One year since the earthquake, how are things in Haiti?
Dear friends,
Today marks the one year anniversary of the devastating earthquake that struck our friends and partners in Petit Trou de Nippes.
One year later, how are things in Haiti?
The older I get the more clear it is that any truth worth reflecting on is very likely to contain elements, sub-truths, that seem contradictory. This is intensely true for the question, “One year later, how are things in Haiti?”
In Petit Trou, we’ve seen remarkable progress, commitment, and regeneration since the earthquake. In the past year we’ve funded the construction of a high school and a staff residence at St. Paul’s School. We’re funding a new community center and administrative office for a key community based partner. We’ve launched new conservation, farming, and beekeeping efforts. And soon we’ll share the architectural drawings for a new hospital and community health center that will break ground by year’s end. All of this progress, in addition to a locally led emergency response that included support for housing, clean water, mobile health clinics, food aid, and direct economic support.
It’s also true that in many ways Haiti is in the midst of a tragic free fall. The situation in Port-au-Prince is beyond words. Hundreds have been killed in gang wars. Kidnapping is rampant. In large sections of the city people do not circulate even in their own neighborhoods unless absolutely necessary. Practically speaking, there is no federal government. There is no president and no functional justice system. Boats full of refugees are frequently intercepted at sea, or worse, found capsized, as people desperately seek a chance at life abroad.
The two paragraphs above are both 100 percent true, and the idea of selling either one of these realities short in a letter like this is deeply disturbing to me. Words matter. Stories matter. And this story is not simple.
What I can say to you with absolute and unqualified conviction is this:
If you supported Locally Haiti in the past year you made a real impact for real families, and that impact occurred in the midst of a broader context that is tragic, dysfunctional, and unjust; a context where progress is precious and bad news is ubiquitous.
Place a candle in the middle of a well lit room. Place that same candle in the middle of a pitch dark room. The light shows very differently. With your support, the local leaders we invest in are creating the brightest of lights. Their work, their courage, and their devotion to their community not only pierces the dark for families who are struggling - it also lights a path for those of us who are motivated to help.
A friend asked me recently, with all of the depressing news from Haiti, how can we stay hopeful, remain committed? The answer is simple. We don’t continue investing in our partners at the grassroots level in spite of how dire the situation has become. We redouble our efforts because we know the work of our partners is more important than ever. Our friends are still there, still real, still human. They are still so much more than capable and they are still in need of our support and investment. I thank you sincerely for believing in the power of their light.
As always and more than ever, thank you for standing with Haiti.
With gratitude,
Wynn
