that was taken down by the earthquake but reassembled to keep the guard dogs in. The house had lost electricity, the only generator was crushed when a wall collapsed during the earthquake. The water pump burned out so the gravity fed tanks were only working periodically and most of the potable water had to be carried in from the community well. If this had been a way of life before the quake then it would be routine but with 9 disabled kids on their hands, the staff and director of this orphanage are doing everything they can to work through this rough transition time. They are going to be our first project for the Haiti Orphan Rescue Program.

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The next morning we headed out early through the waking city streets of Port au Prince to our next orphanage in the foothills near La Mardelle. I had no idea what was in store that day.  Most of the houses in this agricultural area were made of sticks and mud.  The orphanage here was like an oasis.  After treating several girls with skin problems, we sat with the director of the orphanage, Gina Duncan, and talked about the current situation with the system for orphan children in Haiti. “There is much work to be done” she claimed, “only a handful of the orphanages in Haiti are legally registered with a 501(c)(3). Gina has been a monumental figure for orphans in Haiti for over 30 years. Her orphanage, Creche, is one of the best run orphan facilities I have ever seen.

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About 3 hours into our visit at Creche, a helicopter landed and out came a young guy who had taken it upon himself to go to Haiti to make a difference. He and his brother were running supplies to random orphanages using Creche as a base. The next thing I know, I was in the helicopter heading to the airbase in Port au Prince to do a supply run for the orphanage I had visited the day before. We brought tents and food, but without a place to land, it had to be dropped in a community close to the orphanage. We hope the baby formula was put to good use but in Haiti… well, let’s just say that times are desperate and everyone is just trying to survive. We actually returned to the orphanage by car a few days later to hand deliver more supplies. The video tape from the helicopter run can be viewed here.1.

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We slept in tents set up by our driver, Cyril,  in his courtyard along with tikki torches and a make-shift shower stall. Cyril was educated in Canada and Paris, his father is French and his mother is Hatian. He was the rock of our operation in Haiti and was a great host.  He stayed by our side day and night during the entire time we were there. He even put on the rubber gloves when we went to the orphanages and helped translate the medicine instructions to the orphanage assistants. Anyone that goes to Haiti on one of our missions will be able to meet Cyril first hand. He is a huge asset to our organization.

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The big orphanage we visited was located in the mountains before you get to Kenscoff. There were 90+ kids there, mostly under 10 yrs old. Our friend John lives there. He is 12. You will be able to read his profile in the children section of our website and as we add more content we will keep you informed of his story and his hopes for the future. This orphanage is in serious need of sanitation and proper ventilation. The building was not damaged by the quake but like most orphanages, damaged by time. We did what we could to treat skin problems like scabies and ringworm but until the entire place is sterilized, these problems are likely to return. They are doing what they can to care for 90 children but it seems overwhelming and they seem like they could use some help.  This is one reason we started HORP, so that we could return to offer our help as builders and caregivers to make improvements that have long term impacts on the health and well being of the children living in distressed orphanages.

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We were unable to visit the Creche orphanage for children with aids or the House of Hope orphanage in the mountains but they are on our list for the next trip back. Both orphanages are reported to be in good shape after the quake and are run by reputable organizations, so we know they are in good hands.

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Thanks for reading my post,

Mike M

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