Rainy Season Living

It has rained almost everyday since the beginning of May. With the rains come sadness as we think about the hundreds of thousands (UN estimates 1.3 million displaced) of people that are still living without shelter here and it is a constant reminder of the earthquake, which is the hazard that has displaced them. The dry riverbeds are now rising and the fields are bright green with new growth. Most IDP camps still lack rainy season necessities. There is still little adequate shelter. Few clean water sources. There is little food. Many Haitians have to start over in empty lots of land. Haitian makeshift shelters consist of sheets and whatever scrap tin or wood they can find. No human being should live under a sheet. It still shocks me how this is possible for a country to live this way and be so close to one of the world's wealthiest countries (less than 2 hour flight from Port Au Prince to Miami).

Since the 1980s, NGOs have been in Haiti. The 1990s brought a massive increase in their numbers, from 6,000 worldwide in 1990 to an estimated 60,000 by 1998 (Economist, cited in Regan 2003:3). Currently, there are so many NGOs that one could not estimate at their number (Riddell, 2007:53). NGO logistics and politics of the country have slowed the process of disaster recovery. Yet the people of Haiti continue to amaze us. Somehow, through their innovation and vast social networks they are finding creative was to recover and rebuild. Perhaps, this should count more than the work that the NGOs do.

May and June have been months of transition for us as we have moved to a new homestead just outside of Leogane, finished our emergency grant and are now beginning new projects within the temporary shelter communities. We both are still working with water, sanitation and hygiene. Now we have to work between two different locations Titanyen region, which is near Port-Au-Prince, and our current location in the Leogane/Grand Goave region.

Yes, we are living now in army tents, a few steps in reverse from our nice room with flush toilets in a 2 storey local NGOs base in Grand Goave. Can we say rustic living? Our tents are sandwiched between sugarcane fields and the sea. Tarantulas and mosquitoes abound. Mud and dust live with us. We have no door to our quarter of a tent room and have to share with 3 other married couples. Needless to say, we have no privacy. We still have no kitchen, yet one is currently in progress. Hmm, this is not the beach house we had envisioned. Haiti on its own is hard enough to live long term but now having to rough it presents a new stress and challenge even for well-seasoned travelers. Not to mention we have barely had enough time to breathe as our projects are expanding. This current living situation begs the question, is it possible to live and work in 24-7 community with no privacy long term? More on this later. Yet we are grateful to live in a tent that keeps us dry and protected for the most part from the weather. A majority of people in Haiti can not say the same.

Indeed reconstruction is happening in our area (Leogane and Grand Goave). Thousands of metric tons of rubble has been removed. Shelters are being built. Water sources are being rehabilitated. Small business are opening back up. And schools are back in session for the most part. This side of Haiti is seeing the relief. There are many glimmers of restoration and hope even in the rainy season.

Some glimmers of hope: Creativity and attention to beauty and detail are part of the heartbeat of Haitian culture. Check out this

Haitian Solutions to Reconstruction and Recovery....

This is Wilson, age 21, with no formal carpentry training, he built his home out of local materials


Wilson is recreating his house because of the high demand for just $170 USDs per house