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Mass immunization campaign in Haiti

On February 18, 2010 we were witness to a large mass immunization campaign at the Haitian Adventist University in Port-au-Prince where over 20.000 people live in tents temporary after the earthquake. The campaign was arranged by ADRA, US Navy, US Marines and the US Public Health Service.



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Earthquake Aftermath: Sebastien

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Hopes and Fears...

“Nothing is yet in its true form."
--C.S. Lewis, Till We Have Faces

The hope is that one day, perhaps thirty years from now, Haitians will be able to look back and see the devastating earthquake of 2010 as a positive turning point for their country. A time when the world community rose up, took a stand against poverty and collectively said that we will not allow over 200,000 people to die from an earthquake.

I don’t think this is going to be the reality. From what I saw and heard it seems as though it is perfectly acceptable to return Haiti to the state it was in pre-earthquake. Field hospitals are starting to leave, news crews are getting fewer and fewer, all the while many, many Haitians still do not have a roof over their head, access to clean water, food, a job, and proper sanitation seems to be nonexistent.

In the face of all of this the Haitian people are resilient if not hopeful. One person told me that they know they are not the first nation to deal with a natural disaster on this scale and they will not be the last. You have to wonder if coping with hurricanes and mudslides has somehow, in some small way, helped the Haitians deal with their current situation. When bodies are still decaying under the rubble six weeks after the earthquake, it’s hard to remain positive.

The people that I met in Haiti were wonderful, beautiful people. I don’t think I talked to a single person that is living in a house, has a job, or didn’t lose a family member in the quake. Even though they are hurting and don’t know what their immediate future might hold, there was some kind of hope there. It’s hard to figure out where that comes from, maybe it’s the spirit of the Haitian people or the many obstacles that they have had to overcome, but it’s there. Even if the world community fails the small island country of Haiti, I believe that small bit of hope will not die.

Day of Earthquake

We met a friend who took video the day of the earthquake and for the next few days. Below are a few still photos from that video, some of them are pretty graphic.

The Last Day in Haiti

Our last day ended up being like most last days, busy. Cosmin ended up going to a neighborhood where something like 90 percent of the homes were destroyed. Many dead bodies are still decaying under the rubble there.

Meanwhile I was with Sebastien’s Uncle and we found a driver and headed to the house where Sebastien was trapped for three days. That was really sobering. Standing there beside Sebastien’s Uncle knowing that his mother (Sebastien’s Grandmother) was dead under the rubble of the house in front of me. Looking at the house it’s hard to imagine that anyone survived.

Thanks to a tip from Dr. Archer, the medical director of the hospital, we found someone who had taken video the day of the earthquake and for the next three days. We got a copy of the footage and it is unbelievable. People are running around screaming, covered in dust, carrying people on their shoulders, dragging corpses out of the rubble, the streets are crowded, and it just goes on and on.

Our trip has been a good one. I think that we both hope that what we do can somehow positively effects the Haitian people. What do you do when people come up to you and ask if you can help them with the necessities of life. Water, food, shelter. These are things that many, many Haitians don’t have access to.

Now the edit begins. For the next few months we'll be editing the film, working out the story lines and reliving our experience everyday through our footage.